Bruce Springsteen

Western Stars

Columbia / Sony Music

Pop/Rock

A beguiling evocation of the hippie twilight of the early 1970s.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Madonna

Madame X

Interscope / Polydor

Pop/Rock

A dense, arty album that embraces the world outside the United States.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Bastille

Doom Days

Capitol / Virgin EMI

Pop/Rock

Chronicling the ups and downs of a night out with friends, the band's relatable third album celebrates living in the moment.

— Heather Phares

Calexico / Iron & Wine

Years to Burn

Sub Pop

Pop/Rock

Almost 15 years after they made In the Reins, the two Americana titans rekindle their collaboration for a set of expansive country-folk ballads.

— Tim Sendra

Bill Callahan

Shepherd in a Sheepskin Vest

Drag City

Pop/Rock

The singer/songwriter's first album in six years tackles life, love, and death with a refreshing and thought-provoking lightness.

— Heather Phares

Baroness

Gold & Grey

Abraxan Hymns

Pop/Rock

With new guitarist Gina Gleason, the band deliver their most diverse, kaleidoscopic, intricate release to date.

— Thom Jurek

Kae Tempest

The Book of Traps and Lessons

American Recordings

Rap, Pop/Rock

The London poet and rapper holds up a mirror to reveal our most vulnerable reflections on his powerful third LP.

— Timothy Monger

Stan Getz / Stan Getz Quartet

Getz at the Gate

Verve

Jazz

Hidden in the vaults for 58 years, this 1961 concert showcases the saxophonist during a muscular period of creative transition.

— Thom Jurek

The Chris Robinson Brotherhood / Chris Robinson

Servants of the Sun

Megaforce / Silver Arrow Records

Pop/Rock

The CRB best funky mid-'70s Grateful Dead with this buoyant album.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Carole King

Live at Montreux 1973

Eagle Rock

Pop/Rock

Long-archived live recording of the singer/songwriter's first performance outside of the states, taped weeks after the release of her fifth album Fantasy.

— Fred Thomas

ZZ Top

Goin' 50

Rhino / Warner Bros.

Pop/Rock

A 50th anniversary celebration of ZZ Top that tells their entire history in detail.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Shellac

The End of Radio

Touch and Go

Pop/Rock

The authorized release of two BBC Radio sessions from Steve Albini and company captures their live approach brilliantly.

— Mark Deming

Keb' Mo'

Oklahoma

Concord

Blues

A soulful, laid-back affair distinguished by its occasional protest tunes.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Psychedelic Porn Crumpets

And Now for the Whatchamacallit

Believe Direct Limited / Marathon / Marathon Artists / What Reality? Records

Pop/Rock

Blazing guitar work and clever melodies mark the Australian psych combo's intricate third outing.

— Timothy Monger

Remo Drive

Natural, Everyday Degradation

Epitaph

Pop/Rock

Improving production and writing, the Minnesota band mature from D.I.Y. punks to indie rock songsmiths.

— Neil Z. Yeung

Cheryl Lynn

Got to Be Real: The Columbia Anthology

SoulMusic

R&B

Sharp two-disc overview of the singer, songwriter, and producer's eight years with Columbia, including all of her charting singles and much more.

— Andy Kellman

James & Bobby Purify

I'm Your Puppet: The Complete Bell Recordings 1966-1969

SoulMusic

R&B

The biggest and best-known '60s sides from this renowned soul duo come together in this anthology.

— Mark Deming

Lukas Nelson / Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real

Turn Off the News, Build a Garden

Fantasy

Pop/Rock

A bright, optimistic Americana album that functions as a tonic in a troubled times.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Butcher the Bar

III

Bobo Integral

Pop/Rock

The third album from the indie folk solo act gone full band sounds effortlessly rich and understated.

— Fred Thomas

Ages and Ages

Me You They We

Needle & Thread Entertainment

Pop/Rock

While lyrics grapple with societal and personal tensions, the psych-pop band's fourth album is again ruled by catchy, inviting songs.

— Marcy Donelson

Mattiel

Satis Factory

ATO

Pop/Rock

Spirited, retro-minded rock & roll that ups the ante on an already attention-grabbing 2017 debut that led to tour dates with Jack White.

— Marcy Donelson

Christopher Willits

Sunset

Ghostly International

Electronic

Brief but immersive release from ambient composer Christopher Willits intended to soundtrack twilight.

— Paul Simpson

Jeanines

Jeanines

Slumberland

Pop/Rock

Sparkling jangle pop from a Brooklyn duo who know their post-C-86 history very well.

— Tim Sendra

Dressy Bessy

Fast Faster Disaster

Yep Roc

Pop/Rock

On their seventh album, the colorful songcraft of this indie fixture continues to evolve.

— Fred Thomas

J. McFarlane's Reality Guest

Ta Da

Night School

Pop/Rock

Sparse and emotionally powerful post-punk-influenced breakup album from the former Twerps guitarist.

— Tim Sendra

Jamestown Revival

San Isabel

Jamestown Revival Recordings

Pop/Rock

By looking inward, the Austin duo have crafted their most outwardly satisfying collection of folk- and country-inflected Americana songs to date

— James Christopher Monger

Julia Shapiro

Perfect Version

Hardly Art

Pop/Rock

The Chastity Belt and Childbirth leader takes a somber detour into intimate sounds and more personal subject matter.

— Mark Deming

Konx-om-Pax

Ways of Seeing

Planet Mu

Electronic

Konx-om-Pax's third Planet Mu full-length places a greater emphasis on beats and melodies, but still sounds hazy and nostalgic.

— Paul Simpson

Los Coast

Samsara

New West

R&B

The debut of the eclectic Austin-based combo delivers a hip-shaking amalgam of pop, soul, R&B, funk, gospel, and psychedelic rock.

— James Christopher Monger

X Ambassadors

Orion

Interscope / Polydor

Pop/Rock

A polished sophomore album from the Ithaca trio that magnifies all of their soulful pop, rock, and hip-hop inclinations.

— Matt Collar

Mike Adams at His Honest Weight

There Is No Feeling Better

Joyful Noise

Pop/Rock

Sweetly sad and beautifully crafted fourth album from this Indiana-based pop savant.

— Mark Deming

Mndsgn

Snaxx

Stones Throw

Rap

A brief and trippy beat tape that functions as a prelude to the producer's Bodywash follow-up.

— Andy Kellman

Pinkish Black

Concept Unification

Relapse Records

Avant-Garde

A torpor-inducing miasma of gloomy synths, underwater vocals, and lumbering beats that evokes Goblin by way of Sunn O))).

— James Christopher Monger

Pinky Pinky

Turkey Dinner

Innovative Leisure

Pop/Rock

The band's debut album adds touches of country, new wave, and sunny indie pop to their bag of tricks.

— Heather Phares

The Dangerous Summer

Mother Nature

Hopeless Records

Pop/Rock

The emo outfit's second album after a five-year hiatus is an anthemic statement of struggle and survival.

— Matt Collar

Various Artists

Self-Discovery for Social Survival

Mexican Summer

Pop/Rock, Electronic, Stage & Screen

Soundtrack to a documentary following 16 surfers that features several groups handpicked to create exclusive surf-inspired music for the film.

— Fred Thomas

Bamboo

Daughters of the Sky

Upset the Rhythm

Pop/Rock

Third album from the London-based duo, offering hope for the rebirth of a new world.

— Paul Simpson

Carolyn Sampson / Joseph Middleton

Reason in Madness

BIS

Classical

Impressively versatile thematic recital by soprano Carolyn Sampson covering English and French songs depicting famous madwomen.

— James Manheim

Yoonie Han

Reynaldo Hahn: Le Rossignol Éperdu - Poems for Piano

Steinway & Sons

Classical

Fine performances of Hahn's giant set of miniatures that captures their sparsity.

— James Manheim

Adrian Partington

Stanford: Mass 'Via Victrix'; At the Abbey Gate

Lyrita

Classical

A century late, recorded premieres of major works by Charles Villiers Stanford.

— James Manheim

Wai Yin Wong

Franz Liszt: Complete Piano Music, Vol. 52 - Transcriptions from Operas by Auber and Verdi

Naxos

Classical

Enjoyable operatic transcriptions of Auber and early Verdi offer insight into Liszt's world.

— James Manheim

Larry Weng

Beethoven: Variations on Themes by Grétry, Paisiello, Righini, Winter

Naxos

Classical

Worthwhile collection of near-total obscurities by Beethoven.

— James Manheim

Maurice Steger / La Cetra

Mr Handel's Dinner: Music for the Opera Intermissions

Harmonia Mundi

Classical

Brilliant virtuoso works for recorder by Handel and others, astonishingly cleanly performed.

— James Manheim

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