The album teeters eloquently between introspective folk, twangy roots pop, and bashing psych-rockabilly numbers. Musically, the album is a nice balance of the sounds and influences he's pursued throughout his career.

More than just a standards or tribute album, Sweet Whispers reveals just how stylistically broad-minded Vaughan was, a compelling trait McFarlane carries forward with passionate aplomb.

While Peyroux expertly commands the styles and forms she always has, her wonderful, songwriting elevates Let's Walk to an entirely different level. Essential.

Orquesta Akokan aren't merely revivalists -- they create their own 21st century jazzy, polyrhythmic innovations, proving that mambo remains relevant musically, culturally, and spiritually.

This does not add up to a Great Lost Justin Townes Earle Album. Instead, these bits and pieces he left behind testify to his gifts as a writer and performer, and remind us of just how much was lost when Earle died, as well as demonstrating that someone should have convinced him to do a solo acoustic album.

While the record's 11 tunes clock in at a mere 33 minutes, it feels complete, fully formed, and full of great tunes and hard-won wisdom.

While the Heavy Heavy do seem to lift the occasional riff, the songs here sound like recordings lost in time for the most part, and the songcraft exceeds "lost outtake" status, with songs instead demanding headline standing of their own.

It may not equal his best albums as a crooner, but it's a cheerful, fun, sweet -- and melancholy at times -- record that consolidates and validates the revival of Lowe the rocker and for that, his fans should rejoice.

It may not be Wasser's most cohesive album, but Lemons, Limes, and Orchids' discrete vignettes might convey life's multitudes better than any of her prior music. Without question, it reaffirms that for Joan As Police Woman, sincerity and creativity are better together.

Moody it is. Having said that, it's singer and songwriter Anouska Sokolow's engaging, spoke-sung recitations that are the focus and defining component of Real Deal, which gets off to a proggy start with "Hide."

With Last Leaf on the Tree, Willie Nelson and Micah have crafted a relaxed album of subtle virtuosity, as if every song could be the last.

On Nite Owls, he manages to pull all of these varied experiences and influences together in a cohesive way that's unmistakably his own.

Héritage sounds unlike any other Songhoy Blues release, and it's every bit as skillfully crafted and powerful.

On the first few spins, the songs and ideas here don't seem to stray terribly far from the path worn by previous Rose City Band albums, but the heightened production and detours into previously untraveled styles all slowly contribute to this chapter being both a continuation and a gentle expansion of Johnson's warped, beautiful, and ongoing vision of space-age country music.

Matt Berry has been releasing albums for a long time -- some of them inevitably better than others. Heard Noises ranks right near the top, and if the sun hits it just right and one squints a little, it might be sitting merrily atop the very summit.

Apple Cores is a stellar tribute to Lewis' inspirations; his band pulls it off without seams or dead ends. This music is a signpost in jazz's evolution; it intersects past, present, and future.

Lust for Life is weirdly joyous and joyously weird, and it's marvelously entertaining either way; it's the band's strongest and most cohesive work yet.

Ultimately, Belonging feels like a full-circle moment for Marsalis, bringing both his group's history and his long-gestating passion for Jarrett's music into his quartet's vibrant present.

Rathlin from a Distance/The Liquid Hour is comforting, inventive, and affecting -- sometimes alternately and sometimes all at once -- and feels strangely personal considering its multifaceted approach.

About Ghosts offers more proof that Halvorson's Amaryllis are among the most inventive, articulate, and creatively forward-thinking ensembles playing jazz right now.

Loner is an easy improvement over Barry Can't Swim's debut album, and he retains his ability to craft reflective, sentimental material while strengthening his skills at making airtight tracks designed to ignite the dancefloor.

Gathering around the fire, joining together for a cèilidh, meeting the solstice, and honoring the mythical fellowship of fairies and giants -- each of these themes are present on this stirring and sometimes radiant collection.

Tere are precious few singer/songwriters with Patty Griffin's level of craft, empathy, and wisdom, and nearly every album she gives us is a gift. That's absolutely the case with Crown of Roses, and it demands to be heard.

Molly Tuttle has always had smarts and talent to spare, and on So Long Little Miss Sunshine, she's using her gifts in ways that are new to her, and the risks pay off handsomely; this may not make her into the next Taylor Swift, but by all rights it should win her the larger audience she certainly deserves.

Cuts like the opening "Relentless Love," "Vertigo," and "Stay On Me" are utterly scrumptious anthems, showcasing Ellis-Bextor's wry brand of dancefloor elan, her cooly posh accent set against pulsing disco grooves.

Confidently bookended by two of their most compelling tracks, "A Little Love" and "Two People in Love," Futique is a gloriously straightforward and pop-oriented production, even as it retains all of the kinetic riffs and stadium rock enthusiasm of their best work.

Ultimately, 40 is a delightful way to sum up the career of a band that's been constantly surprising and surprisingly constant for far longer than a band has the right to.

It's not a grand-scale homage to Merle Haggard, but it comes from the heart and sounds like it was as pleasing to record as it is to hear.