Willie Nelson

The Border

Legacy / Sony Music

Country

The veteran country singer balances humor and contemplation on his 75th album.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Richard Thompson

Ship to Shore

New West

Pop/Rock, Folk

Another confident late period effort of smart songwriting, guitar wizardry, and surprising vigor.

— Timothy Monger

Buffalo Tom

Jump Rope

Music on Vinyl

Pop/Rock

Older, wiser, and as impassioned as ever, the veteran Boston alt-rock trio are at the peak of their game on their tenth album.

— Mark Deming

Andra Day

CASSANDRA (cherith)

Warner Records

R&B

An impassioned second album from the Grammy- and Golden Globe-winning singer/actress, this neatly deviates from the throwback orientation of the debut.

— Andy Kellman

Draco Rosa

Reflejos de Lo Eterno

Sony Music

Latin, Pop/Rock

While the singer and songwriter regularly surprises listeners, this set of covers from the classic Latin rock era is revelatory.

— Thom Jurek

Richard Hawley

In This City They Call You Love

BMG / BMG Rights Management

Pop/Rock

The English singer's tenth album is full of bittersweet poetry and twangy rock mantras.

— Matt Collar

Crowded House

Gravity Stairs

BMG / BMG Rights Management

Pop/Rock

A dreamy, cozy record that highlights the familial interplay of the third incarnation of Crowded House.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Lucius

Wildewoman [The New Recordings]

Fantasy

Pop/Rock

A complete re-recording of the band's debut (and one new song with Brandi Carlile) mixes technicolored loyal takes and guest-featuring revisions.

— Marcy Donelson

Arooj Aftab

Night Reign

Verve

Avant-Garde, International, Classical, Jazz

On her solo debut for Verve, the Brooklyn-based singer, composer, and producer delivers a poignant, sensuous meditation on the night.

— Thom Jurek

Bonnie "Prince" Billy / Nathan Salsburg

Hear the Children Sing the Evidence

No Quarter

Folk, Pop/Rock

The celebrated guitarist and two Louisville friends spin long, languid, minimalist covers of a pair of songs by Lungfish.

— Mark Deming

Bat for Lashes

The Dream of Delphi

Decca

Pop/Rock

Natasha Khan's fifth album explores the nurturing magic of motherhood with warm, wonder-filled atmospheres.

— Heather Phares

The Rascals

It's Wonderful: The Complete Atlantic Studio Recordings

Now Sounds

Pop/Rock, R&B

All seven studio albums (and more) that the kings of blue-eyed soul recorded during their glory days at Atlantic Records.

— Mark Deming

Maya Hawke

Chaos Angel

Mom + Pop Music

Pop/Rock

A more self-assured third album recorded with prior collaborators Benjamin Lazar Davis, Will Graefe, and Christian Lee Hutson.

— Marcy Donelson

King Hannah

Big Swimmer

City Slang

Pop/Rock

A mesmerizing sophomore LP that draws on the sonics of Mazzy Star, the Velvet Underground, Speedy Wunderground, noise rock, haunted folk, and more.

— Marcy Donelson

Habibi

Dreamachine

Kill Rock Stars

Pop/Rock

The band winningly add punky dance beats, smoky spy music textures, jagged guitars, and vintage keys to their hooky brand of surfy indie pop.

— Tim Sendra

Neutrals

New Town Dream

Slumberland

Pop/Rock

The Oakland jangle punk trio brings a loose, fun flow of ideas as well as more sophisticated production and songwriting to their sophomore full-length.

— Fred Thomas

Soft Machine

Høvikodden 1971

Cuneiform Records

Pop/Rock, Jazz

The band's complete killer 1971 run at Norway's Henie Onstad Art Centre, with another unissued concert from the night before, in stellar sound.

— Thom Jurek

Neil Ardley

A Symphony of Amaranths

Beat Goes On

Pop/Rock, Jazz

On his second album, the composer/arranger juxtaposed and combined various jazz expressions with classical crossover and third stream fusion.

— Thom Jurek

The Salsoul Orchestra

It's Good for the Soul: The Vince Montana Years 1975-1978

SoulMusic

R&B

Big band disco at its finest, this set collects all the group's albums and singles from their -- and disco's -- exciting early years.

— Tim Sendra

Various Artists

No Songs Tomorrow: Darkwave, Ethereal Rock and Coldwave 1981-1990

Cherry Red

Pop/Rock

Four-CD set tracing the development of dark, atmospheric alternative music from post-punk to goth club favorites and neo-classical dream pop.

— Paul Simpson

Another Michael

Pick Me Up, Turn Me Upside Down

Run for Cover Records

Pop/Rock

The indie pop/folk-rock quartet indulge their more texturally adventurous side on the companion album to 2023's hook-driven Wishes to Fulfill.

— Marcy Donelson

Anastasia Coope

Darning Woman

Jagjaguwar

Pop/Rock

The avant-garde folksinger builds her debut album on waves of eerie, layered vocals that wander through spacious sonic pastures.

— Fred Thomas

Thou

Umbilical

Sacred Bones

Pop/Rock

The sludge metal heavyweights clarify both their production and the presence of their '90s influences on their most engaging work yet.

— Fred Thomas

Swamp Dogg

Blackgrass: From West Virginia to 125th St.

Oh Boy

Country, R&B

The great eccentric soul man hires some first-class acoustic pickers and makes a smart, occasionally strange bluegrass album.

— Mark Deming

Sun Ra

Inside the Light World: Sun Ra Meets the OVC

Strut

Jazz, Avant-Garde

Previously unheard 1986 studio performance by the Arkestra in accessible, swing-oriented mode.

— Paul Simpson

Catherine Daniel / Suzanne Taffot / Alain Trudel / Orchestre Classique de Montréal

David Bontemps: La Flambeau

ATMA Classique

Classical

A fine, spare chamber opera on Haitian themes by a composer and librettist of Caribbean origin.

— James Manheim

Roderick Williams / Susie Allan

Vaughan Williams: A Birthday Garland

Somm

Classical

Songs by composers from Vaughan Williams' circle, as well as the composer himself, mark his 150th birthday in 2022.

— James Manheim

Emanuel Ax / Leonidas Kavakos / Yo-Yo Ma

Beethoven for Three: Symphony No. 4 and Op. 97 "Archduke"

Sony Classical

Classical

This installment in this chamber-adapted Beethoven symphony series offers a superb performance of the "Archduke" trio.

— James Manheim

Masaaki Suzuki

Masaaki Suzuki plays Bach Organ Works, Vol. 5: Orgelbüchlein (II)

BIS

Classical

A masterful exploration of Bach chorale settings on a historic German organ.

— James Manheim

Sophie Dervaux / La Folia Barockorchester

Vivaldi: Bassoon Concerti [Vol. 1]

Berlin Classics

Classical

A new Vivaldi bassoon concerto launches with these agile performances.

— James Manheim

Thomas Dausgaard / BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra

Bartók: The Wooden Prince (Final Version); Divertimento; Romanian Folk Dances

Onyx / Onyx Classics

Classical

A performance that makes a strong case for this version of Bartók's less-played first ballet.

— James Manheim

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