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“BRIGHTSIDE,” The Lumineers (Dualtone Records)
It will be hard for The Lumineers to top their immersive 2019 masterpiece “III” — a three-part concept album and accompanying short film exploring the cycle of addiction through generations.
Jamestown Revival, “Young Man" (Thirty Tigers)
The list of really good Americana roadhouse bands that have emerged from the Texas music scene over the years is a long one. The list of those that distinguished themselves by doing something fresh and original, not so much.
“Dawn FM,” The Weeknd (XO/Republic Records)
Since releasing “After Hours” in March 2020, The Weeknd has, like the rest of the world, lived through an isolating pandemic. His latest album, “Dawn FM,” carries listeners out of that darkness into a dance-worthy '80s fantasy.
“KEYS,” Alicia Keys (RCA Records)
In Alicia Keys' latest album, the R&B artist gives us an inside look at the duality of her creative process. With her album titled “KEYS”, the 15-time Grammy-winning artist breaks down her album into two versions giving listeners the chance to take in her classical side with “Original” and the more upbeat songs on “Unlocked” featuring producer Mike Will Made-It.
“Barn,” Neil Young & Crazy Horse (Reprise Records)
Ever wonder what Neil Young and his longtime bandmates Crazy Horse would sound like in a restored 19th century barn out in the middle of nowhere under a full moon?
NEW YORK (AP) — One sure sign that Broadway is bouncing back is the arrival of new shows based on hit movies. The latest is “Mrs. Doubtfire” — a sweetly clumsy valentine to broken families from the mid-1990s that arrives in the fraught 2020s.
It’s that time of year to grab some hot coco, don your coziest sweater and put on some festive tunes. Whether you’re dealing with holiday heartbreak or reuniting with loved ones after an uncertain two years, there’s music for everyone this season.
NEW YORK (AP) — Alice Childress’ searing play “Trouble in Mind” has finally made it to Broadway and the only frustrating thing about the show is that it has taken this long.
The two-act play takes place — appropriately enough — on a Broadway stage and is an uncomfortable exploration of the racial divide in the 1950s.
“30,” Adele (Columbia Records)
Coming out of a divorce, one might expect Adele to write an album of heartbreak ballads. But, to expect anything short of the full spectrum of emotions from “30” would do the Grammy winner a disservice.
“Raise the Roof,” Robert Plant and Alison Krauss (Rounder Records)
Pairing Alison Krauss’ angelic soprano with Robert Plant’s roguish tenor once sounded like a bizarre idea – until they started to sing together.
“The Bridge,” Sting (A&M/Interscope/Cherrytree Records)
Sting's new album is aptly titled “The Bridge” — we need one. In almost every song there is water.
It is rushing in the opening song, in the form of rain in another and as a cold grey sea in a third.
“Street of Dreams,” Bill Charlap Trio (Blue Note Records)
Jazz pianist Bill Charlap opens his trio’s latest album with four bars of shifting quarter-note chords, the reliable pulse a compelling contrast to the unpredictable colors he creates.
“Voyage,” ABBA (Capitol Records)
A bouncy, synthy beat bridges the decades and brings ABBA into the present.
“You look bewildered,” Agnetha Fältskog sings above the retro rhythm, “and you wonder why I’m here today.”
“Thank You,” by Diana Ross (Decca Records/Universal Music Group)
Diana Ross' first album in 15 years cuts through our present cynicism and slices past the despair. “Thank You” is a warm hug of music, less a tightly constructed pop vehicle, than a mood.
Hanson, “Against the World” (3CG Records)
The guys from Hanson are celebrating 30 years as a band next year, and if that makes you feel old, it's not their fault. They've even put out an album to help you feel young again.
"The Future," by Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats (Stax Records/Concord)
We're not sure what the future holds, but if it sounds anything like “The Future,” we're good.
That's the title of the 11-track Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats' glorious new vintage R&B album, bursting at the seams with fresh coolness.
“Equals,” by Ed Sheeran (Atlantic Records)
Huge things have happened to Ed Sheeran since his last solo album — marriage, loss, fatherhood. They're all on the new collection “Equals,” an album that sweetly sounds like a man who now has all he needs.
“Plush," Plush (Pavement Entertainment)
I no longer fear for the future of rock 'n' roll: It is in the capable hands of the four young ladies of Plush, perhaps the heaviest all-female rock group ever to put pick to string, and whose debut album could be the best album of 2021.
“You Get It All,” Hayes Carll (Dualtone Music)
The 6-foot-3 singer-songwriter Hayes Carll isn’t the only wry man in Nashville, or even the tallest. But his eighth album, “You Get It All,” shows why Carll is built to last.
“The Lockdown Sessions,” Elton John (Interscope Records)
It's been more than 35 years since Elton John recorded with Stevie Wonder and that's clearly way, way too long. But the wait is over: The legends join on the new gospel-flavored song “Finish Line,” enlivened by Wonder’s trademark harmonica and John’s piano work.
“The Atlas Underground Fire,” Tom Morello (Mom + Pop Music)
Once the paint-peeling guitar riffs, spleen-shaking drums and rip-roaring parade of guests subside, Tom Morello’s “The Atlas Underground Fire” really gets hearts racing.
“Dimension: Dilemma” by ENHYPEN (BELIFT)
ENHYPEN takes its own advice seriously. Track “Go Big or Go Home” could very well describe the K-pop group's attitude to its first studio album “Dimension: Dilemma.” Its understated musical vibe belies its flawlessness and impact.
“Dooms Children" by Dooms Children (Dine Alone Records)
Sometimes it takes a crisis to settle into the space you should have been all along.
That appears to be the case on “Dooms Children," the new solo project by Wade MacNeil, who made his name fronting hardcore bands such as Alexisonfire and Gallows.
“The Darkness Dressed in Colored Lights" by Sean Rowe (Fluff & Gravy Records)
Singer-songwriter Sean Rowe's big voice is part of the reason his new album has heft, but it's not the only one.
“A Filament in the Wilderness of What Comes Next,” Chris Robley (Cutthroat Pop Records)
Chris Robley’s music is beautiful when it’s angry.
The Maine-based singer-songwriter bemoans the state of the nation on “A Filament in the Wilderness of What Comes Next,” a seven-song collage of characters vexed and perplexed by a society in decline.
“The Grief We Gave Our Mother" by Matthew Fowler (Signature Sounds)
The bright promise of singer-songwriter Matthew Fowler's label debut lies in its acoustic elegance.
His new album, “The Grief We Gave Our Mother," combines clean, crisp guitar playing with Fowler's warm, wistful tenor and tight background harmonies to deliver well-crafted songs that change speeds and create moods with the sure-footedness of a more seasoned artist.
“Senjutsu,” Iron Maiden (BMG)
Iron Maiden is not a band for those with short attention spans.
Since blasting out of England in the late '70s in what would become known as the new wave of British metal, Iron Maiden has never been one to give record companies the kind of three-minute anthems they craved.
“Donda” by Kanye West (Def Jam/UMG)
Kanye West donned a full face mask to host three livestreamed listening parties for his 10th studio album. Beyond that, he didn't say a word, or even tweet.
“History of a Feeling,” Madi Diaz (ANTI-)
Singer-songwriter Madi Diaz is simply stunning on “History of a Feeling,” her debut album with her new label ANTI-.
Rage, despair, love and loss are all evocatively explored with Diaz’s voice carrying the day as the best instrument in the studio.
“If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power,” by Halsey (Capitol)
Halsey gave birth this summer and she supplied her own baby gift — a terrific new album in a new musical direction.
The 13-track “If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power” sees Halsey teaming up with Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross of the rock band Nine Inch Nails and who are frequent movie soundtrack collaborators.
“Screen Violence,” by CHVRCHES (EMI/Glassnote Records)
The fourth studio album from Scottish synth-pop group CHVRCHES was already sounding great before they did something to push it into the realm of the spectacular.
“Glasshouse Children," Sam Williams (Mercury Nashville)
Sam Williams, the grandson of country music legend Hank Williams and the son of recording artist Hank Williams Jr., wastes no time on his debut album “Glasshouse Children” convincing the listener of one thing: He sounds nothing like his kin and he’s not trying to.
"The Horses and the Hounds,” James McMurtry (New West Records)
In recent months, James McMurtry test-drove some of this material during twice-a-week livestream performances from his home near Austin, Texas, occasionally interrupted by digital gremlins or a barking dog.
“Happier Than Ever,” Billie Eilish (Darkroom/Interscope Records)
Billie Eilish seems to be in a good place on her sophomore album. “I’m happier than ever,” she sings on the first song. But there's a tear running down her cheek on the cover.
“Take the Sadness Out of Saturday Night,” Bleachers (RCA Records)
How's this for a flex from Jack Antonoff? Get no less than Bruce Springsteen to show up on your new solo album. For background vocals.
"Native Sons,” Los Lobos (New West)
Considering the covers album “Native Sons” pays tribute to the music of a single city — Los Lobos' native Los Angeles — the set's breadth is breathtaking.
Familiar songs by Jackson Browne, Buffalo Springfield and the Beach Boys are interspersed with R&B and garage rock obscurities, along with nods to Los Lobos' many Latin influences.
Jenny Shawhan, "Don't Be Afraid” (24 Angels/Coastal Bend Music )
Jenny Shawhan has a big voice and knows how to use it. “Let me soar,” she sings on her new album as she does just that.
“Don’t Be Afraid” showcases the Denver-based Shawhan's alto, a commanding, captivating instrument that conveys both strength and vulnerability, and can put on the twang.
“Sob Rock,” John Mayer (Columbia Records)
You can thank the pandemic for John Mayer's eighth studio album. He has said he wrote the songs to wrap listeners in the sonic comforter of soft rock.
The Flatlanders “Treasure of Love” (Rack'em Records/Thirty Tigers)
Never has the tremulous twang that is unmistakably Jimmie Dale Gilmore been more welcome than after a year and a half of pandemic strangeness.
Hiss Golden Messenger, “Quietly Blowing It" (Merge)
M.C. Taylor sounds gorgeously despondent at the outset of his band's new album, a follow-up to his brilliant 2019 record, “Terms of Surrender." But before he's done he has charted his way, musically and lyrically, to a better place.
The Mountain Goats, “Dark in Here” (Merge)
“Dark in Here” was recorded in 2020, that calamitous year of fear and mistrust. It shows.
High anxiety fills the Mountain Goats' new album, the product of sessions held in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, just as the COVID-19 pandemic began.
Lucy Dacus, "Home Video” (Matador)
This is what the world of teenagers sounds like — intense, earnest, funny and sometimes beautiful.
On “Home Video,” 26-year-old Lucy Dacus revisits her adolescence, and in this case, intimate introspection makes for moving music.
Doja Cat, “Planet Her" (Kemosabe/RCA)
Not to be totally catty, but Doja Cat's third album starts poorly. The first four songs — “Woman,” “Naked,” “Payday” with Young Thug and “Get Into It (Yuh)” — are half-baked tunes mimicking beats and vocals from Nicki Minaj or Rihanna.
Modest Mouse, “The Golden Casket" (Epic)
Uh-oh. It's not a good sign when any band starts referencing death right from jump. Modest Mouse have placed an open coffin on the cover of its latest album and have called it “The Golden Casket.”
Julian Lage, "Squint” (Blue Note Records)
In the right hands, 12 notes multiplied by six strings can produce endless variety. Here's proof.
Jazz guitarist Julian Lage's Blue Note Records debut is an exuberant, engaging, endlessly inventive exploration of styles.
Chris Thile, "Laysongs” (Nonesuch)
On his new solo album, Chris Thile contemplates being alone.
The theme is God, as Thile — armed only with his mighty mandolin and his experience as a lapsed fundamentalist — takes on the topics of faith, doubt, community and isolation.
Mary Hott with the Carpenter Ants, "Devil in the Hills: Coal Country Reckoning” (Harmonic Alliance)
This is grim history beautifully told.
Mary Hott has put to music the tragic tale of West Virginia’s mine wars.
Mary Karlzen, "Shine” (Y&T Music)
Mary Karlzen's first album in 14 years is a diverse set that includes an Irish-tinged ballad, a country duet, heartland rock, a piano waltz and one brief hint it was recorded for a Miami label.