Desert Window is her first full-length, and it's a more fleshed-out expansion of her sound, incorporating more acoustic instrumentation as well as more complex choral harmonies.

With American Romance, Nelson tunes into feelings of expectancy, newness, and a nervous uncertainty that's endearing.

Upon deeper listening, however, it becomes clear that some of the album's most overpowering moments are those that first come on as slight and retiring but reveal their anger, disappointment, and frustration by way of a slow, steady boil.

Carner and his band create a warm, comforting sound on hopefully !, reflecting on life's trials but ultimately remaining confident and ready for the future.

Admittedly, all of Yungblud's sonic borrowing can get a bit maddening. Nonetheless, you feel his passion, and the album takes on layers of meta-self-reflection, as if he's trying to work through his influences as a way to suss out his own musical identity and legacy.

While there's more obvious contrast between Streisand's voice and the gruff Bob Dylan on the standard "The Very Thought of You," there's a warm sweetness and even a little thrill to hearing the two musical titans come together.

Overall, Princess of Power is yet another sleek, solid set from the reliable pop star.

The ten-song set bristles with potency and urgency, especially on the high-octane singles "By a Monster's Hand" and "In the Barn of the Goat Giving Birth to Satan's Spawn in a Dying World of Doom."

Like some of his other albums, though, Landscape from Memory runs a little too long, with a few of the slower, less exciting tracks seeming unnecessary. That's not to say that it all sounds samey or lacks inspiration, however, and the record's best tracks are exceptional.

This is artistic progression and while some might miss the old, more fun version of Gwenno, the more mature and serious version isn't half bad.

Gina Birch has always been a brave and clear-minded voice as a writer, musician, and artist, and Trouble leaves no doubt that she's rabble-rousing for the right reasons, and making compelling music at the same time.

Different Rooms is a nebulous haze of semi-familiar melodies and half-heard voices, forming an abstract dreamscape.

Seemingly willing to dip a toe in every genre. It's certainly interesting, and often successful, though a sense of continuity is missing from the album as a whole, which feels almost like an anthology. Still, there are plenty of highlights.

The eclectic set is built around the concept of a convergence of multiple realities administered by a mystical jukebox.

Headlights is his most unassuming, back-to-basics (Neil Young, Elliott Smith) record in years.

The First Family: Live at the Winchester Cathedral 1967 offers a fascinating and exciting glimpse of them in their embryonic stage.

It’s good to see Tyler having some real fun with it, but for a 28-minute project that should be all killer no filler, DON'T TAP THE GLASS warrants more bite.

Adventure is another chapter in what has become an improbably delightful late-career renaissance for these pioneering underground heroes.

Going Down To The River … To Blow My Mind works well enough that one hopes they'll change their minds about this being the end of their trilogy.

For all his weariness, Gibbs remains compelling and cogent. This time, JID, Larry June, and Anderson .Paak are the guests, and the track with Paak is (no surprise) both the hookiest and most in tune with Gibbs' heavy ambivalence.

Stylistically, Friday remains as hard to pin down as ever, but in terms of ambition and drive, she's never been more focused.

A far jollier ride than its angsty predecessor, 2023's Other One, Metal Forth leans hard into the group's kawaii metal aesthetic, delivering ten potent sugar rushes that evoke Babymetal's dizzying, confectionery debut.

The slightly dubby and distorted "What We Are and What We Are Meant to Be" is the band's own acknowledgement that they're challenging themselves and pushing themselves forward.

There aren't many surprises here, for better or worse, and it's a pleasant, straightforward collection of reliably rocking jams.

If there's a knock on when i paint my masterpiece's 200-to-16 approach, it's that the album's recording style is its most cohesive trait, with the track list sometimes seeming like a Bob Dylan exercise, followed by a Frankie Cosmos op, a quasi-tango study ("dogs playing in the backyard"), etc. -- even if that playful, adventurous spirit is also part of its charm.

The album balances more violent, hardcore material (the Clipse-featuring "Community") with songs primed for the club (the Miami bass-influenced "WRK" and "Sk8"), with the nostalgic coming-up story "For Keeps" being a highlight.

Interior Live Oak is both a little more moving than the wry songwriter's typical output and a little on the long side (among the 16 songs are a handful of six- and seven-minute tracks), although it may be just the thing for a contemplative Sunday afternoon.

Atmospheric Hammond organ and country-styled guitar help set a sunny stage for songs such as the sultry "Rope You In"; the lusher "Contact High," with its acoustic and 12-string electric guitar, Ace Tone organ, and rim clicks; and the breezy and lilting "Hot Headed," an affectionate tune that regrets giving in to anxiety sometimes.