R. Kelly

Black Panties

RCA

R&B

R. Kelly's return to sexually exaggerated and wholly contemporary material is, ironically, less fresh than his preceding throwback albums.

— Andy Kellman

Childish Gambino

Because the Internet

Glassnote Entertainment Group

Rap

Indie rap, R&B flash, and celebrity problems all come together on the rapper’s bold and flashy 2013 release.

— David Jeffries

Neil Young

Live at the Cellar Door

Reprise

Pop/Rock

Recorded just months after the release of After the Goldrush, this somber live recording finds Young at a hushed high point in his career.

— Fred Thomas

The Velvet Underground

White Light/White Heat [45th Anniversary Deluxe Edition]

Polydor / Universal

Pop/Rock

Remastered and expanded two-disc edition of the group’s ferocious second album; includes an excellent live show from 1967.

— Mark Deming

Various Artists

I Heard the Angels Singing: Electrifying Black Gospel from the Nashboro Label 1951-1983

Tompkins Square / Universal

Religious

Bravo to Tompkins Square for spotlighting the best little gospel label that ever was.

— Steve Leggett

7 Days of Funk

7 Days of Funk

Stones Throw

R&B

Snoop Dogg becomes Snoopzilla and joins modern funkster Dâm-Funk on this slick and small effort.

— David Jeffries

Brendan Benson

You Were Right

Readymade

Pop/Rock

Always tuneful pop songwriter gathers together previously issued singles from a monthly series for this colorful yet cohesive album.

— Fred Thomas

TOY

Join the Dots

Heavenly

Pop/Rock

The quintet blends all the directions of its debut -- Krautrock, shoegaze, post-punk -- into a more natural, and exciting, second album.

— Heather Phares

Nashville Cast

The Music of Nashville: Season 2, Vol. 1

Big Machine Records

Country, Stage & Screen

The sounds on the first volume of the ABC series second season arguably surpasses either of season one's.

— Thom Jurek

Krystal Keith

Whiskey & Lace

Show Dog

Country

Providing production and a clutch of songs, Toby Keith assists his daughter on her fine debut.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Various Artists

The Complete Motown Singles, Vol. 12B: 1972

Universal

R&B, Pop/Rock

The monumental Complete Motown Singles series concludes with this five-disc overview of the last six months of 1972.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Various Artists

The Sound of America: The Singles Collection

Verve

Jazz

The 100 tracks here document a great jazz label's efforts to storm the pop charts, featuring concise performances from iconic artists.

— Mark Deming

Ella Fitzgerald

The Voice of Jazz

Decca / Verve

Vocal, Jazz

A lovely and telling testament to one of America's greatest singers, the very voice of jazz.

— Steve Leggett

Marco Barrano / Daiquiri Fantomas / Dario Sanguedolce

MHz Invasion

Blow Up Records / Blow-Up

Pop/Rock

The Italian duo's entertaining debut combines late-'60s/early-'70s electronic and rock influences in fresh and playful ways.

— Heather Phares

Bone Thugs-N-Harmony

Art of War: WWIII

Seven Arts Music / Universal Music

Rap

With members Krayzie and Wish on hiatus, Bizzy leads the veteran group through a variety of genres.

— David Jeffries

Peshay

Generation

Tru Thoughts

Electronic

On his fourth full-length, the London producer works with live musicians on a set of jazzy funk and post-club groovers.

— Thom Jurek

Parmalee

Feels Like Carolina

Stoney Creek Records

Country, Pop/Rock

The standout tracks, like the beautiful "My Montgomery," present a band more than ready for a prime-time audience.

— Steve Leggett

Orchestra of Spheres

Vibration Animal Sex Brain Music

Fire Records

Pop/Rock

New Zealand tribal rockers deliver a dizzying, clashing array of musics and sounds on their sophomore full-length.

— Thom Jurek

Robert Pollard

Blazing Gentlemen

Guided by Voices, Inc.

Pop/Rock

On his second solo album of 2013, the Guided by Voices founder delivers an outstanding set of tough but melodic rock & roll.

— Mark Deming

Shelby Lynne

Thanks

Everso Records

Pop/Rock

On the EP follow-up to Revelation Road, the singer/songwriter convincingly expresses not only gratitude but hard-won hope.

— Thom Jurek

John Mellencamp

1978-2012

Island / Mercury / Virgin EMI

Pop/Rock

A comprehensive 19-disc box set containing everything Mellencamp recorded from 1978 through 2012.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Nick Cannon

F#ck Nick Cannon

New Wave Dynamics

Comedy/Spoken

Porno jokes and insider A-List gossip fill an album that's the comedian's dirtiest, and funniest, to date.

— David Jeffries

The Len Bright Combo

The Len Bright Combo Present the Len Bright Combo by the Len Bright Combo

Fire Records

Pop/Rock

Snarky but infectious pop songwriting meets powerful lo-fi rock & roll on the debut from Wreckless Eric’s garage rock outfit.

— Mark Deming

The Len Bright Combo

Combo Time!

Fire Records

Pop/Rock

Flawed but satisfying second effort from this Wreckless Eric/Milkshakes collaboration finds the Combo going out in noisy style.

— Mark Deming

Good Old War

Live from the City of Brotherly Love

Sargent House

Pop/Rock

The first concert album from the amiable Philadelphia-based retro-pop folk-rockers is a breezy delight.

— James Christopher Monger

Jellyfish

Radio Jellyfish: Live Radio Broadcasts 1993

Omnivore

Pop/Rock

Omnivore continues to dig through its seemingly bottomless box of Jellyfish innards with this winning collection of radio performances.

— James Christopher Monger

Peter Morén

Broken Swenglish, Vol. 1

Ingrid

Pop/Rock

A small sample of songs from Moren's post-2010 solo albums, but with the lyrics sung in English instead of his native Swedish.

— Tim Sendra

Danny & the Darleans

Danny & the Darleans

Nero's Neptune

Pop/Rock

Fronted by ex-Gories member Danny Kroha, this party-minded garage trio turns in an amazingly strong debut.

— Fred Thomas

Tim Kinsella

Tim Kinsella Sings the Songs of Marvin Tate by Leroy Bach

Joyful Noise

Pop/Rock

Joan of Arc frontman is joined by singer Angel Olsen on these spare arrangements of dark poet Marvin Tate's harrowing words and stories.

— Fred Thomas

Nikolai Lugansky / Kent Nagano

Grieg, Prokofiev: Piano Concertos

Naïve

Classical

Those looking for a recording of the Prokofiev C major concerto will find Lugansky's in the top echelon.

— James Manheim

Miloš Karadaglić

Canción

Deutsche Grammophon

Classical

Milos offers a unique version of Astor Piazzolla's Libertango that required work from no fewer than three arrangers.

— James Manheim

Accentus / Alain Planès

Janácek: Brumes d'Enfance

Naïve

Classical

This lovely release presents some little-known works by Janácek, whose known oeuvre grows more impressive with each passing year.

— James Manheim

The Crossing / Donald Nally / Scott Dettra

Christmas Daybreak

Innova

Classical

One reason this works so well is the variety of approaches, all of them direct and strongly engaged with the sacred texts.

— James Manheim

Dennis Russell Davies / Sinfonieorchester Basel

Franz Schubert: Grosse C-Dur-Sinfonie

Sinfonieorchester Basel

Classical

Dennis Russell Davies and the Basel Symphony Orchestra play Schubert's "Great” C major in a straightforward manner, with no gimmicks.

— Blair Sanderson

Javier Perianes

Les Sons et les Parfums: Debussy Meets Chopin

Harmonia Mundi

Classical

Javier Perianes alternates piano pieces by Frédéric Chopin and Claude Debussy to show the many characteristics they had in common.

— Blair Sanderson

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