Britney Spears

Britney Jean

RCA

Pop/Rock, Vocal

With the assistance of will.i.am, Britney delves deep into EDM and Euro-dance on this eighth album.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Jake Owen

Days of Gold

RCA / Sony Music / Sony Music Distribution

Country

A happily relaxed set of suburban country-pop that's the singer's best collection yet.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Carrie Underwood

The Sound of Music [2013 NBC Television Cast]

Masterworks

Stage & Screen, Classical

A faithful tribute to the legendary '60s musical.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Matthew Bellamy / Dominic Howard / Muse / Chris Wolstenholme

Live at Rome Olympic Stadium [CD + Blu-Ray]

Warner Bros.

Pop/Rock

Muse grow into their sense of grandeur on their massive second live album.

— Gregory Heaney

Fuzz

Live in San Francisco

Castle Face

Pop/Rock

Ty Segall and Fuzz deliver a face-melting live set on the second installment of Castle Face Records' live series.

— Gregory Heaney

Leona Lewis

Christmas, With Love

Syco Music

Pop/Rock, Holiday

A joyous, buoyant tribute to the classic sound and spirit of Phil Spector's A Christmas Gift for You.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Sumie

Sumie

Bella Union

Pop/Rock

A bewitching introduction to an artist whose music finds its beauty in its economy.

— Heather Phares

Xiu Xiu

Nina

Graveface Records

Pop/Rock

A tribute to Nina Simone that celebrates the boldest parts of her music as well as Xiu Xiu's.

— Heather Phares

bEEdEEgEE

Sum/One

4AD

Pop/Rock, Electronic

Debut solo album of electronic wizardry and mutant pop production from founding member of art rockers Gang Gang Dance.

— Fred Thomas

Albert Hammond, Jr.

Ahj

Cult Records

Pop/Rock

The Strokes guitarist's first new music in five years features some of his most consistently enjoyable songs.

— Heather Phares

Boston

Life Love & Hope

Frontiers Records

Pop/Rock

After a ten-year wait, the band's sixth album delivers more of their trademark guitar sound and Brad Delp's vocal power.

— Tim Sendra

Jessica Hernandez / Jessica Hernandez & the Deltas

Demons

Instant Records

Pop/Rock

On their first studio work in three years, these Motor City rockers deliver a fingerpopping, groove-laden set of infectious tunes.

— Thom Jurek

Sevyn Streeter

Call Me Crazy, But...

Atlantic

R&B

A fine first step from a pop-R&B singer/songwriter who has written material for Chris Brown, Brandy, Alicia Keys, and Ariana Grande.

— Andy Kellman

Dott

Swoon

Graveface Records

Pop/Rock

Debut album full of peppy female-fronted indie pop that alternates nicely between uptempo love songs and slow love-lost songs.

— Tim Sendra

Black Flag

What The...

SST

Pop/Rock

First album in 26 years from the trailblazing punk band finds them revisiting their early approach, with unsatisfying results.

— Mark Deming

Calexico

Spiritoso

City Slang

Pop/Rock, Country

A welcome addition to Calexico's growing collection of live albums that gives orchestral depth to their definitive songs.

— Heather Phares

Mutual Benefit

Love's Crushing Diamond

Other Music Recording Company

Pop/Rock

The comforting indie folk of Mutual Benefit's debut album is like a friend whose shoulder is always ready to cry on.

— Heather Phares

The Fauns

Lights

Invada / Light in the Attic Records

Pop/Rock

The Bristol, England quintet's second album delivers gorgeous shoegaze like it's straight out of 1991.

— Heather Phares

Magic Trick

River of Souls

Empty Cellar Records

Pop/Rock

Third album from this Fresh & Onlys side project is a surprisingly charming album of thoughtful, stylistically shifting pop.

— Fred Thomas

Lydia Loveless

Boy Crazy EP

Bloodshot

Pop/Rock, Country

Five rip-roaring new songs from Ohio-born firebrand who blends rock and country at full strength.

— Mark Deming

Marley Carroll

Sings

Melanaster

Pop/Rock, Electronic

Second album by North Carolinian producer features warm, woody electronica and tranquil ambience sounding like a thawed-out American Autechre.

— Timothy Monger

Nick Cave / Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds

Live from KCRW [Bonus Tracks]

Pop/Rock

A live radio concert turns into a showcase for some of Cave's best songs and this group's most cohesive, compelling performances.

— Mark Deming

Tycho

Past Is Prologue

Ghostly International

Electronic, Pop/Rock

San Francisco-based electronic artist's debut resonates with dreamy downtempo ambience and late-afternoon warmth.

— Timothy Monger

Nightwish

Showtime, Storytime

Nuclear Blast

Pop/Rock

The Finnish symphonic metal veterans tear through an epic 16-song set in front of 85,000 screaming fans.

— James Christopher Monger

Jaap van Zweden / Dallas Symphony Orchestra

Mahler 6

Dallas Symphony Orchestra / DSO Live

Classical

Despite dry sound quality, this recording of Mahler’s Symphony No. 6 is still compelling listening for its tension and edginess.

— Blair Sanderson

Xiayin Wang / Peter Oundjian

American Piano Concertos

Chandos

Classical

Wang continues to amass a strong track record with this Chandos release, nicely recorded at the Royal Concert Hall in Glasgow.

— James Manheim

Stephen Layton / Trinity College Choir, Cambridge

Bach: Christmas Oratorio

Hyperion

Classical

There are more daring performances of the Christmas Oratorio on all fronts, but few that make such a satisfying and musical impression.

— James Manheim

Marek Janowski / L'Orchestre de la Suisse Romande

Bruckner: Symphony No. 4

PentaTone Classics

Classical

Janowski and the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande deliver a radiant performance of Bruckner's "Romantic" Symphony on this hybrid SACD.

— Blair Sanderson

Café Zimmermann

Vivaldi: Estro Armonico - Libro Secondo

Alpha / Alpha Productions

Classical

The soloists here are nicely distinguished from each other in both the playing and the engineering.

— James Manheim

Takács Quartet

Britten: String Quartets 1, 2 & 3

Hyperion

Classical

Recommended, and likely to support the argument that these works should be heard in quartet recitals more often than they are.

— James Manheim

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