Dido

Girl Who Got Away

RCA / Sony Music

Pop/Rock

Dido turns in a neon-streaked, coolly fashionable album with Girl Who Got Away.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

OneRepublic

Native

Interscope / Polydor

Pop/Rock

Ryan Tedder and OneRepublic's third effort is a sonically diverse offering showcasing more of the band's alt-rock uplift and R&B-inflected ballads.

— Matt Collar

The Strokes

Comedown Machine

RCA

Pop/Rock

One of the Strokes' most consistent albums, Comedown Machine demonstrates the band's flair for undeniable hooks and melodies.

— Heather Phares

Depeche Mode

Delta Machine

Columbia

Pop/Rock

Dark, damned, and simmering, the veteran synth pop group take it slow and sensual on their 13th studio effort.

— David Jeffries

Wire

Change Becomes Us

Pink Flag

Pop/Rock

Reworking lesser-known songs from 1979 and 1980, Change Becomes Us is a vital-sounding latter-day Wire album.

— Heather Phares

Lil Wayne

I Am Not a Human Being II

Cash Money

Rap

It's a bit sloppy and redundant, but it's a sideline release and one that finds the rapper in top form.

— David Jeffries

Blake Shelton

Based on a True Story...

Warner Bros.

Country

Blake Shelton's first post-Voice album is super-sized country-pop for the super-sized modern era.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Wavves

Afraid of Heights

Mom + Pop Music / Rodeo / Warner Bros.

Pop/Rock

Wavves' fourth album finds them deep in the throes of the '90s alt-rock revival wave.

— Tim Sendra

Alan Jackson

Precious Memories, Vol. 2

Alan's Country Records / Capitol / Capitol Nashville / EMI Nashville

Country

Alan Jackson's second collection of spiritual songs is a brighter, crisper album than his first.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Edwyn Collins

Understated

AED Records

Pop/Rock

His second post-illness album is a triumph of songcraft and the human spirit, delivered in his typically droll and clear-eyed fashion.

— Tim Sendra

Harper Simon

Division Street

PIAS / Play It Again Sam / Tulsi

Pop/Rock

Interesting lo-fi production and hooky songwriting create a gorgeous atmosphere reminiscent of Elliott Smith's best work.

— Fred Thomas

Scott Morgan

Three Chords and a Cloud of Dust

Easy Action Records

Pop/Rock, R&B

Dynamic triple-disc testament to former Rational and Detroit/Ann Arbor rock & roll true believer Scott Morgan

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Stephen Stills

Carry On

Atlantic

Pop/Rock

Over the course of four discs, Carry On tells the complex tale of Stephen Stills in compelling detail.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Sevendust

Black Out the Sun

7Bros. Records

Pop/Rock

Sevendust deliver another hard-edged performance on their ninth album, Black Out the Sun.

— Gregory Heaney

Kendrick Scott / Kendrick Scott Oracle

Conviction

Concord

Jazz

Six long years after his debut, the drummer and his band offer a strong, ambitious, holistic view of 21st century jazz.

— Thom Jurek

The Cyclist

Bones in Motion

Leaving Records / Stones Throw

Pop/Rock, Electronic

Lo-fi experimental house beats made with cheap vintage equipment and recorded onto a four-track cassette.

— Jason Lymangrover

The Carrots

New Romance

Elefant

Pop/Rock

A sweet mix of bouncy indie pop and swinging girl group sounds from this Austin combo on their debut album.

— Tim Sendra

Saxon

Sacrifice

EMI / UDR

Pop/Rock

Metal veterans Saxon offer a driving crash course in the NWOBHM on their 20th album.

— Gregory Heaney

The Milk Carton Kids

The Ash & Clay

Anti-

Pop/Rock, Folk

The second studio album from the L.A.-based duo blends the harmonies of Simon & Garfunkel with the technical acumen of the Punch Brothers.

— James Christopher Monger

Warm Soda

Someone for You

Castle Face

Pop/Rock

The band's debut matches punk energy with catchy melodies on a batch of hooky tracks that conjure up memories of '70s power pop.

— Tim Sendra

Wax Idols

Discipline + Desire

Slumberland

Pop/Rock

The band's second album reinvents Wax Idols as purveyors of dark, vital-sounding post-punk.

— Heather Phares

Crystal Bowersox

All That for This

Shanachie

Pop/Rock

Going indie with producer Steve Berlin, Crystal Bowersox delivers on the hippie-soul promise she showed on American Idol.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

David Archuleta

No Matter How Far

Entertainment One / eOne

Pop/Rock

David Archuleta's pleasant No Matter How Far repackages eight songs previously released in the Philippines and adds two unreleased cuts.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Maggie Rose

Cut to Impress

RPM

Country

Cut to Impress does indeed impress, full of well-recorded, well-sung tracks that are poised to shine on contemporary country radio.

— Steve Leggett

Little Green Cars

Absolute Zero

Glassnote Entertainment Group

Pop/Rock

Irish indie pop outfit offers up an Emerald Isle take on Americana with the help of Arcade Fire/Mumford & Sons producer Markus Dravs.

— James Christopher Monger

A Rocket to the Moon

Wild & Free

Fueled by Ramen Records

Pop/Rock

The emo-pop outfit's sophomore album features more of their melodic hooks, this time with an added contemporary country-inflected sound.

— Matt Collar

Blu

NoYork!

Nature Sounds

Rap

Too many musical ideas and too many cooks in the kitchen overwhelm this futuristic hip-hop album.

— Jason Lymangrover

Carol Emanuel / Bill Frisell / Kenny Wollesen / John Zorn

John Zorn: The Mysteries

Tzadik Records

Avant-Garde, Classical

This is the second excellent volume of the composer's works played by harpist Carol Emanuel, guitarist Bill Frisell, and vibist Kenny Wollesen.

— Thom Jurek

Mwahaha

Mwahaha

The Orchard Records / Plug Research

Pop/Rock

Fractured song structures are made more complicated with contrasting indie rock and electronic sounds.

— Jason Lymangrover

Dub Colossus

Dub Me Tender, Vols. 1 & 2

Real World Records

International, Electronic

Remixing and dubbing their earlier material, the reggae-meets-traditional-African-music group stretch their legs on this satisfying release.

— David Jeffries

Gene Clark

Here Tonight: The White Light Demos

Omnivore

Pop/Rock

Here Tonight offers Gene Clark's spare, haunting demos for White Light, along with previously unheard songs.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Iron Maiden

Maiden England '88 [2 CD]

Sanctuary / Universal

Pop/Rock

The heavy metal masters deliver an epic performance on the classic live album Maiden England '88.

— Gregory Heaney

Iva Bittová

Iva Bittová

ECM

Avant-Garde, International, Jazz, Classical

Using only her voice, violin, and kalimba, her 12 "Fragments" create an unclassifiable yet utterly beautiful listening experience.

— Thom Jurek

Joe Bonamassa

An Acoustic Evening At The Vienna Opera House [2 CD]

J&R Adventures

Pop/Rock, Blues

Acoustic Evening at the Vienna Opera House showcases a gentler side of Joe Bonamassa.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Loretta Lynn

Blue Kentucky Girl/I Like 'Em Country

Raven / Raven Records

Country

Raven's 2013 two-fer Blue Kentucky Girl/I Like 'Em Country contains two solid mid-'60s Loretta Lynn albums

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Luke Winslow-King

The Coming Tide

Bloodshot

Blues, Jazz, Pop/Rock, Country

Everything here seems to fall together naturally, one of Luke Winslow-King's greatest strengths as a performer and recording artist.

— Steve Leggett

Tandyn Almer

Along Comes Tandyn

Sundazed

Pop/Rock

A collection of 15 mid-'60s demos from the composer of "Along Comes Mary."

— Tim Sendra

El Futuro Sonidos / The Pluto Walkers

The Throwaway Age [Original Motion Picture Soundtrack]

Sundazed

Pop/Rock, Stage & Screen

The Pluto Walkers' Throwaway Age is a delightful homage to the hot rod, surf, and soundtrack sounds of the '60s.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

The Foreign Exchange

+FE Music: The Reworks

Foreign Exchange Music

R&B

A consistent compilation from the eclectic, R&B-oriented label's immediate and extended FE family that features three excellent new songs.

— Andy Kellman

Various Artists

All Trap Music

AEI / AEI Media / Century Media/EMI

Electronic, Pop/Rock

With artists like Baauer, Flosstradamus, and Bro Safari, this compilation hits the major players of this hip-hop-meets-EDM genre.

— David Jeffries

Julia Fischer / David Zinman / Zurich Tonhalle Orchestra

Bruch & Dvorák

Decca

Classical

Julia Fischer gives charismatic performances of two Romantic concertos, with solid support from David Zinman and the Zurich Tonhalle Orchestra.

— Blair Sanderson

Gustavo Dudamel / Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra

Mahler 9

Deutsche Grammophon

Classical

The first CD from Gustavo Dudamel's historic Mahler Project is a sweeping and songful interpretation of the Ninth.

— Blair Sanderson

Ekaterina Gubanova / Anja Kampe / Jonas Kaufmann / René Pape / Mikhail Petrenko / Nina Stemme / Valery Gergiev

Wagner: Die Walküre

Mariinsky

Classical

Valery Gergiev and the Mariinsky Orchestra present a superb version of Wagner's Die Walküre, their first Ring release.

— Blair Sanderson

Alessio Bax

Alessio Bax Plays Mozart

Signum Classics

Classical

With the average age of the musicians here apparently under 30, this is a release that bodes well for the future of the mainstream Mozart repertory.

— James Manheim

The Tallis Scholars / Peter Phillips

Renaissance Radio

Gimell

Classical

This double album is a kaleidoscopic sequence of great moments in Renaissance music, and it's very easy on the ears.

— James Manheim

Angelika Kirchschlager / Aldeburgh Festival Ensemble / Oliver Knussen

Britten: The Rape of Lucretia

Erato / Virgin Classics

Classical

Britten's 1946 chamber opera receives a clear and vibrant performance in this live recording from the 64th Aldeburgh Festival.

— Blair Sanderson

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