U2

Songs of Experience

Interscope / Island

Pop/Rock

U2 find themselves at a crossroads on the long-delayed sequel to Songs of Innocence.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Van Morrison

Versatile

Exile Records / Legacy Recordings / Sony Music

Pop/Rock, Jazz, Vocal

Less than three months after Roll with the Punches, the Celtic soul man delivers a convincing program of jazz standards and originals.

— Thom Jurek

Chris Stapleton

From A Room: Volume 2

Decca / Mercury / Mercury Nashville

Country

Another modest, winning collection of straight-ahead, old-fashioned country.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Miguel

War & Leisure

RCA

R&B

Informed by human rights struggles and global conflict, the singer's fourth album nonetheless contains some of his most upbeat and raunchy material.

— Andy Kellman

Promise of the Real / Neil Young

The Visitor

Reprise / Warner Bros. / WB

Pop/Rock

A weird, rambling protest album for the age of Trump.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

The Rolling Stones

On Air

BBC / Polydor / Universal

Pop/Rock

The first official release of the Rolling Stones' BBC sessions from 1963-1965.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Rush

A Farewell to Kings [40th Anniversary Edition] [3 CD]

Mercury / Virgin EMI

Pop/Rock

Rush's fifth studio album gets grand reissue treatment with a 1978 concert, covers of set classics, and an unreleased studio experiment.

— Thom Jurek

Nicholas Krgovich

In an Open Field

Tin Angel

Pop/Rock

Predictably lush and pretty set of R&B-hued ballads that add some surprise touches of cosmic country and '70s soft rock to the mix.

— Tim Sendra

Roy Woods

Say Less

OVO Sound

R&B

An album more varied than the downcast singer's preceding mixtape and EP, featuring 24hrs, PnB Rock, dvsn, and PartyNextDoor.

— Andy Kellman

Joe Adragna / Peter Buck / Scott McCaughey / The Minus 5

Dear December

Yep Roc

Holiday, Pop/Rock

Scott McCaughey and company bring us a doozy of a Christmas gift with this set of rockin' original tunes for the holidays.

— Mark Deming

Nick Garrie

The Moon and the Village

Tapete Records

Pop/Rock

The English Baroque pop cult hero delivers a stripped-down late-career highlight produced by members of the Ladybug Transistor.

— Timothy Monger

STRFKR

Vault, Vol. 3 [LP]

Polyvinyl

Pop/Rock

The final 19 demos of 64 rescued from bandleader Josh Hodges' failing hard drive make for the most consistently playful volume.

— Marcy Donelson

The Staves / yMusic

The Way Is Read

Nonesuch

Pop/Rock

The result of a collaboration between the English indie folk trio and the New York chamber sextet is both intricate and graceful.

— Marcy Donelson

Tony, Caro and John

All on the First Day

Gaarden / Tapete Records

Pop/Rock, Folk

Minimalist psychedelic folk from a trio influenced by the Incredible String Band, but totally off on their own fascinating trip.

— Tim Sendra

Prins Thomas

Prins Thomas, Vol. 5

Prins Thomas Musikk

Electronic

Norwegian space disco producer Prins Thomas does what he does best on his fun, freewheeling fifth solo album.

— Paul Simpson

Hater

Red Blinders

Fire Records

Pop/Rock

Fresh and clean indie pop sounds from Sweden.

— Tim Sendra

Cindy Wilson

Change

Kill Rock Stars

Pop/Rock

Longtime B-52's vocalist strikes out on her own with a solo album built around cool electronic textures.

— Mark Deming

Ella Fitzgerald

Ella at Zardi's

Universal / Verve

Vocal, Jazz

A charming and intimate live album featuring Fitzgerald at Los Angeles' Zardi's in 1956, captured for the then-newly minted Verve Records.

— Matt Collar

Five Finger Death Punch

A Decade of Destruction

Prospect Park

Pop/Rock

The Las Vegas-based rockers' first-ever career overview, A Decade of Destruction delivers 14 of the band's most notable blows to the noggin, along with two new studio cuts.

— James Christopher Monger

Grayson Capps

Scarlett Roses

Royal Potato Family

Pop/Rock

After six long years, this Gulf Coast singer/ songwriter delivers a raw, rough-and-tumble roots rock album worthy of the wait.

— Thom Jurek

Heron Oblivion

The Chapel

Heron Oblivion

Pop/Rock

San Franciscan psych-folk group Heron Oblivion exhibit their live chemistry on this electrifying concert recording.

— Paul Simpson

Arturo Tamayo / RAI National Symphony Orchestra / Residentie Orkest Den Haag

Xenakis: Orchestral Works - Metastaseis A, Terretektorh, Nomos Gamma

Mode Records

Classical

Three of Xenakis' innovative orchestral works are performed by Arturo Tamayo, the Orchestra Sinfonica RAI, and the Resident Orchestra of the Hague.

— Blair Sanderson

Nathalie Stutzmann

Quella Fiamma: Arie Antiche

Erato

Classical

Stutzmann strips away the layers that have accumulated on the surface of this music, well known to vocal students.

— James Manheim

Christophe Rousset / Les Talens Lyriques

Jean-Philippe Rameau: Pygmalion

Aparte

Classical

Rameau's 1748 acte de ballet Pygmalion receives a period-style performance by Les Talens Lyriques, conducted by Christophe Rousset.

— Blair Sanderson

Marianne Crebassa / Fazil Say

Secrets: French Songs

Erato

Classical

A French song recording in which everything comes together.

— James Manheim

René Jacobs / Berlin RIAS Chamber Choir / Freiburger Barockorchester

Mozart: Requiem

Harmonia Mundi

Classical

René Jacobs and the Freiburger Barockorchester present Pierre-Henri Dutron's 2016 revision of Süssmayr's completion of Mozart's Requiem.

— Blair Sanderson

Renaud Capuçon / Gérard Caussé / Bertrand Chamayou / Marie-Pierre Langlamet / Edgar Moreau / Emmanuel Pahud

Debussy: Sonates & Trio

Erato

Classical

Hearing a group of Debussy works in traditional forms together is of considerable interest; these performances are attractive.

— James Manheim

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