Editors' Choice for April 2022

The "Havana" singer celebrates her Latin American roots on her vibrant third album.

— Matt Collar

A professionally recorded and unreleased 1972 live date showcases a rejuvenated Mingus and his killer sextet pushing themselves and the music hard.

— Thom Jurek

A thoroughly enjoyable introduction to music for the largely unknown English masque from the late 16th and early 17th centuries.

— James Manheim

Euphoric surge of '90s house-indebted dance anthems from this party-loving Australian quartet.

— Neil Z. Yeung

Cross-cultural collaboration bringing musicians from the Congotronics scene together with several experimental rock artists.

— Paul Simpson

The second album from this Canadian dream pop band steps into ambitious production and instrumentation without losing sight of the songwriting.

— Fred Thomas

On its second Bible & Tire outing, this North Carolina-based sacred soul quartet pulls out all the stops with a collection of grooving spirituals.

— Thom Jurek

Trading in space rock ramble for a singer/songwriter-meets-noise rock approach, the group's fourth album is a slowcore triumph.

— Tim Sendra

Dub-minded ambient artist intersperses household sounds and layers of hiss into his fragmented, amorphous music.

— Fred Thomas

A vibrant, soulful tribute to Merle Haggard, one of the iconic American figures of the 20th century.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Fifth album from this cynical singer/songwriter softens his acerbic wit with gorgeous orchestral arrangements.

— Fred Thomas

A deeply dreamlike and poetic album of duo and trio performances informed by the pianist's classical influences.

— Matt Collar

A cacophonic, adventurous album built upon the titular concept of eosophobia.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

The vibraphonist leads his octet on this evocative, spiritually minded album-length suite.

— Matt Collar

Highly dramatic St. John Passion draws energy from its live, socially distanced performance in a theatrical setting.

— James Manheim

The sacred soul debut album from 76-year-old North Carolina-based singer, guitarist, and patriarch of the Daniels/Vines gospel dynasty.

— Thom Jurek

More aesthetically modern and approachable than his last outing, Tempest's fourth LP is a wonder of resilience and resolve.

— Timothy Monger

The duo traces their growing pains, devastating losses, and healing on songs that span poignant synth pop to confessional acoustic epics.

— Heather Phares

The group's second album adds British folk and American slowcore influences to their sad and beautiful sound with great success.

— Tim Sendra

Co-producer Brandi Carlile and Sheryl Crow guest on a set of '80-infused disco-pop and power ballads that seek out composure following heartbreak.

— Marcy Donelson

A pivotal and enduring work in the discographies of Max Roach, Abbey Lincoln, and the history of Black American music.

— Michael G. Nastos

A warm embrace of sweet psychedelia from the team who made the thrilling Bon Voyage album; this time the feeling is peace rather than turmoil.

— Tim Sendra

Miranda Lambert indulges in her wanderlust on this varied and empathetic collection.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

The recorded debut of the pianist's all-woman supergroup combines formal composition, scripted dialogue, and free improvisation.

— Thom Jurek

Unexpected production choices and ambitious orchestral pop arrangements join captivating songwriting on the dreamlike debut LP from this Athens/N.Y.C. group.

— Fred Thomas

Second album from country's subversive masked man builds on the excellence of his debut and bests it at every turn.

— Mark Deming

Micah Nelson's experimental future-folk project offers up a double album that is surprisingly vital.

— Timothy Monger

On their major-label debut, the Toronto punks retain their manic, shambling energy while expanding their sonic palette.

— Timothy Monger

A mature, late-era gem that finds the fiery industrial metal masters in a reflective (but no less aggressive) mood.

— Neil Z. Yeung

Roger Eno's first solo album for Deutsche Grammophon is a set of masterful compositions self-described as short stories or photographs.

— Paul Simpson

These two grizzled, storied veterans offer a raucous, swaggering tribute to the itinerant postwar bluesmen who inspired them as teens.

— Thom Jurek

A constantly surprising, alternately epic and intimate album from the songwriter that feels like a definitive artistic statement.

— Tim Sendra

This lively set of euphoric cosmic blues serves as both a foil and companion piece to the more subdued album that immediately preceded it.

— Fred Thomas

T. Rex were on top of the world in 1972, and this collection of singles, albums tracks, radio sessions, and more shows why.

— Tim Sendra

Taking stock of life at 46 during a pandemic, the Cursive leader's fourth solo LP is perhaps his most profound -- and tuneful -- yet.

— Marcy Donelson

The follow-up to the songwriter's intimate collegiate debut finds a musical artistry that rises to the level of her lyrical perceptiveness.

— Marcy Donelson

The group's cheeky, occasionally heartbroken debut captures twenty-something angst with all the wit and fun of their viral singles.

— Heather Phares

Loraine James' first pseudonymous release is a mixture of moody ambient pieces and rainy-day IDM.

— Paul Simpson