Sam Smith

The Thrill of It All

Capitol / Universal

Pop/Rock

The follow-up to the singer's multi-platinum, Grammy-winning debut is stacked with grieving ballads informed by Southern soul and gospel.

— Andy Kellman

Maroon 5

Red Pill Blues

222 Records / Interscope

Pop/Rock

A slick, savvy, modern blue-eyed soul album.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Kid Rock

Sweet Southern Sugar

BMG

Pop/Rock

Kid Rock's salute to the seedy '70s.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Blake Shelton

Texoma Shore

Warner Bros.

Country

Blake Shelton settles into his role as a happy superstar.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Bob Dylan

The Bootleg Series, Vol. 13: Trouble No More 1979-1981

Columbia / Columbia Records / Legacy / Sony Music

Pop/Rock

Dylan's gospel years get revived in the 13th installment of the Bootleg Series.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

The Cornshed Sisters

Honey & Tar

Memphis Industries

Pop/Rock

The sophomore effort from the English quartet draws from a wide array of artists, from the bucolic folk of the Unthanks to the left-field pop of Field Music.

— James Christopher Monger

Lost Horizons

Ojalá

Bella Union

Pop/Rock

An exquisite 15-track debut by the duo of Simon Raymonde (Cocteau Twins) and Richie Thomas (Dif Juz), along with a cast of nuanced vocalists.

— Marcy Donelson

Converge

The Dusk in Us

Epitaph

Pop/Rock

Nearly six years in the making, the Massachusetts metalcore/punk legends' ninth studio LP serves up a punishing barrage of sonic exclamation points.

— James Christopher Monger

Bibio

Phantom Brickworks

Warp

Electronic

Stephen Wilkinson gives his music new life with hushed yet haunting tracks that sound like the still-reverberating echoes of the past.

— Heather Phares

Chris Brown

Heartbreak on a Full Moon

RCA

R&B

Two-and-a-half-hour length notwithstanding, a fairly standard set of ballads, slow jams, and brighter pop numbers from the singer.

— Andy Kellman

Blitzen Trapper

Wild and Reckless

LKC

Pop/Rock

The Portland indie rockers deliver a nostalgia-driven cautionary tale of corruption, drugs, heartbreak, and science fiction on their ninth LP.

— James Christopher Monger

Django Bates

The Study of Touch

ECM

Jazz

On his debut as a leader for ECM, the pianist showcases his trio's unique, sophisticated, creative acumen without losing his sense of humor.

— Thom Jurek

Cannibal Corpse

Red Before Black

Metal Blade

Pop/Rock

Nearly 30 years on, the progenitors of death metal turn in an unrelentingly aggressive 14th album.

— Thom Jurek

Shamir Bailey / Shamir

Revelations

Father/Daughter Records

Pop/Rock

The singer/songwriter returns to his raw, confessional roots on this keenly observed set of songs.

— Heather Phares

Kelsea Ballerini

Unapologetically

Black River Entertainment

Country, Pop/Rock

Kelsea Ballerini gets bolder and more vulnerable on her second album.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Billy Bragg

Bridges Not Walls

Cooking Vinyl

Folk

Topical EP from the British singer/songwriter is smart and engaging food for thought.

— Mark Deming

Roy Orbison / Royal Philharmonic Orchestra

A Love So Beautiful

Legacy / Sony Music

Pop/Rock

The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra is overdubbed on old Roy Orbison recordings.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Lee Hazlewood

Requiem for an Almost Lady [Bonus Tracks]

Light in the Attic Records

Pop/Rock

A beautifully agonizing breakup album released only in Sweden and the U.K. thanks to the rest of the world's antipathy toward the singer's unique persona.

— Tim Sendra

Throbbing Gristle

20 Jazz Funk Greats

Industrial Records / Mute

Pop/Rock, Avant-Garde, Electronic

Deceptively inviting and far more accessible than their previous albums, 20 Jazz Funk Greats is Throbbing Gristle's best and most influential work.

— Paul Simpson

Throbbing Gristle

The Second Annual Report of Throbbing Gristle

Mute

Pop/Rock, Avant-Garde, Electronic

Throbbing Gristle's proper debut is an uncomfortable but fascinating document of the origins of industrial music.

— Paul Simpson

Throbbing Gristle

The Taste of TG: A Beginners Guide to the Music of Throbbing Gristle

Mute

Pop/Rock, Avant-Garde, Electronic

The second attempt to sum up the career of the industrial pioneers in a single disc, following 1980's Throbbing Gristle's Greatest Hits.

— Paul Simpson

Little Richard

Here's Little Richard

Craft Recordings

Pop/Rock

First-class expanded reissue of the Georgia Peach's explosive 1956 debut album; this is rock & roll!

— Mark Deming

Daphni

Joli Mai

Jiaolong

Electronic

The full-length versions of the tracks that appeared on the Fabriclive 93 mix provide a fascinating new context.

— Heather Phares

Erol Alkan

Reworks, Vol. 1

Phantasy Sound

Electronic

A 20-track collection of the remix whiz's best jams from 2005 to 2015, featuring reworks of Daft Punk, New Order, and more.

— Tim Sendra

Ian William Craig

Durbē

Recital

Avant-Garde, Electronic

Recorded on the final date of an international tour, this album is a fascinating glimpse into the Canadian composer/vocalist's creative process.

— Paul Simpson

Maylee Todd

Acts of Love

Do Right! Music

Pop/Rock, R&B

Stunning collection of bedroom R&B tracks and lo-fi disco jams from the mercurial Toronto singer/songwriter.

— Tim Sendra

Stroppies

The Stroppies

Tough Love

Pop/Rock

Tenderly heartbreaking post-Flying Nun guitar pop by members of Dick Diver, Twerps, and the Stevens.

— Tim Sendra

U-Men

U-Men

Sub Pop

Pop/Rock

Definitive, career-inclusive set honoring the wild noise rock band that blazed the trail for Seattle's underground rock scene.

— Mark Deming

Martin Carr

New Shapes of Life

Tapete Records

Pop/Rock

The third Martin Carr album trades sonic power for lyrical expression, resulting in an emotionally harrowing modern pop album sans guitar.

— Tim Sendra

Jonti

Tokorats

Stones Throw

Pop/Rock, Electronic, Rap

Australian psych-pop artist Jonti's second album is just as lush and strange as his debut, but considerably more heartfelt.

— Paul Simpson

Phil Seymour

Prince of Power Pop

Ace / Big Beat

Pop/Rock

Overview of the power pop hero's solo work includes a fiery unreleased live-in-the-studio session.

— Mark Deming

Sequoyah Tiger

Parabolabandit

Morr Music

Pop/Rock, Electronic

Fun, creative debut full-length from Sequoyah Tiger, the retro-flavored experimental electropop project of Italian songwriter/artist Leila Gharib.

— Paul Simpson

Lee Brice

Lee Brice

Curb

Country

Lee Brice gets introspective on his eponymous fourth album.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Modern Studies

Swell to Great

Fire Records

Pop/Rock

A fantastic debut from this harmonium-led Scottish chamber folk quartet with a rich vocal presence.

— Timothy Monger

Big Head Todd & the Monsters

New World Arisin'

Big Records

Pop/Rock

A heavy, fuzz guitar-drenched album.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Liima

1982

City Slang

Pop/Rock

The Efterklang side project solidifies on their lush, dark-grooved sophomore set.

— Timothy Monger

Walt Wagner

Reworks

Sub Pop

Jazz, New Age

The Seattle-based pianist's Sub Pop debut documents his intriguing instrumental covers of contemporary rock songs.

— Matt Collar

Benjamin Frith / Peter Hill

Russian Works for Piano Four Hands

Delphian

Classical

All the pieces are concerned with folk music in one way or another, and none is terribly common. A satisfying recital.

— James Manheim

Angela Hewitt

Domenico Scarlatti: Sonatas, Vol. 2

Hyperion

Classical

Angela Hewitt's performances of Scarlatti sonatas are distinguished by their crisp rhythms, cleanly articulated ornaments, and incisive attacks.

— Blair Sanderson

Takács Quartet / Lawrence Power

Dvorák: String Quartet Op. 105; String Quintet Op. 97

Hyperion

Classical

The Takács Quartet conveys the three nationalistic strands of these wonderful late Dvorák works as few others have ever done.

— James Manheim

Arcangelo / Jonathan Cohen / Samuel Boden / Thomas Walker

John Blow: An Ode on the Death of Mr Henry Purcell

Hyperion

Classical

These odes are equally good, not common, and well worth the time to get to know in strong, loving performances.

— James Manheim

Rachel Podger / Brecon Baroque

Grandissima Gravita

Channel Classics

Classical

Baroque violinist Rachel Podger and her period instruments ensemble Brecon Baroque play violin sonatas by Vivaldi, Tartini, Veracini, and Pisendel.

— Blair Sanderson

Valery Gergiev / Genia Kühmeier / Münchner Philharmoniker

Mahler: Symphony No. 4

Münchner Philharmoniker

Classical

Valery Gergiev and the Munich Philharmonic present their second Mahler recording, a spirited and sublime reading of the Symphony No. 4.

— Blair Sanderson

Previous Week Next Week