Leon Bridges

Gold-Diggers Sound

Columbia

R&B

The likes of We Are King, Robert Glasper, and Terrace Martin help the soul singer stretch out on his most modern-sounding album yet.

— Andy Kellman

Piroshka

Love Drips and Gathers

Bella Union

Pop/Rock

The band's pensive second album traces the ebb and flow of relationships with music that draws on the members' dream pop and shoegaze legacies.

— Heather Phares

Anika / Anika

Change

Sacred Bones

Pop/Rock, Electronic

The singer/songwriter's first solo album in over a decade adds more nuance, urgency, hope, and frustration to her mesmerizing electro post-punk.

— Heather Phares

Paul McCartney

McCartney III Imagined

Capitol

Pop/Rock

A host of guest musicians remix, interpolate, and cover songs from 2020's McCartney III.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Jackson Browne

Downhill From Everywhere

Inside Recordings

Pop/Rock

A tasteful, well-written set warmly arranged in the manner of Browne's best '70s work.

— Timothy Monger

The Orange Peels

Celebrate the Moments of Your Life

Minty Fresh

Pop/Rock

The always reliable, long-running group deliver a masterpiece of highly arranged, emotionally powerful, and musically inventive heartbreak pop.

— Tim Sendra

Ledisi

Ledisi Sings Nina

Listen Back Entertainment

Jazz

Dazzling EP filled with highly personalized interpretations of songs Nina Simone either wrote or re-envisioned.

— Andy Kellman

Various Artists

Bills & Aches & Blues

4AD

Pop/Rock

This celebration of the iconic label's 41st anniversary features covers of favorite 4AD songs by artists on its 2021 roster.

— Heather Phares

Rodney Crowell

Triage

RC1 Records

Country, Pop/Rock

The great Texas songwriter ponders the fate of the world (and himself) with intelligence, compassion, and a dash of wit.

— Mark Deming

Darkside

Spiral

Matador

Electronic, Pop/Rock

Second full-length from electronic composer Nicolas Jaar and multi-instrumentalist Dave Harrington's collaborative project is dense and shapeshifting while maintaining exacting control.

— Fred Thomas

Mudhoney

Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge [30th Anniversary Deluxe Edition]

Sub Pop

Pop/Rock

This 30th anniversary edition contains a 15-track bonus disc of additional material, including 7 previously unreleased songs.

Molly Burch

Romantic Images

Captured Tracks

Pop/Rock

An indie disco-pop turn from the retro torch song specialist.

— Marcy Donelson

Descendents

9th & Walnut

Epitaph

Pop/Rock

The coffee-obsessed SoCal punks look back to their earliest days and unwittingly remind us of how much better they got.

— Mark Deming

Mega Bog

Life, and Another

Paradise of Bachelors

Pop/Rock

Sixth album from Erin Birgy's long-running solo project shifts from one colorful mode to the next while maintaining a cohesive larger statement

— Fred Thomas

David Crosby

For Free

BMG

Folk, Pop/Rock

The smooth, jazzy apotheosis of David Crosby's late career purple patch.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Ora the Molecule

Human Safari

Mute

Pop/Rock

The multi-national avant-pop outfit's vibrant, confident debut album combines theatricality with plenty of heart.

— Heather Phares

Roy Hargrove / Mulgrew Miller

In Harmony

Resonance

Jazz

A deeply engaging archival set of duo performances by the two jazz stars, both of whom passed away well before their time.

— Matt Collar

The Gun Club

Fire of Love [Deluxe]

Blixa Sounds / Extra Term Audio

Pop/Rock

A remastered version of the original classic album plus bonus tracks of alt versions and the original 4 track demos

Jackie Leven

Straight Outta Caledonia: The Songs of Jackie Leven

School Daze

Pop/Rock

Nearly a decade after his death, the beloved Scottish singer/songwriter gets a well-deserved chance at rediscovery with this best-of.

— Thom Jurek

Christone "Kingfish" Ingram

662

Alligator / Alligator Records

Blues

The young hotshot blues guitarist delivers a sophomore set that deepens and expands upon the sound of his award-winning debut.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

William Parker

Mayan Space Station

AUM Fidelity

Jazz

The prolific bassist leads his first electric guitar power trio in an exploration of vanguard grooves and ferocious interplay.

— Thom Jurek

William Parker

Painters Winter

AUM Fidelity

Jazz

21 years after this trio delivered Painters Spring they return with a perfectly balanced, joyful, creative, sequel.

— Thom Jurek

Peyton

PSA

Stones Throw

R&B

The highly replayable debut album from the Stones Throw signee is full of intimate and offbeat R&B.

— Andy Kellman

Alasdair Roberts / Volvur

The Old Fabled River

Drag City

Pop/Rock

The adventurous Scottish folkie teams with an experimental ensemble from Norway to create music that's beautiful in its mystery.

— Mark Deming

Tine Thing Helseth / Kåre Nordstoga

Magical Memories for Trumpet and Organ

Lawo Classics

Classical

A lovely collection of tunes with personal significance for trumpeter Helseth, exploring sonorities of the trumpet-organ combination.

— James Manheim

Kenneth Hamilton

Romantic Piano Encores

Prima Facie

Classical

Hamilton revives an enjoyable genre of old recordings with wonderful obscure material.

— James Manheim

Indre Petrauskaite

Mozart: Solo Piano Works

Avie

Classical

An exceptionally absorbing collection of Mozart piano works in minor keys, with a strong Beethovenian flavor.

— James Manheim

Pekka Kuusisto / Norwegian Chamber Orchestra

First Light: Muhly & Glass

PentaTone Classics

Classical

Fresh readings of complementary American postminimalist works from the Norwegian Chamber Orchestra.

— James Manheim

Thomas Trotter

Duruflé: Complete Organ Works

Kings College Cambridge / King's College Choir

Classical

Brilliantly realized Duruflé on the restored organ at the chapel of King's College, Cambridge.

— James Manheim

Jordi Savall / La Capella Reial de Catalunya / Hespèrion XXI

Tomás Luis de Victoria: Passion - Officium Hebdomadae Sanctae

Alia Vox

Classical

Massive project from Savall, offering a complete cycle of Holy Week music by Victoria, from the composer's Roman period.

— James Manheim

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