Mavis Staples and Levon Helm were two artists who were also friends and admirers, and they knew how to bring out the best in one another, and that's exactly what they do on Carry Me Home, and it's a thing of beauty to witness.

Like a more pastoral variation on Joni Mitchell's Blue, the reduced volume on Like The River Loves The Sea gives the music strength, not fragility, and this is Joan Shelley's best work to date. Turns out that trip to Reykjavik was a wise investment.

Game Theory is a heavy album, the Roots' sharpest work. It's destined to become one of Def Jam's proudest, if not most popular, moments.

Pawn Shop never dwells on such contradictions. It rolls along, easing from funky little workouts to immaculate ballads, the duo benefitting from a heightened sense of craft aided in part by the collaborations of such pro songsmiths as Craig Wiseman, Barry Dean, and Shane McAnally.

Glover is fearless and definitely not afraid to fall flat in the quest for something new or real. 3.15.20 is both of those things and is the second classic, timeless and timely Childish Gambino record in a row.

A Color of the Sky trades immediacy for intentionality. The album at times brings to mind the slow-moving immersive sound worlds of bands like Low, Talk Talk, and Mazzy Star, with Lightning Bug again expanding on familiar inspirations to craft an intricate and beautiful personal expression, only softer.

Lines aimed at authority, competition, and bottom feeders all shoot clean through.

Despite a radical switch from digital to analog gear, the album is as bleak and as bracing as Luxury Problems.

Isolation Drills sounds like the real rock album GBV have always wanted to make...

Both strong and vulnerable, I Don't Want to Let You Down is a concise and angst-packed set delivered with emphasis in all the right places.

Sorrow is a radical reinterpretation, but it should be accessible to many. Stetson delivers an acute, wider, deeper hearing of Górecki's symphony as a powerful, beautiful, musically diverse meditation on unspeakable loss.

While there might not be quite as many essential tracks here as on the other Switched On volumes, Electrically Possessed is a reminder that Stereolab were releasing so much good music that it was easy to take it for granted at the time, and it's well worth a listen for fans who may have missed or glossed over these songs when they were first released.

The steps forward on Cotton Crown are subtle but undeniable, with the Tubs' vision growing clearer through these increasingly enjoyable and well-crafted songs.

Dylan is in mostly excellent form--even when sloppy; it sounds like he's having the time of his life.

With Playing Favorites, Sheer Mag have made an excellent rock & roll album, and yes, sometimes that is all you need.

The overall effect is that this is one of the Streisand albums most appealing to her fans and her potential fans--which includes nearly everyone who appreciates a singer singing like she's lived every line of her songs.

The result is a more coherent set of tunes that don't veer far from Hovvdy's established ruminative demeanor.

Sincerely is best experienced from front to back. After the first seven songs lightly splash and bob while Uchis sings of gratitude, devotion, and self-doubt, song eight, "Fall Apart," delivers a knockout blow of heavy psychedelic soul.

Managing to be uniquely stylized and engrossing while stripped bare, Whole New Mess not only works in isolation, it deserves equal footing in Olsen's discography.

Stunning, and at 17 tracks, surprisingly solid.

His idiosyncratic, mumbled vocal delivery might occasionally make understanding the lyrics a bit of a challenge, but it's also one of his unique distinctions and with The Party, he's added another strong outing to his canon.

The whole affair plays like the listener is eavesdropping on Prince creating, and there simply can't be a reissue more valuable than that.

Contradictions are nothing new for Jack White but he's never been as emotionally direct as he is here, nor has he been as musically evasive, and that dichotomy makes Blunderbuss a record that only seems richer with increased exposure.

Comradely Objects seems like some of the most complex, demanding music Horse Lords have made, yet, amazingly, it's also their most danceable album.

They'll change your life.

Including Light Upon the Lake's one jaunty instrumental ("Red Moon"), the 30-minute set of ten tunes will leave many wanting more, an auspicious trait for an otherwise satisfying debut.

Far from being a bold reinvention, a Beatles album for the 21st century, the Martins didn't go far enough in their mash-ups.

His slight adjustments and increased restraint make this his most accessible and creative release yet.