Jack White

Entering Heaven Alive

Third Man Records

Pop/Rock

The counterpart to Fear of the Dawn is a relaxed yet vibrant collection that finds Jack White in a fresh, inventive state.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Ben Harper

Bloodline Maintenance

Chrysalis Records

Pop/Rock

Ben Harper explores generational traditions and cultural trauma on an album reminiscent of peak Curtis Mayfield.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Ty Segall

"Hello, Hi"

Drag City

Pop/Rock

The garage-punk hero goes it alone and turns it down, showing that he is still a force to be reckoned with.

— Mark Deming

Ne-Yo

Self Explanatory

EMI / Motown

R&B

Shaffer Smith's highly personal eighth album works through a faltering marriage with some swaggering diversions in the mix.

— Andy Kellman

Beach Bunny

Emotional Creature

Mom + Pop Music

Pop/Rock

Melancholy and inspiring, heartbroken and resolute, this is perfectly produced emo(tional) pop with great songs, and in Lili Trifilio, an impressive songwriter and vocalist.

— Tim Sendra

ZZ Top

RAW: That Little Ol' Band from Texas [Original Soundtrack]

BMG / BMG Rights Management

Pop/Rock, Stage & Screen

ZZ Top hunker down in the intimate settings of Gruene Hall to deliver a bunch of down-and-dirty blues.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Dawes

Misadventures of Doomscroller

Rounder

Pop/Rock

The California outfit takes a more exploratory approach on their philosophically potent eighth album.

— Matt Collar

She & Him

Melt Away: A Tribute to Brian Wilson

Fantasy

Pop/Rock

M. Ward and Zooey Deschanel's first set of new music in six years is a love letter to one of their biggest influences.

— James Christopher Monger

The Sadies

Colder Streams

Yep Roc

Pop/Rock

Recorded shortly before the death of their lead guitarist, this documents the Canadian roots-psych band at their peak.

— Mark Deming

ODESZA

The Last Goodbye

Foreign Family Collective / Ninja Tune

Electronic

The successful indie electronic duo return with a slightly more club-ready, progressive house-leaning fourth album.

— Paul Simpson

The Koreatown Oddity

ISTHISFORREAL?

Stones Throw

Rap

A brief album from the Los Angeles-based abstract rapper that plays with perceptions of reality.

— Paul Simpson

Various Artists

Miles Out to Sea: The Roots of British Power Pop 1969-1975

Grapefruit

Pop/Rock

Pop music didn't end when the Beatles quit, and this compilation of songs by tuneful hard rockers, peppy singer/songwriters, and sappy dreamers proves it.

— Tim Sendra

Carlos Niño

Extra Presence

International Anthem

Electronic, New Age, Jazz, Rap

An expanded edition of a limited 2020 release by the improvisational new age/jazz/hip-hop collective.

— Paul Simpson

TRAAMS

personal best

FatCat Records

Pop/Rock

The band return from a lengthy hiatus with an album that's in step with the 2020s post-punk revival and true to their individuality.

— Heather Phares

Tony Williams

Play or Die

Moosicus Records

Jazz, Pop/Rock

A forgotten outlier in Tony Williams catalog gets beautifully remastered and issued widely for the very first time.

— Thom Jurek

Moebius

Solo Works

Bureau B

Electronic, Avant-Garde, Pop/Rock

A collection of solo material from across the sprawling catalog of this Krautrock innovator and Cluster member.

— Fred Thomas

Bananarama

Masquerade

Absolute / In Synk

Pop/Rock, Electronic

The U.K. duo offers another well-made Euro dance-pop platter with a handful of infectious standouts.

— Timothy Monger

Sean Nicholas Savage

Shine

Arbutus Records

Pop/Rock

With production from Mac DeMarco, this Montreal songwriter turns in an album of breezy mellowness inspired in part by Y2K-era mainstream pop giants.

— Fred Thomas

Bastien Keb

Organ Recital

Gearbox

Electronic

Sebastien Jones' fourth LP (and second for Gearbox) starts like a sequel to his noirish third but soothes with a sequence of delicate reveries.

— Andy Kellman

Nina Nastasia

Riderless Horse

Temporary Residence

Pop/Rock

The singer and songwriter makes a superb return to recording with a set of simple but powerful songs captured in rich detail.

— Mark Deming

John McEntire / Sam Prekop

Sons Of

Thrill Jockey

Pop/Rock, Electronic

Chicago artists best known for their contributions to the post-rock scene collaborate on expansive, house-informed electronic instrumentals.

— Fred Thomas

Madison Cunningham

Revealer

Verve / Verve Forecast

Pop/Rock

The follow-up to the songwriter/guitarist's Grammy-nominated debut pairs her distinctive melodies with more-spirited arrangements and lyrics.

— Marcy Donelson

Yoav Levanon

A Monument for Beethoven

Warner Classics

Classical

Debut recording of teenager Levanon surveys works by composers who raised funds for an 1845 monument to Beethoven in Bonn.

— James Manheim

Various Artists

Eric Tanguy: In a Dream - Chamber Music

Erato

Classical

Chamber music provides an ideal approach to the music of composer Tanguy, which is complex but tonally approachable.

— James Manheim

Toby Carr / Helen Charlston

Battle Cry: She Speaks

Delphian

Classical

A stunning debut recital album by mezzo-soprano Charlston explores female characters in voices of astonishing variety and depth.

— James Manheim

The Sixteen / Harry Christophers

A Meditation: St John Henry Newman

Coro

Classical

Fresh new compositions, set to adaptations of a short text by John Henry Newman, represent something new from The Sixteen.

— James Manheim

Time for Three / Xian Zhang / Philadelphia Orchestra

Letters for the Future

Deutsche Grammophon

Classical

Two contemporary symphonies concertantes fit the talents of the protean Americana-classical string trio Time for Three.

— James Manheim

Lincoln Trio

Trios from Contemporary Chicago

Cedille Records

Classical

The second of a pair of Chicago albums by the Lincoln Trio supports the notion of a cohesive Chicago style.

— James Manheim

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