Keyshia Cole

Woman to Woman [Deluxe Edition]

Geffen

R&B

A solid set on par with her first two albums, this strictly R&B set features fruitful collaborations with Harmony, Jack Splash, and the-Dream.

— Andy Kellman

Coldplay

Live 2012 [Video]

Capitol / Parlophone

Pop/Rock

Nicki Minaj

Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded Re-Up [2CD/1DVD]

Cash Money

Rap

The superstar rapper adds eight tracks to her second album on this worthwhile improvement or "re-up."

— David Jeffries

Led Zeppelin

Celebration Day

Atlantic

Pop/Rock

Led Zeppelin's brilliant one-off 2007 reunion is captured in its entirety on Celebration Day.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Rihanna

Unapologetic

Def Jam

Pop/Rock

It's difficult to take the singer's occasionally thrilling, fourth annual November release as pure entertainment.

— Andy Kellman

Kid Rock

Rebel Soul

Atlantic

Pop/Rock

Kid Rock returns to his cheerfully sleazy bad taste on Rebel Soul.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Kelly Clarkson

Greatest Hits, Chapter 1

RCA

Pop/Rock

Kelly Clarkson's first hits collection proves she was one of the great pop stars of the new millennium.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Pitbull

Global Warming

Polo Grounds Music / RCA

Latin, Rap

Christina Aguilera, J. Lo, Afrojack, and others join Mr. 305 on this somewhat messy but ultimately satisfying party album.

— David Jeffries

David Guetta

Nothing But the Beat 2.0

Astralwerks / Capitol / EMI

Electronic

The French DJ packs this 2011 release with floor-filling singles and guests like Akon, Lil Wayne, Usher, and Chris Brown.

— David Jeffries

Phillip Phillips

The World From the Side of the Moon

19 Records / Interscope

Pop/Rock

The debut from American Idol winner Phillip Phillips is a rousing love letter to his idol Dave Matthews.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

The Evens

The Odds

Dischord Records

Pop/Rock

Following a long gap between records and the birth of their son, this punk couple returns with songs of emotional complexity and subdued rage.

— Fred Thomas

Earl

Stronger

Downtown Records

Pop/Rock

The Alaska-born, California-based singer/songwriter returns to a more intimate, melodic folk sound on her third studio album.

— Matt Collar

Oneohtrix Point Never

Rifts

Software

Electronic

This collection from Oneohtrix Point Never's first three albums defines the act's distinctive approach to drone-based electronic music.

— Heather Phares

Tim Hecker / Daniel Lopatin

Instrumental Tourist

Software

Electronic

Hecker and Lopatin apply their hypnotic sounds to a set of songs using ethnic instrument presets, with intriguing and often lovely results.

— Heather Phares

Graham Parker / Graham Parker & the Rumour

Three Chords Good

Primary Wave

Pop/Rock

Graham Parker reunites with his original band the Rumour for the warm, curmudgeonly Three Chords Good.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Uncle Kracker

Midnight Special

Sugar Hill

Pop/Rock

Uncle Kracker refashions himself as a country singer on the sunny, laid-back Midnight Special.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

A.R. Kane

Complete Singles Collection

One Little Indian

Pop/Rock

An overdue compilation of 1986-1994 material, including a pair of brilliant non-album singles, from the U.K. duo who developed and perfected dream pop.

— Andy Kellman

Bad Brains

Into the Future

Megaforce

Pop/Rock, Reggae

Thirty years after its bombastic beginnings, this legendary D.C. punk outfit keeps sailing on in its own unique clashing of hardcore and reggae.

— Fred Thomas

Nico Muhly

Drones

Bedroom Community

Avant-Garde, Classical

This release includes the Drones & Piano, Drones & Viola, and Drones & Violin EPs, as well as an extended new work.

— Thom Jurek

The Monster / Nostalgia 77

The Taxidermist

Tru Thoughts

Jazz, Electronic

On this exploratory set, Ben Lamdin and an octet intentionally integrate various jazz genres and come up with something fresh, new, and soulful.

— Thom Jurek

Guided by Voices

The Bears for Lunch

Guided by Voices, Inc.

Pop/Rock

By a small margin, this is the best of the three off-kilter power pop albums the reunited GbV released in 2012.

— Fred Thomas

Oliver Knight / Marry Waterson

Hidden

One Little Indian

Folk

The sophomore offering by this duo is more diverse and confident. Their songwriting and sense of musical adventure are a genuine surprise.

— Thom Jurek

AC/DC

Live at River Plate

Columbia / Sony Music

Pop/Rock

AC/DC deliver the rocking goods on the fun Live at River Plate.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Il Volo

We Are Love

Geffen / Interscope / Rentor

Vocal

The second studio album from the dreamy teenage tenors includes a U2 cover and duets with Placido Domingo and Eros Ramazzotti.

— James Christopher Monger

Peter Buck

Peter Buck

Mississippi Records

Pop/Rock

The first solo album by R.E.M. guitarist Peter Buck is a rousing salute to the underground sound of 1985.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit

Live from Alabama

Lightning Rod Records

Pop/Rock

Jason Isbell follows Here We Rest with a concert set recorded at the WorkPlay Theater in Birmingham, AL and the Crossroads in Huntsville, AL.

— Steve Leggett

Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra / Ivars Taurins

Handel: Messiah

Tafelmusik Media

Classical

Tafelmusik's performance of Handel's Messiah is one of the finest available, thanks to the exceptional rendering in authentic Baroque style.

— Blair Sanderson

Naomi Punk

The Feeling

Captured Tracks

Pop/Rock

Tantalizingly indirect and strangely uplifting, the Feeling's deconstructed grunge continues the spirit of the Pacific Northwest underground.

— Heather Phares

Porcupine Tree

Octane Twisted

Kscope

Pop/Rock

The concert recording of The Incident in its entirety proves it to be among rock's most impressive concept albums.

— Thom Jurek

Steps

Light Up the World

Steps Recordings

Pop/Rock, Holiday

The British vocal pop group’s first studio album since 2001’s Buzz, is also their first holiday-themed album.

— Matt Collar

Ex Cathedra Consort / Jeffrey Skidmore

Giovanni Gabrieli: Sacred Symphonies

Hyperion

Classical

The polychoral works of Giovanni Gabrieli receive stirring performances on this Hyperion CD, one of the finest releases of 2012.

— Blair Sanderson

Elvis Costello

In Motion Pictures

Hip-O

Pop/Rock

In Motion Pictures is a wildly diverse compilation of Elvis Costello songs that have been featured in films over the years.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Fela Kuti

The Complete Works of Fela Anikulapo Kuti

Knitting Factory Records / Knitting Factory Works / Megaforce / Wrasse

International, Jazz

This box contains all 26 Fela albums released by Wrasse as well as a DVD compiling concert and documentary footage and interviews.

— Thom Jurek

Brokencyde

The Best of BC13

Breaksilence Records

Pop/Rock, Rap

Combining slick beats, screaming vocals, and sleazy lyrics, parents shudder in horror as the crunkcore group offer 17 of their best.

— David Jeffries

Takka Takka

A.M. Landscapes

Ernest Jenning

Pop/Rock

The third outing from the Brooklyn-based outfit skillfully marries modern East Coast indie rock and '80s sophisti-pop.

— James Christopher Monger

Michael Tilson Thomas / San Francisco Symphony

American Mavericks

SFS Media

Classical

Michael Tilson Thomas' tribute to Cowell, Harrison, and Varèse is a brilliant showcase for the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra.

— Blair Sanderson

Alessio Bax

Alessio Bax Plays Brahms

Signum Classics

Classical

To show contrasts in Brahms' piano music, Alessio Bax plays the introverted Ballades and Klavierstucke with the flashy Paganini Variations.

— Blair Sanderson

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