Bob Dylan

The Bootleg Series, Vol. 15: Travelin' Thru

Sony Music

Pop/Rock

The 15th volume of the Bootleg Sessions concentrates on Dylan's Nashville recordings of the late 1960s, focusing on a session with Johnny Cash.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Miranda Lambert

Wildcard

Sony Music

Country

Lambert freshens her sound with a playful seventh studio album.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

R.E.M.

Monster [25th Anniversary Deluxe Edition]

Craft Records

Pop/Rock

The biggest archival project R.E.M. has yet released features five CDs and a BluRay in addition to a hefty book.

Electric Light Orchestra / Jeff Lynne's ELO / Jeff Lynne

From Out of Nowhere

Columbia / Sony Music

Pop/Rock

Jeff Lynne re-creates the sound of ELO's 1970s peak.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

The Rolling Stones

Let It Bleed [50th Anniversary Edition]

ABKCO Records

Pop/Rock

Light on bonus musical material but the packaging is handsome and the mastering is strong on this luxury presentation of this down-and-dirty album.

The Doors

The Soft Parade [50th Anniversary Deluxe Edition]

Elektra / Rhino / Warner Music

Pop/Rock

A lavish three-CD/1-LP set that contains a brand new remaster of the album by Bruce Botnick, plus two discs of unreleased material.

Hootie & the Blowfish

Imperfect Circle

Capitol / Decca

Pop/Rock

On their first album in 14 years, Hootie & the Blowfish fuse their '90s sound with Darius Rucker's sunny country-pop.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Michael Kiwanuka

Kiwanuka

Interscope

R&B

On his third long-player, the British singer/songwriter comes into his own in a collection of bracing, affirmative, psychedelic soul tunes.

— Thom Jurek

Omni

Networker

Sub Pop

Pop/Rock

The band's third album, and first for Sub Pop, is tighter, more focused, and more melodic.

— Tim Sendra

Fenella

Fenella

Fire Records

Pop/Rock

The first release from Jane Weaver's ambient pop project is an alternate soundtrack to the 1981 cult animation classic Fehérlófia.

— Paul Simpson

Bradford Cox / Cate Le Bon

Myths 004

Mexican Summer

Pop/Rock

Fragmented and highly experimental EP from two of indie pop's best songwriters.

— Fred Thomas

Lindstrøm

On a Clear Day I Can See You Forever

Smalltown Supersound

Electronic

Lindstrøm goes back to basics, recording expansive, single-take ambient pieces on an arsenal of vintage synths and drum machines.

— Paul Simpson

Jon Batiste

Chronology of a Dream: Live at the Village Vanguard

Verve

Jazz

The bandleader's second album of joyous, soulful jazz recorded during his 2018 residency at the Village Vanguard.

— Matt Collar

Sudan Archives

Athena

Stones Throw

R&B

The Stones Throw violinist, singer, songwriter, and producer follows two EPs with an even richer first album.

— Andy Kellman

Vetiver

Up on High

Mama Bird Recording Co.

Pop/Rock

The seventh album from this long-running indie folk project returns to spacious arrangements and focused songwriting.

— Fred Thomas

TR/ST

The Destroyer, Vol. 2

House Arrest

Pop/Rock

A surprisingly spacious yet intimate set of songs concludes Robert Alfons' cathartic third album.

— Heather Phares

Original Soundtrack

Charlie's Angels [2019] [Original Motion Picture Soundtrack]

Island / Republic

Stage & Screen, Pop/Rock

Recruiting an impressive team of artists, Ariana Grande introduces the new Angels with sleek pop style.

— Neil Z. Yeung

Josh Rouse

The Holiday Sounds of Josh Rouse

Yep Roc

Pop/Rock, Holiday

The singer/songwriter presents another album of warm, engaging songs that just so happen to concern the holiday season.

— Mark Deming

Jeff Goldblum / Jeff Goldblum & the Mildred Snitzer Orchestra

I Shouldn't Be Telling You This

Decca

Jazz, Vocal

The actor/pianist's second album featuring guest vocalists and his swinging jazz ensemble.

— Matt Collar

The Mavericks

Play the Hits

Mono Mundo Recordings

Country, Pop/Rock

The eclectic retro-roots act covers 11 well-known songs and gives each a fresh personality of its own.

— Mark Deming

The Pop Group

Y [Definitive Edition]

Mute

Pop/Rock

Expanded edition of a boundary-smashing debut informed by funk, noise, dub, free jazz, and experimental music.

— Mark Deming

Stargazer Lilies

Occabot

Rad Cult

Pop/Rock

The Pennsylvania shoegaze group enlist close friend and frequent tourmate Tobacco to rough up their gauzy, panoramic sound.

— Paul Simpson

CUP

Spinning Creature

Northern Spy

Pop/Rock

Delightfully eccentric art-pop project from musical and marital partners Nels Cline (Wilco) and Yuka C. Honda (Cibo Matto).

— Timothy Monger

Arve Henriksen

The Timeless Nowhere

Rune Grammofon

Avant-Garde

The four-LP, double-disc box comprised of mostly unreleased archival material is a compelling, provocative entry in the artist's catalog.

— Thom Jurek

Cold War Kids

New Age Norms, Vol. 1

CWKTwo Corp.

Pop/Rock

The first volume in a trilogy of albums broadens the band's horizons with topical songs indebted to funk, pop and disco.

— Heather Phares

Black Stone Cherry

Black to Blues, Vol. 2

Mascot / Mascot Music

Pop/Rock

The second volume in the Kentucky rockers' stopgap series is even wilder and woollier than its predecessor.

— Thom Jurek

The Damned

Black Is the Night: The Definitive Anthology

BMG / BMG Rights Management

Pop/Rock

The wild and wooly career of the punk pioneers turned goth icons, documented in 39 songs.

— Mark Deming

Blinky

Heart Full of Soul: The Motown Anthology

Motown / Real Gone Music

R&B

Extensive documentation of the powerful Motown singer's mostly shelved 1968-1973 studio and live sessions.

— Andy Kellman

Turnover

Altogether

Run for Cover Records

Pop/Rock

The band augment their lush dream pop style with humid lounge and jazzy elements on album number four.

— Timothy Monger

A Winged Victory for the Sullen

The Undivided Five

Ninja Tune

Pop/Rock

Intensely labored-over, quietly moving studio full-length from Dustin O'Halloran and Adam Wiltzie.

— Paul Simpson

Rodan

The Hat Factory '93

Quarterstick

Pop/Rock

This unreleased 1993 demo tape from the Louisville math rock pioneers is a simple recording of a dazzlingly accomplished band.

— Mark Deming

Alphabeat

Don't Know What's Cool Anymore

Warner Music

Pop/Rock

The Danish pop outfit returns after a seven-year hiatus with a buoyant album that finds them looking back on their twenties.

— Matt Collar

Apollo Brown

Sincerely, Detroit

Mello Music Group

Rap

The Detroit beatmaker pens a love letter to his home city, featuring a large portion of its strong rap scene.

— Paul Simpson

Grace Cummings

Refuge Cove

ATO / Flightless

Pop/Rock, Folk

A commanding and appealingly austere debut from this young Melbourne-based folk singer/songwriter.

— Timothy Monger

Half Moon Run

A Blemish in the Great Light

Glassnote Entertainment Group

Pop/Rock

The Montreal group's third full-length effort explores a more polished, studio-forward sound.

— James Christopher Monger

Esbjörn Svensson Trio

E.S.T. Live in Gothenburg

Act / Act Music

Jazz

This essential date from a 2001 tour at home in Sweden features the trio in a concert that showcases the fullness of their creative powers.

— Thom Jurek

Itasca

Spring

Paradise of Bachelors

Pop/Rock

On her fourth album and second with a band, Kayla Cohen's gentle, ruminative folk songs were inspired by a retreat to rural New Mexico.

— Marcy Donelson

Various Artists

Across the Great Divide: Getting It Together in the Country 1968-1974

Grapefruit

Pop/Rock, Folk

A well-chosen three-disc set of hybridized rock-folk-jazz-country songs by bands looking to escape the colorful trappings of psychedelia in favor of something more organic.

— Tim Sendra

Peter Mattei / Lars David Nilsson

Franz Schubert: Winterreise

BIS

Classical

A fine Winterreise, dramatic without being operatic or overheated.

— James Manheim

Thomas Dausgaard / Seattle Symphony Orchestra

Langgaard: Prelude to Antichrist; Strauss: An Alpine Symphony

Seattle Symphony

Classical

Thomas Dausgaard and the Seattle Symphony perform works by Rued Langgaard and Richard Strauss, inspired by Nietzsche's Der Antichrist.

— Blair Sanderson

Claudio Abbado / Lucerne Festival Orchestra

Bruckner I/IX

Accentus

Classical

Claudio Abbado's critically acclaimed live recordings of Bruckner's First and Ninth Symphonies are paired in this 2019 package from Accentus.

— Blair Sanderson

Mariss Jansons / Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra

Mahler: Symphonie Nr. 1

BR Klassik

Classical

Mariss Jansons and the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra deliver a satisfying performance of Mahler's popular Symphony No. 1.

— Blair Sanderson

Elisa Citterio / Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra

Vivaldi Con Amore

Tafelmusik Media

Classical

The first Tafelmusik album under new director Elisa Citterio suggests an exciting new direction.

— James Manheim

Jan Lisiecki / Academy of St. Martin in the Fields / Tomo Keller

Beethoven: Complete Piano Concertos

Deutsche Grammophon

Classical

An ambitious Beethoven concerto cycle from young pianist Lisiecki mostly succeeds.

— James Manheim

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