Gorillaz

Humanz [Deluxe]

Parlophone / Warner Bros.

Pop/Rock, Rap

Damon Albarn emphasizes R&B and hip-hop and returns to the collaborative instincts that drove the first two Gorillaz records.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Drake

More Life

Island / Republic

Rap

A playlist project described by the Canadian rapper and songwriter as "a body of work created to bridge the gap between major releases."

— Rob Wacey

Feist

Pleasure

Interscope / Polydor

Pop/Rock

Feist returns after a six-year hiatus with a bold work of raw production and disarming honesty.

— Bekki Bemrose

Mary J. Blige

Strength of a Woman

Capitol

R&B

Produced primarily by Brandon Hodge and Darhyl Camper, Jr., the queen of hip-hop soul's 12th album explores old emotions in new circumstances.

— Andy Kellman

Willie Nelson

God's Problem Child

Legacy / Sony Legacy

Country

An uncommonly strong latter-day record from Willie Nelson filled with wry, moving reflections on mortality.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

John Mellencamp

Sad Clowns & Hillbillies

Island / Republic

Pop/Rock

Indiana's favorite songwriter reclaims the producer's chair and enlists the daughter of country royalty as a duet and writing partner on this surprising set.

— Thom Jurek

Thurston Moore

Rock N Roll Consciousness

Caroline

Pop/Rock

Reunited with his backing band for The Best Day, Moore explores spiritual, sexual, and emotional healing on a mystical level.

— Heather Phares

Old Crow Medicine Show

50 Years of Blonde on Blonde

Columbia / Sony Music

Pop/Rock, Country, Folk

A rollicking live rendition of Bob Dylan's 1966 masterpiece Blonde on Blonde.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

BNQT

Volume 1

Dualtone Music

Pop/Rock

Indie rock meeting of the minds called to order by Midlake's Eric Pulido, featuring members of Franz Ferdinand, Band of Horses, and Travis.

— Tim Sendra

Sea Power

Let the Dancers Inherit the Party

Caroline

Pop/Rock

A smart, witty, and engaging exercise in U.K.-style indie rock that's one of this band's most purely enjoyable efforts to date.

— Mark Deming

Troy "Trombone Shorty" Andrews

Parking Lot Symphony

Blue Note

Jazz, R&B

A celebratory dive into organic '70s-style R&B marks the New Orleans brass superstar's Blue Note debut.

— Matt Collar

Cheap Trick

The Epic Archive, Vol. 1 (1975-1979)

Real Gone Music

Pop/Rock

Drummer Bun E. Carlos helped annotate (and provided source materials for) this collection of rarities and outtakes.

— Mark Deming

Van Morrison

The Authorized Bang Collection

Legacy / Sony Music

Pop/Rock, R&B

Splendid, well-detailed overview of the singer/songwriter's 1967 work for Bert Berns' Bang Records label.

— Mark Deming

Chris Potter

The Dreamer Is the Dream

ECM / Verve

Jazz

The saxophonist's third leader disc for ECM showcases the considerable rhythmic invention -- and muscle -- of his quartet.

— Thom Jurek

New Found Glory

Makes Me Sick

Hopeless Records

Pop/Rock

Ninth effort from the Florida pop-punk vets celebrates two decades as a band with an energetic dose of sunny anthems.

— Neil Z. Yeung

The Sneetches

Form of Play: A Retrospective

Omnivore

Pop/Rock

Career-spanning collection of the Bay Area power pop group's work, lovingly put together by the band's own bassist, Alec Palao.

— Tim Sendra

Mark Lanegan Band / Mark Lanegan

Gargoyle

Heavenly

Pop/Rock

New collaborators and strong material serve the smoky-voiced singer and songwriter well on this 2017 effort.

— Mark Deming

Juliana Hatfield

Pussycat

American Laundromat Records

Pop/Rock

Hatfield's personal protest against President Donald J. Trump.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Colin Stetson

All This I Do for Glory

52hz

Jazz, Avant-Garde

On his return to live-in-the-studio, warts-and-all solo recording, the saxophonist/composer delivers a percussive, airy, emotionally resonant album.

— Thom Jurek

Jenny Scheinman

Here on Earth

Royal Potato Family

Folk

The violinist's brief, evocative fiddle tunes hark back to the Great Depression years in the Piedmont region.

— Dave Lynch

Jimmy Greene

Flowers: Beautiful Life, Vol. 2

Mack Avenue

Jazz

An ebullient, rhythmically vibrant second volume of music inspired by the saxophonist's daughter, who died at Sandy Hook.

— Matt Collar

Robert Cray / Hi Rhythm Section

Robert Cray & Hi Rhythm

Jay Vee Records

Blues

Robert Cray records with the legendary Memphis soul outfit the Hi Rhythm Section.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Ryuichi Sakamoto

async

Milan

Electronic, Avant-Garde

Ryuichi Sakamoto's first solo album since recovering from throat cancer is sparse and challenging, yet ultimately powerful and rewarding.

— Paul Simpson

Shugo Tokumaru

Toss

Polyvinyl

Pop/Rock

Collaborations with Deerhoof's Greg Saunier and an orchestra make this one of Tokumaru's most unpredictable albums yet.

— Heather Phares

Sylvan Esso

What Now

Loma Vista

Pop/Rock

Sylvan Esso return with an electro-pop collection brimming with boisterous energy.

— Bekki Bemrose

Mew

Visuals

PIAS

Pop/Rock

Floating into the atmosphere on their seventh set, the Danish trio trade prog bombast for beautiful, moody dreamscapes.

— Neil Z. Yeung

Pinegrove

Everything So Far

Run for Cover Records

Pop/Rock

The collation of the ragged New Jersey indie rock outfit's entire pre-label catalog.

— Timothy Monger

R. Ring

Ignite the Rest

Sofa Burn Records

Pop/Rock

Spanning Americana twang and chugging indie rock, the duo's debut tracks its evolution over the years.

— Heather Phares

Jonathan Coulton

Solid State

Superego

Pop/Rock

The melodic singer/songwriter manages to imbue his concept album set in a sci-fi future with warmth, wit, and heart.

— Timothy Monger

The Cranberries

Something Else

BMG / Universal

Pop/Rock

Collection of lush string quartet reworkings of the Limerick band's ten biggest hits, as well as three new songs.

— Neil Z. Yeung

Skating Polly

New Trick

El Camino Records

Pop/Rock

A well-paired collaboration between the Oklahoma indie rockers and members of Veruca Salt.

— Timothy Monger

Lea Michele

Places

Columbia / Sony Music

Pop/Rock

The former Glee star gets serious and inspirational on her second album.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Little Cub

Still Life

Domino

Pop/Rock

The British trio's debut album of sophisticated, dreamy, '80s-style synth pop.

— Matt Collar

Los Angeles Police Department

Los Angeles Police Department

Anti-

Pop/Rock

Cordial D.I.Y. bedroom pop from this L.A. singer/songwriter featuring production by Foxygen's Jonathan Rado.

— Timothy Monger

The Whistles & the Bells

Modern Plagues

New West

Pop/Rock

Modern Plagues sees ex-Cadillac Sky mandolinist Bryan Simpson assuming a more playful, acerbic, and pop-centric persona.

— James Christopher Monger

WALL

Untitled

Weyrd Son / Wharf Cat Records

Pop/Rock

Brooklyn-based post-punk quartet WALL react to the frustrations of today's society on their first (and purportedly last) full-length.

— Paul Simpson

Arve Henriksen / Trio Mediæval

Rímur

ECM

Classical, International

This might catch the attention both of early music specialists and of those in search of an exotic meditative mood.

— James Manheim

Imogen Cooper

Liszt & Wagner

Chandos

Classical

The influence of Franz Liszt on the music of Richard Wagner is explored on this 2017 Chandos release by Imogen Cooper.

— Blair Sanderson

Celestial Sirens / Musica Secreta / Deborah Roberts / Laurie Stras

Lucrezia Borgia's Daughter: Princess, nun and musician

Obsidian Records

Classical

Princess, nun, musician, and the daughter of Lucrezia Borgia, Leonora d'Este may have composed the motets presented on this 2017 Obsidian release.

— Blair Sanderson

Rumon Gamba / BBC National Orchestra of Wales

British Tone Poems, Vol. 1

Chandos

Classical

A nice find for lovers of British orchestral music, with fluent, enthusiastic performances under Gamba.

— James Manheim

Sandro Russo

Rachmaninov: Solo Piano Works

Steinway & Sons

Classical

An intimate approach is here in this enjoyable album, with works that respond well to Russo's elegant, rather refined treatment.

— James Manheim

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