Nas

King's Disease II

Mass Appeal

Rap

Arriving quickly after his last record, the 14th album from this legendary Queens rapper continues his return to form with risk-taking production and performances.

— Fred Thomas

Liars

The Apple Drop

Mute

Pop/Rock

The project's audacious, ambitious tenth album balances hefty rock with artfully mangled electronic and orchestral sounds.

— Heather Phares

George Harrison

All Things Must Pass [50th Anniversary Super Deluxe Edition]

Apple Records / Capitol

Pop/Rock

The Super Deluxe Editions of All Things Must Pass contain a host of demos and outtakes over the course of five CDs or eight LPs; the CD incarnation also includes a Blu-ray with surround mixes.

Ty Segall

Harmonizer

Drag City

Pop/Rock

Somehow Segall manages to sound sleek and nasty at once as he cleans up his garage sound while adding synths and tightening up the arrangements.

— Tim Sendra

Creeper

American Noir

Roadrunner Records

Pop/Rock

Creeper continue to probe both the darkest and the most Broadway-ready regions of the goth-punk cinematic universe.

— James Christopher Monger

Khruangbin

Mordechai Remixes

Dead Oceans

Pop/Rock, Electronic

Khruangbin hand their excellent 2020 full-length off to several remixers, who reinforce the club-friendly qualities of the group's music.

— Paul Simpson

Chris Young

Famous Friends

SME

Country

Chris Young deliberately freshens up his sound on this relatively bright and lively affair.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Brian Jackson / Ali Shaheed Muhammad / Adrian Younge

Brian Jackson JID008

Jazz Is Dead

Jazz

This sumptuously funky entry in the Jazz Is Dead series marks Brian Jackson's first leader date in more than 20 years.

— Thom Jurek

Desire Marea

Desire

Mute

Electronic, Pop/Rock

The South African artist's stunning debut album expresses tenderness and vulnerability through a dense fusion of art pop and experimental club styles.

— Paul Simpson

The Umbrellas

The Umbrellas

Slumberland

Pop/Rock

The debut LP from this Bay Area band marries specific twee pop and paisley underground influences without losing sight of a more personalized vision.

— Fred Thomas

Phyllis Hyman

Old Friend: The Deluxe Collection 1976-1998

SoulMusic

R&B

At last, a dutiful boxed set of the soul legend's LPs for Buddah, Arista, and Philadelphia International, plus a bounty of contemporaneous works.

— Andy Kellman

Geoffrey O'Connor

For as Long as I Can Remember

Chapter Music

Pop/Rock

Joined by some of the best female vocalists Australia has to offer, the veteran pop craftsman offers up a moving set of sleek heartbreak duets.

— Tim Sendra

Billy Childish / CTMF / Wild Billy Childish & CTMF

Where the Wild Purple Iris Grows

Damaged Goods

Pop/Rock

Wild Billy Childish gets back to the business of rock & roll on this LP, a bracing exercise in the garage punk that's his trademark.

— Mark Deming

Boyracer

Assuaged

Emotional Response

Pop/Rock

The U.K. indie pop mainstay continue to evolve on their 14th full-length album, influenced by bouncy mod-pop.

— Fred Thomas

Laura Stevenson

Laura Stevenson

Don Giovanni

Pop/Rock

A personal sixth album that poignantly balances tuneful rockers and intimate acoustic songs with help from producer John Agnello.

— Marcy Donelson

Liam Kazar

Due North

Woodsist

Pop/Rock

The former member of Kids These Days and Tweedy's touring band channels funky, sophisticated, '70s-inspired pop/rock on his solo debut.

— Marcy Donelson

Jim Noir

Deep Blue View

Dock / Dook Recordings

Pop/Rock

A companion piece to Noir's A.M. Jazz album, the EP is a masterfully crafted 30 minutes of string-heavy easy listening pop.

— Tim Sendra

The Steoples

Wide Through the Eyes of No One

Stones Throw

R&B

GB and Yeofi Andoh's second album of heady avant-soul celebrates the sharing of space and life itself.

— Andy Kellman

Barbra Streisand

Release Me, Vol. 2

Legacy / Sony Music

Stage & Screen, Pop/Rock, Vocal

The legendary singer's second volume of rare and previously unreleased recordings.

— Matt Collar

Various Artists

Taking Some Time On: Underground Sounds of 1970

Esoteric Recordings

Pop/Rock

An epic examination of the year the progressive rock movement conquered the British music scene.

— Mark Deming

Goldie & the Gingerbreads

Thinking About the Good Times: The Complete Recordings 1964-1966

Ace

Pop/Rock, R&B

Twenty rare sides from a trailblazing all-female rock & roll band who sounded like the Shangri-Las fronting the Animals.

— Mark Deming

Seraphic Fire / Patrick Dupré Quigley

Hildegard von Bingen: Ordo Virtutum

Seraphic Fire Media

Classical

The apparent first complete recording of the first morality play, the first major classical work by a woman.

— James Manheim

Andrew von Oeyen

Bach, Beethoven

Warner Classics

Classical

Charismatic pianist von Oeyen planned an all-Beethoven release but turned to Bach during the coronavirus pandemic.

— James Manheim

Bomsori Kim / Giancarlo Guerrero / Wroclaw Philharmonic Orchestra

Violin on Stage

Deutsche Grammophon

Classical

A collection of pieces mostly related to opera and ballet showcases the talents of rising virtuosa Bomsori.

— James Manheim

Marc Mauillon / Angélique Mauillon / Myriam Rignol

Je m'abandonne à vous: Airs sur des poésies de la Comtesse de la Suze

Harmonia Mundi

Classical

Revelatory settings of 17th century poet Henriette de Coligny, Comtesse de la Suze.

— James Manheim

Chelsea Guo

Chopin: In My Voice

Orchid Classics

Classical

Competent Chopin from a young player with a really exciting wrinkle: Guo accompanies herself in songs.

— James Manheim

Various Artists

Kalevi Aho: Solo, Vol. 1

BIS

Classical

The inaugural volume of BIS' survey of Aho's Solo compositions offers a welcome look at these complex works.

— Keith Finke

Previous Week Next Week