Carrie Underwood

Storyteller

Arista

Country

A little tougher and more down-home than its predecessor, Storyteller is nevertheless big and bold, demanding attention.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

5 Seconds of Summer

Sounds Good Feels Good

Capitol

Pop/Rock

The Aussie outfit's sophomore album of playfully irreverent, '90s-style punk-pop and earnest emo balladry.

— Matt Collar

Joanna Newsom

Divers

Drag City

Pop/Rock

The singer/songwriter's fourth album questions the nature of time and love in dazzling, profound, and affecting ways.

— Heather Phares

Rod Stewart

Another Country

Capitol / Decca

Pop/Rock

Another collection of originals -- warm-hearted, slightly folky, but also livelier than Time -- from the newly revived Stewart.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Harry Connick, Jr.

That Would Be Me

Columbia / Sony Music

Pop/Rock

The classically styled pop singer dives headfirst into modern sounds on That Would Be Me.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Dave Gahan / Dave Gahan & Soulsavers

Angels & Ghosts

Columbia / Sony Music

Pop/Rock

The second gorgeous blues- and gospel-tinged, desert haze collaboration between the U.K. production duo and Depeche Mode frontman.

— Neil Z. Yeung

Vanessa Carlton

Liberman

Dine Alone

Pop/Rock

A painterly, introspective album that trades in musings and austere arrangements.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Mono / The Ocean

Transcendental

Pelagic

Pop/Rock

To preview a joint European tour, these bands deliver a seamless, epic, two-track split on the themes of life, death, and rebirth.

— Thom Jurek

Laurie Anderson

Heart of a Dog

Nonesuch

Stage & Screen, Avant-Garde, Pop/Rock

The gifted performance artist explores love, loss, and emotional limbo as she recalls the life of her dog Lolabelle.

— Mark Deming

Elvis Costello

Unfaithful Music

UMe / Universal

Pop/Rock

Career-spanning 38-track collection compiled by the celebrated songwriter as a companion to his 2015 memoirs.

— Mark Deming

Blake Shelton

Reloaded: 20 #1 Hits

Warner Bros.

Country

The 2015 hits compilation heavily emphasizes the three albums Shelton has released since his last hits collection from 2010.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Pure Bathing Culture

Pray for Rain

Partisan / PTKF

Pop/Rock

The band's second album is less spooky and weird than their debut, but makes up for it with sharp hooks and vocal prowess.

— Tim Sendra

Beat Connection

Product 3

Anti-

Pop/Rock

A soulful set of warm, laid-back dance pop from this Seattle-based band.

— Timothy Monger

Columbia Nights

In All Things

Record Breakin'

R&B

Unhurried grooves and spaced-out ballads from the "soultronic" whiz-kid progeny of the Native Tongues and Soulquarians.

— Andy Kellman

Seaway

Colour Blind

Pure Noise

Pop/Rock

Euphoric, hooky choruses and driving, punk enthusiasm mark the Canadian outfit's sophomore album.

— Matt Collar

Shining

International Blackjazz Society

Spinefarm Records

Pop/Rock

Jørgen Munkeby's ever-evolving "Blackjazz" ensemble add hard rock to their provocative meld of noise, punk, metal and jazz.

— Thom Jurek

Shawn Mullins

My Stupid Heart

Rounder / Sugar Hill

Pop/Rock

A nicely weathered record that shows Mullins' range as a writer and performer.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Fuzz

II

In the Red Records

Pop/Rock

Second album from Ty Segall's heavy psych project delivers as much righteous stomp and heavy buzz as the debut.

— Mark Deming

Half Moon Run

Sun Leads Me On

Glassnote Entertainment Group

Pop/Rock

The Montreal band's sophomore outing dials back on the folk elements of their debut in favor of a more cosmopolitan approach.

— James Christopher Monger

Hierophants

Parallax Error

Aarght / Goner Records

Pop/Rock

Debut full-length of nervous, organ-driven post-punk by an Australian quartet.

— Paul Simpson

Jonathan Bree

A Little Night Music

BWSCD / Lil' Chief

Pop/Rock

Influenced by classical music, the ex-Brunettes member's second solo album is a brilliantly crafted, deeply felt slice of chamber pop balladry.

— Tim Sendra

Chic Gamine

Light a Match

Chic Gamine

Pop/Rock

The group broadens their sound with new instrumentation on this excellent third album.

— David Jeffries

Petal

Shame

Run for Cover Records

Pop/Rock

The Scranton, Pennsylvania's native's debut long player is an unfussy blast of early-'90s-inspired melancholic indie rock.

— James Christopher Monger

Killing Joke

Pylon

Spinefarm Records

Pop/Rock

More sound, fury, and bad karma from the original lineup of the U.K. post-punk subversives.

— Mark Deming

Long Beard

Sleepwalker

Team Love Records

Pop/Rock

Singer/songwriter/guitarist Leslie Bear weaves intimate, electric guitar dream pop on her poignant Long Beard debut LP.

— Marcy Donelson

Marianas Trench

Astoria

Interscope

Pop/Rock

The theatrical Canadian rockers continue to go big on their Goonies-referencing, '80s-fueled fourth album.

— Timothy Monger

Normil Hawaiians

Return of the Ranters

Upset the Rhythm

Pop/Rock

First proper release of a long-shelved 1986 album by a little-known, politically minded experimental post-punk group from the South London area.

— Paul Simpson

Skatebård

CDIII

Balsa Wood

Electronic

Nearly 80 additional minutes of recombinant, throwback disco and house sounds from scholarly Norwegian producer Bård Aasen Lødemel.

— Andy Kellman

Tommy Castro & the Painkillers

Method to My Madness

Alligator / Alligator Records

Blues, Pop/Rock

No horns, no guests, no gimmicks. Raw and loud, the bluesman's first self-produced album is one of his best.

— Thom Jurek

The Cox Family

Gone Like the Cotton

Rounder

Country, Folk

The family band's long-shelved 1998 album finally sees a belated (and most welcome) release.

— Mark Deming

Jordi Masó

Turina: Piano Music, Vol. 11 - Verbena madrileña

Naxos

Classical

It's clear that Masó knows these ingenious, lost treasures of 20th century piano music better than anybody else.

— James Manheim

Anne Akiko Meyers

Serenade: The Love Album

eOne

Classical

An exceptionally engaging program that uses Meyers' basically lyrical talents to the maximum and luxuriantly melodic.

— James Manheim

Stewart Goodyear

Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker - Complete Ballet arranged for solo piano

Steinway & Sons

Classical

Stewart Goodyear's piano arrangement of Tchaikovsky's complete Nutcracker is a fascinating example of the art of transcription.

— Blair Sanderson

Sistine Chapel Choir / Massimo Palombella

Cantate Domino: La Cappella Sistina e la Musica dei Papi

Deutsche Grammophon

Classical

The Sistine Chapel Choir offers Gregorian chants and motets from its liturgical repertoire on its first studio recording.

— Blair Sanderson

La Serenissima / Adrian Chandler

Vivaldi: The Four Seasons

Avie

Classical

One of the attractions of this release by violinist Adrian Chandler and La Serenissima includes a pair of world premieres.

— James Manheim

Katherine Bryan / Royal Scottish National Orchestra / Jac van Steen

Silver Bow

Linn / Linn Records

Classical

Bryan effectively transcribed for flute a variety of violin pieces in ebullient, technically impeccable performances.

— James Manheim

Various Artists

Cold and Bitter Tears: The Songs of Ted Hawkins

Eight 30 Records

Folk, Blues, Country, Pop/Rock

15 respected folk and roots music artists pay tribute to the gifted California songwriter and street singer.

— Mark Deming

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