Pharrell Williams

G I R L

Columbia

R&B

Pharrell follows his astonishingly successful 2013 with a set of frivolous and upbeat pop-R&B, featuring the number one single "Happy."

— Andy Kellman

Drive-By Truckers

English Oceans

ATO

Pop/Rock

Mike Cooley steps up to co-star status on this band's tenth album, a relatively low-key set of thoughtful character studies.

— Mark Deming

Rick Ross

Mastermind [Clean]

Def Jam

Rap

He's stuck in a gangsta anthem rut, but with numerous highlights and no filler, the formula still works wonderfully on Ross' 2014 effort.

— David Jeffries

Lea Michele

Louder

Columbia / Epic

Pop/Rock

On her long overdue debut, the Glee star follows in the footsteps of Katy Perry.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Real Estate

Atlas

Domino

Pop/Rock

More sophisticated, straightforward, and confident, the third album from these tuneful indie rockers is their most mature.

— Fred Thomas

Linda Perhacs

The Soul of All Natural Things

Asthmatic Kitty

Folk, Pop/Rock

On her first recording in 44 years, this singer/songwriter -- with help from younger players -- picks up where she left off.

— Thom Jurek

Eli Young Band

10,000 Towns

Big Machine Records / Republic Nashville

Country

On their fourth album, the EYB's strengths lie in sweet crossover country-pop.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Nothing

Guilty of Everything

Relapse Records

Pop/Rock

Impressively dark and dramatic shoegaze/noise rock debut that takes the tropes of those styles and totally owns them.

— Tim Sendra

Pink Martini / The von Trapps

Dream a Little Dream

Heinz / Heinz Music

Easy Listening, Vocal

Pink Martini's engaging collaboration with the family who inspired The Sound of Music plays to both parties' strengths.

— Heather Phares

La Santa Cecilia

Someday New

Universal

Latin, Pop/Rock

Nine months after their breakout album, this Grammy-winning Angelino quartet delivers a hot set of new tunes and covers.

— Thom Jurek

Alexandre Desplat

The Grand Budapest Hotel [Original Motion Picture Soundtrack]

ABKCO Records / Universal

Stage & Screen

The soundtrack to Wes Anderson's Central European caper adds Old World gentility -- as well as intrigue -- to the director's stylish aesthetic.

— Heather Phares

Vijay Iyer

Mutations

ECM

Avant-Garde, Jazz

The MacArthur-winning pianist and composer delivers a magnificent long-form work on his ECM debut.

— Thom Jurek

TR/ST

Joyland

Arts & Crafts

Pop/Rock

Trust's second album is bold, vulnerable, dark, exuberant, and surprisingly danceable.

— Heather Phares

The Men

Tomorrow's Hits

Sacred Bones

Pop/Rock

The Brooklyn band continue their evolution from abrasive hardcore to rollicking bar rock on their fifth album.

— Gregory Heaney

Ashanti

Braveheart

eOne

R&B

Several years in the making, the platinum-selling singer's fifth album is consistently satisfying, with appearances from Rick Ross, Jeremih, and French Montana.

— Andy Kellman

Regina Carter

Southern Comfort

Masterworks

Jazz

On her fine Sony debut, the violinist explores the folk traditions of the American South.

— Thom Jurek

Eagulls

Eagulls

Knitting Factory Records / Partisan / PTKF

Pop/Rock

A bracing debut from a band that goes beyond mere punk revivalism.

— Heather Phares

Nick Waterhouse

Holly

Innovative Leisure

R&B

Stoic and sensual like Chris Isaak and Roy Orbison before him, Waterhouse adds indie and abstract to the mix on the great Holly.

— David Jeffries

Eternal Summers

The Drop Beneath

Kanine Records

Pop/Rock

The band's third album finds them tightening up their newly '90s-loving sound with the help of indie rock lifer Doug Gillard.

— Tim Sendra

Various Artists

Warfaring Strangers: Darkscorch Canticles

Numero Group

Pop/Rock

Weird American heavy rock from the early '70s indebted to Sabbath, Zeppelin. and Tolkien.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Holly Golightly / Holly Golightly & the Brokeoffs

All Her Fault

Transdreamer Records

Pop/Rock

A sharp clarity in production and performance makes this album of country-blues-punk hybrids one of the duo's best.

— Fred Thomas

Billy Hart Quartet / Billy Hart

One Is the Other

ECM

Jazz

This experienced quartet delivers expansive, disciplined group interplay in composition and improvisation over eight tunes.

— Thom Jurek

Bart Davenport

Physical World

Lovemonk

Pop/Rock

Warm and cozy soft rock goodness from the West Coast craftsman and his well-chosen band.

— Tim Sendra

Rufus Wainwright

Vibrate: The Best of Rufus Wainwright

Geffen / Universal

Pop/Rock

Wainwright compiles many of his most notable recordings from throughout his career.

— Matt Collar

Major Lazer

Apocalypse Soon

Mad Decent

Electronic

Five of the project's most inspired tracks to date land on this party monster of an EP, with Sean Paul and Pharrell as guests.

— David Jeffries

Warm Soda

Young Reckless Hearts

Castle Face

Pop/Rock

The band forgot to add the power to the power pop equation and the hooky songs don't make up for the energy loss.

— Tim Sendra

David Nail

I'm a Fire

MCA Nashville

Country

Nail opts for a gentle touch on his third album, a slow, insinuating collection of modern country.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Axxa/Abraxas

Axxa/Abraxas

Captured Tracks

Pop/Rock

Debut album of art-damaged pop volleys between folk-rock positivity and dark undercurrents of noise.

— Fred Thomas

Lushes

What Am I Doing?

Felte

Pop/Rock

Lushes' debut delivers post-rock full of bold contrasts that sound natural instead of obvious.

— Heather Phares

Sally Seltmann

Hey Daydreamer

Arts & Crafts

Pop/Rock

The sophomore solo outing from the colorful Aussie singer/songwriter is a psych pop, bucolic country-folk delight.

— James Christopher Monger

The Len Price 3

Nobody Knows

JLM Recordings / MRI

Pop/Rock

U.K. garage rock heroes shine bright on album number four, full of clever character studies and high-energy rockers.

— Mark Deming

Diane Cluck

Boneset

Important Records

Folk, Pop/Rock

Following an eight-year hiatus, this veteran of the anti-folk scene returns with an album of dark yet hopeful brilliance.

— Fred Thomas

Moby

Almost Home: Live at the Fonda, LA

Mute

Electronic

A generous, guest-filled CD/DVD package split between performances of nearly the entirety of Innocents and many career highlights.

— Andy Kellman

Ume

Monuments

Dangerbird Records

Pop/Rock

Clever, atmospheric, and well-textured hard rock that proves a band can be smart and still hit hard.

— Mark Deming

SQÜRL / Jozef Van Wissem

Only Lovers Left Alive [Original Motion Picture Soundtrack]

ATP Recordings

Stage & Screen

Jim Jarmusch's tale of hipster vampires is impeccably soundtracked by Jozef van Wissem's droney stoner riffs and gothic chords.

— Aneet Nijjar

Ava Luna

Electric Balloon

Western Vinyl Records

Pop/Rock, R&B

Following a cluttered debut, the second album from Brooklyn indie funk experimenters offers cleaner, more enjoyable fare.

— Fred Thomas

Carla Bozulich

Boy

Constellation

Pop/Rock

The inspired musician delivers her "pop" album, which makes recognizable genres bleed into one of her own sublime creations.

— Thom Jurek

David Ruffin

David Ruffin/Me 'n Rock 'n Roll Are Here to Stay

Real Gone Music

R&B

Ruffin's third and forth solo albums, commercial flops released in 1973 and 1974, straightforwardly reissued by the Real Gone label.

— Andy Kellman

David Ruffin

My Whole World Ended/Feelin' Good

Real Gone Music

R&B

The Temptations vocalist's first two solo LPs, both Top Ten R&B hits, reissued once more, this time by the Real Gone label.

— Andy Kellman

Each Other

Being Elastic

Fat Possum Records / Lefse Records

Pop/Rock

Debut album from this quirky indie pop band melds Elephant Six bedroom pop with Deerhoof's mathy delirium.

— Fred Thomas

Kevin Fowler

How Country Are Ya?

Kevin Fowler Records / Thirty Tigers

Country

Another satisfying collection of songs about guitars, guns, beer, and girls.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Fenster

The Pink Caves

Morr Music

Pop/Rock

An experimental, lyrical, and ambient mix of found sounds and performed music recorded in a cabin in East Germany.

— Matt Collar

Highasakite

Silent Treatment

Pop/Rock

Dramatic, genre-hopping indie pop that's steeped in Scandinavian influences and electronic textures.

— Scott Kerr

American Authors

Oh, What a Life

Island

Pop/Rock

Behold, a big, unapologetically upbeat collection of indie pop anthems with similarly unrepentant commercial ambitions.

— James Christopher Monger

Arthur Beatrice

Working Out

Harvest

Pop/Rock

Moody, shape-shifting indie rock in the vein of Wild Beasts, the XX, and Alt-J from this dual vocalist-led London four-piece.

— James Christopher Monger

Irma Thomas

Full-Time Woman: The Lost Cotillion Album

Real Gone Music

R&B

A fine collection of the New Orleans soul queen's recordings for Atlantic's Cotillion subsidiary, featuring 13 unreleased tracks.

— Mark Deming

Kris Bowers

Heroes + Misfits

Concord Jazz

Jazz

Experimental, genre-busting debut from the Juilliard-trained jazz pianist.

— Matt Collar

Laibach

Spectre [Bonus Tracks]

Mute

Pop/Rock, Electronic

The Slovenian industrial performance artists suggest things aren't as good as they seem on their excellent 2014 album.

— David Jeffries

We Are Scientists

TV en Français

Dine Alone

Pop/Rock

An infectious take on melodic guitar pop and fuzzy power pop where harmonies and hooks abound.

— Matt Collar

Rafter

It's Reggae

Asthmatic Kitty

Reggae, Pop/Rock

Living up to its title, Rafter's sixth album is a lovingly crafted set of oddball instrumental roots reggae.

— Tim Sendra

The Spits

Kill the Kool

In the Red Records

Pop/Rock

Frantic mix of punk rock and synthesizer abuse; lo-fi and high energy in one convenient package.

— Mark Deming

The Grass Roots

The Complete Original Dunhill/ABC Hit Singles

Real Gone Music

Pop/Rock

Generous, excellent collection of the Grass Roots' hit singles for Dunhill/ABC.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

The Unsemble

The Unsemble

Ipecac

Avant-Garde, Pop/Rock

Members of Tomahawk, Einsturzende Neubaten, and Silver Jews get improvisational on their debut as the Unsemble.

— Gregory Heaney

The Woodentops

Granular Tales

Cherry Red

Pop/Rock

Reunion album from the dance-friendly U.K. indie band finds them older and more thoughtful, but still grooving nicely.

— Mark Deming

Quatuor Béla

György Ligeti: Métamorphoses nocturnes

Aeon

Classical

György Ligeti's string quartets show the overwhelming influence of Béla Bartók, both in their extended string techniques and evocative effects.

— Blair Sanderson

Ann-Helen Moen / Andrew Davis / Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra

Delius in Norway

Chandos

Classical

Hardcore fans will find an unusual perspective here. Davis, with the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra, remains a sterling Delius interpreter.

— James Manheim

Stephen Layton / Patricia Rozario / John Tavener

John Tavener: The Veil of the Temple

Signum Classics

Classical, Religious

The Veil of the Temple was John Tavener's large-scale choral work on texts from Christian, Muslim, and Hindu traditions.

— Blair Sanderson

Benjamin Frith / JoAnn Falletta / Ulster Orchestra

Moeran: In the Mountain Country; Rhapsodies; Overture for a Masque

Naxos

Classical

The Overture for a Masque is a light piece that fulfills its stated function. Another worthwhile find for lovers of British orchestral music.

— James Manheim

Alisa Weilerstein / Jiří Bělohlávek

Dvořák

Decca

Classical

Alisa Weilerstein's second album on Decca is devoted to a major touchstone in her repertoire, Dvorák's Cello Concerto in B minor.

— Blair Sanderson

Rinaldo Alessandrini / Concerto Italiano

Vivaldi: Concerti per Archi, Vol. 2

Naïve

Classical

Each of these seems to explore a particular possibility of Vivaldi's language and anyone hooked won't find the album tedious at all.

— James Manheim

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