Lil Wayne

Tha Carter V

Young Money

Rap

The long-awaited fifth and final Carter volume exhibits the rapper on an upswing.

— Andy Kellman

Tom Petty

An American Treasure [Deluxe]

Reprise / WB

Pop/Rock

An excellent aural biography of the late great rocker, filled with rarities, live cuts, and alternate takes.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

José James

Lean on Me

Blue Note

R&B

The singer pays tribute to living soul legend Bill Withers with a set that tactfully sways between faithful and imaginative.

— Andy Kellman

Logic

YSIV

Def Jam

Rap

Fresh off a platinum chart-topper and Grammy nominations, the rapper is as driven as ever on his fourth album.

— Andy Kellman

Rod Stewart

Blood Red Roses

Decca / Republic

Pop/Rock

An endearingly glitzy, nostalgic, and personal record from Rod the Mod.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Loretta Lynn

Wouldn't It Be Great

Legacy / Sony Music

Country

The legendary country star is still a great singer and songwriter at 86, but the remakes of her older tunes feel like padding.

— Mark Deming

Marissa Nadler

For My Crimes

Sacred Bones

Pop/Rock

The songwriter pares back her arrangements and turns her gaze to complex protagonists and relationships on her eighth full-length.

— Thom Jurek

Cher

Dancing Queen

Warner Bros.

Pop/Rock

A cheerful salute to ABBA, inspired by Cher's role in the sequel to Mamma Mia.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Mudhoney

Digital Garbage

Sub Pop

Pop/Rock

The grunge godfathers lay out plenty of righteous wrath on 11 songs reflecting a world mired in chaos.

— Mark Deming

Dave Grohl

Play

Columbia / RCA

Pop/Rock

A 23-minute showcase for Dave Grohl's instrumental prowess.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Cécile McLorin Salvant

The Window

Mack Avenue

Jazz

A dusky, intimate, and yet virtuosic duo session featuring the singer and pianist Sullivan Fortner.

— Matt Collar

Stereolab

Switched On, Vols. 1-3

Duophonic

Pop/Rock

The band's comprehensive '90s singles and rarities collections, gathered and remastered.

— Heather Phares

Exploded View

Obey

Sacred Bones

Electronic, Pop/Rock

On their second album, Annika Henderson and company draw listeners into their lucid dreams more completely as they explore the costs of conformity and resisting it.

— Heather Phares

Hater

Siesta

Fire Records

Pop/Rock

A sensitive, touching, and sonically rich album of sad pop songs sung with grace and played with immaculate skill.

— Tim Sendra

Linda Thompson

My Mother Doesn't Know I'm on the Stage

Omnivore

Vocal, Pop/Rock, Stage & Screen

The U.K. folk icon teams with a starry cast of singers and actors to pay homage to the heyday of British music hall.

— Mark Deming

Joe Strummer

Joe Strummer 001

Ignition Records

Pop/Rock, Reggae

Collection of solo material from the former Clash frontman is a vivid testament to his talent and restless creative spirit.

— Mark Deming

John Scofield

Combo 66

Universal

Jazz

A twangy, low-key set of original songs featuring the guitarist and his intuitive quartet.

— Matt Collar

Marsha Ambrosius

Nyla

Human Re Sources

R&B

The ex-Floetry songstress' third solo album covers as much emotional ground as the first two, despite newly wedded bliss and new motherhood.

— Andy Kellman

Rick and Morty

Rick and Morty [Original TV Soundtrack]

Sub Pop

Stage & Screen

Award-winning animated series showcases its heart and wit with a crowd-pleasing soundtrack compilation.

— Neil Z. Yeung

Jlin

Autobiography

Planet Mu

Electronic, Stage & Screen

Electronic visionary Jerrilynn Patton composes the score for a contemporary dance piece by British choreographer Wayne McGregor.

— Paul Simpson

Phil Collins

Plays Well With Others

Rhino

Pop/Rock

A remarkable chronicle of Phil Collins' work as a sideman and collaborator.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Pixies

Come on Pilgrim... It's Surfer Rosa

4AD

Pop/Rock

A compilation of the band's groundbreaking early releases to commemorate Surfer Rosa's 30th anniversary.

— Heather Phares

Amy Ray

Holler

Daemon Records

Pop/Rock

A poignant and fiery country-soul outing deeply rooted in Southern traditions.

— Timothy Monger

Cypress Hill

Elephants on Acid

BMG

Pop/Rock, Rap

Partially recorded in Egypt, ninth album from this stoner rap institution is unexpectedly experimental and creative.

— Fred Thomas

Mini Mansions

Works Every Time

Caroline

Pop/Rock

The trio allows its vulnerability to peek through on synth-driven songs that teeter between lust and anxiety.

— Heather Phares

Tim Hecker

Konoyo

Kranky

Electronic

Tim Hecker collaborates with the Japanese gagaku ensemble Tokyo Gakuso on the bleak yet majestic Konoyo.

— Paul Simpson

Alt-J

Reduxer

Atlantic

Pop/Rock

Exciting hip-hop/electronic reimagining of the Mercury Prize-winning trio's 2017 third LP, Relaxer.

— Neil Z. Yeung

Tony Joe White

Bad Mouthin'

Yep Roc

Blues

Tony Joe White pays tribute to the blues on this swampy gem.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

GØGGS

Pre Strike Sweep

In the Red Records

Pop/Rock

Second album of depraved and overblown punk-modeled energy from this side project of Ty Segall and Ex-Cult's Chris Shaw.

— Fred Thomas

Amber Arcades

European Heartbreak

Heavenly

Pop/Rock

Ditching dream pop for Cosmic American Music and Camera Obscura-lite, the Dutch singer/songwriter's second album is a dramatic change of direction.

— Tim Sendra

All Them Witches

ATW

New West

Pop/Rock

Raw and unembellished, ATW lacks the luster of its predecessor, but it feels truer to the band's bluesy D.I.Y. aesthetic.

— James Christopher Monger

Roosevelt

Young Romance

City Slang

Electronic, Pop/Rock

Shimmering sophomore set with retro flair that combines bright synths with disco-kissed grooves.

— Neil Z. Yeung

Supersilent

14

Smalltown Supersound

Avant-Garde, Jazz

Fourteen albums in, Norway's mysterious improv trio strip their sound to its essences, delivering a musical language without boundaries.

— Thom Jurek

The Joy Formidable

Aaarth

Frontiers Records

Pop/Rock

The Welsh trio have crystallized their sound into something truly sublime, fulfilling the promise set forth on 2011's The Big Roar.

— James Christopher Monger

Tim Cohen

The Modern World

Omnian / Sinderlyn

Pop/Rock

The Fresh & Onlys frontman's fifth solo LP meshes personal highs and sociopolitical anxiety in understated psychedelic pop.

— Marcy Donelson

toe

Our Latest Number

Topshelf

Pop/Rock

Worthwhile EP of intricate yet accessible post-rock from Japanese quartet Toe.

— Paul Simpson

Jay Som / Justus Proffit

Nothing's Changed

Polyvinyl

Pop/Rock

Catchy and bittersweet five-track EP that lands like an ambition fully formed rather than a collaborative song-a-day lark.

— Marcy Donelson

The Louvin Brothers

Love and Wealth: The Lost Recordings

Modern Harmonic

Country

Rare publishing demos cut by the sibling harmony duo document stellar performances, even on some iffy material.

— Mark Deming

St. Lenox

Ten Fables of Young Ambition and Passionate Love

Anyway

Pop/Rock

The excellent third installment of Andrew Choi's engaging biographical pop narratives takes aim at finding love and building a career.

— Timothy Monger

Josh Modney

Engage

New Focus

Avant-Garde, Classical

A collection of pieces, developed in collaboration with their composers, that seek to redefine contemporary violin performance.

— James Manheim

Dénes Várjon

De la Nuit

ECM

Classical

A rethinking of the nocturne program by a Hungarian pianist beloved by connoisseurs.

— James Manheim

John Eliot Gardiner / Orchestre Revolutionnaire et Romantique

Schubert: Symphony 5; Brahms: Serenade 2

Soli Deo Gloria

Classical

Period-instrument rethinkings of Schubert and Brahms deliver revelations once you re-tune the ears.

— James Manheim

Anne Akiko Meyers

Mirror in Mirror

Avie

Classical

Gorgeous tone and a fascinating rethinking of minimalist programming from Meyers.

— James Manheim

Tesla Quartet

Haydn, Ravel, Stravinsky

Orchid Classics

Classical

Impressive debut from a young American quartet that cultivates a sense of ensemble to an unusual degree.

— James Manheim

Telegraph Quartet

Into the Light

Centaur Records

Classical

Playing works by Kirchner, Webern, and Britten, the Telegraph Quartet explores music that exists on the periphery of the standard repertoire.

— Blair Sanderson

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