We weren’t sure if Madonna could surprise us anymore. Until she did.
Fellowship is a testament to the power and relevance of gospel music when it’s approached with intelligence and grace.
No Ghost’s structural depth truly demands and rewards active attention.
For their sophomore album, Reckless, the SteelDrivers face a rather unusual dilemma.
Thank You for Your Love is the kind of slim, paltry offering that, in the old days, might have been compressed to fit a 7” single.
Good Southern Girl proves that Shaw is a fearless, whip-smart young talent worth following.
Interpol may not be quite self-parody, but it’s also not the sort of thing that’s going to make the band hip again anytime soon.
Mean Old Man may be a fundamentally lazy album, but it works in the right places.
Surfing the Void finds Klaxons taking their genre rock shtick way too seriously.
Body Talk Pt. 2 is further evidence that Robyn is still one of the most consistently innovative major-label pop artists working today.
Isla is a vibrantly atmospheric collection of music that pioneers an entirely new sound.
The album is aimed at delivering an uplifting, grand bow to a somber saga.
All Birds Say is worn down by its sluggishness and suffers overall from a surfeit of ineffectual good humor.
Essentially The Rhumb Line, Part II, the album polishes and perfects rather than expands Ra Ra Riot’s dreamer sound.
Foundling impresses for its monotony.
The Bluetones throw around beguiling riffs and warm refrains for what is their most earnest pop record to date.
Usher spends much of Versus claiming his turf as the godfather of sex.
Hardships! is a defiant statement and one of the best albums to be released this year, despite the fact that it technically comes from 2009.
Back to Me is yet more evidence that Fantasia’s instincts as a singer don’t fit well with a contemporary R&B production style.
The album is easily among Stuart’s most focused, most powerful collections of bedrock country.
The Capitol Years is as promising a look forward for the Dandy Warhols as it is a testament to the pretty fantastic work they’ve already done.