Randy Newman

Dark Matter

Nonesuch

Pop/Rock

The master singer and songwriter creates a rich, ambitious collection of stories that rest comfortably with his best work.

— Mark Deming

Brett Eldredge

Brett Eldredge

Atlantic

Country

On his third album, Brett Eldredge concentrates on his softer side.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Kenny Wayne Shepherd Band / Kenny Wayne Shepherd

Lay It on Down

Concord

Blues

Kenny Wayne Shepherd expands his sonic palette and concentrates on a soulful vibe.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Briana Marela

Call It Love

Jagjaguwar

Pop/Rock

A less delicate, more percussive set of elfin ambient pop from the songwriter/composer with production by members of Small Black.

— Marcy Donelson

Def Leppard

Hysteria [30th Anniversary Edition]

Mercury / Virgin EMI

Pop/Rock

Def Leppard's 1987 blockbuster set the standard for pop-metal in the late '80s.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Girl Ray

Earl Grey

Moshi Moshi Records

Pop/Rock

A stunning debut album filled with lovely pop songs, introspective folk ballads, and gentle psychedelia from a trio of young women from North London.

— Tim Sendra

Guantanamo Baywatch

Desert Center

Suicide Squeeze

Pop/Rock

Pacific Northwest surf punks add a fourth member and hit fifth gear on their third album.

— Mark Deming

Naomi Punk

Yellow

Captured Tracks

Pop/Rock

The trio's sprawling double album delivers disorienting glimpses of a toxic world.

— Heather Phares

Eagles of Death Metal

I Love You All the Time: Live at the Olympia in Paris

Universal

Pop/Rock

The band's first headlining gig after the Bataclan attack rocks hard and honors the tragedy's victims.

— Heather Phares

Mystery Skulls

One of Us

Warner Bros.

Electronic

Sophomore offering from the Los Angeles-based artist is a quick burst of sparkling R&B-influenced electronic pop.

— Neil Z. Yeung

Dead Cross

Dead Cross

Ipecac

Pop/Rock

Hardcore done right is a terrible and beautiful thing.

— James Christopher Monger

Nick Heyward

Woodland Echoes

Gladsome Hawk

Pop/Rock

Welcome return from the former Haircut One Hundred singer and solo artist that touches on many aspects of his long career.

— Tim Sendra

Hard Working Americans

We're All in This Together

Melvin / Thirty Tigers

Pop/Rock

The Todd Snider-led jam band supergroup expands on their self-mythology with their second live effort.

— Timothy Monger

Dale Crover

The Fickle Finger of Fate

Joyful Noise

Pop/Rock

Engaging and surprisingly tuneful weirdness from the Melvins' drummer.

— Mark Deming

Black Grape

Pop Voodoo

MCA / Universal

Pop/Rock, Rap

A reunited Black Grape celebrate memories of their favorite '70s sleaze.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Warm Digits

Wireless World

Memphis Industries

Pop/Rock

The band invites vocalists -- including members of Field Music and Saint Etienne -- to voice their urgent ecological and political concerns.

— Heather Phares

Soccer Mommy

Collection

Fat Possum Records

Pop/Rock

Collecting reworked Bandcamp tunes and two new songs, introspective guitar pop marks the promising Fat Possum debut of Sophie Allison.

— Marcy Donelson

George Thorogood

Party of One

Rounder

Pop/Rock, Blues

Venerable blues-rocker cuts his first solo album, a mostly acoustic collection of songs that inspired him.

— Mark Deming

Caroline Says

50,000,000 Elvis Fans Can't Be Wrong

Western Vinyl Records

Pop/Rock

Introspective lo-fi ballads and jangling indie pop from a promising Austin-based singer/songwriter.

— Tim Sendra

Life on Venus

Encounters

Shelflife

Pop/Rock

Moscow-based quintet Life on Venus introduce their brand of melancholy yet blissful dream pop on their full-length debut.

— Paul Simpson

Accept

The Rise of Chaos

Nuclear Blast

Pop/Rock

Fans of 2014's surprisingly vital-sounding Blind Rage will be pleased to hear that Accept 2.0 is still a force to be reckoned with.

— James Christopher Monger

Quiet Riot

Road Rage

Frontiers Records

Pop/Rock

The veteran hard rockers' 13th long-player and the inaugural outing for new vocalist and former American Idol contestant James Durbin.

— James Christopher Monger

Third Day

Revival

Provident Music / Provident Music Group

Religious

Revival sees the venerable CCM unit returning to their Southern rock roots via a soulful set recorded at Fame Studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama.

— James Christopher Monger

Sidney Sussex College Choir, Cambridge / David Skinner

Polyphonia in Excelsis: Sacred Music by Claudio Dall'Albero

Resonus / Resonus Classics

Classical

A fascinating bridge between the Renaissance and the present day, as Dall'Albero achieves a real fusion of choral idioms.

— James Manheim

Orlando Consort

Machaut: Sovereign Beauty

Hyperion

Classical

The fourth volume in the Orlando Consort's series of Machaut's vocal music presents love songs on the subject of idealized beauty.

— Blair Sanderson

Trinity College Choir, Cambridge / Stephen Layton

Stanford: Morning Services in C; Three Motets; Lighten Our Darkness; Etc.

Hyperion

Classical

A fine outing from Trinity and a good sampling of Stanford's choral works, superbly recorded.

— James Manheim

Anthony Marwood / Martyn Brabbins / BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra

Walton: Violin Concerto; Variations on a Theme by Hindemith; Partita; Spitfire Prelude & Fugue

Hyperion

Classical

There isn't a moment here that's less than lively; recommended for any lover of 20th century British orchestral music.

— James Manheim

Isabelle Faust / Alexander Melnikov / Salagon Quartet

César Franck: Sonate pour Piano et Violon; Ernest Chausson: Concert

Harmonia Mundi

Classical

The combination of Faust's gut-strung 1710 Stradivarius and Melnikov's 1885 Erard yields impressive transparency. French chamber music at its best.

— James Manheim

Alice Coote / Marc Albrecht / Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra

Mahler Song Cycles

PentaTone Classics

Classical

There are plenty of recordings of these Mahler song cycles, but Coote stands out from the crowd.

— James Manheim

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