Woodland Echoes can't be called a return to form for Heyward because he never lost his form; it just went unheard for years. Call it a welcome return instead, because the world of pop music always needs music this smart, tuneful, and unabashedly romantic.

Street Safari defies the sophomore slump with another collection of sharply crafted tunes that play like singles. It's a slightly more refined and thoughtful set on average, one that plays like an undergrad to Never Enough's skipping out on summer school, but it still struts and shrugs and keeps cigarettes in its shirt sleeve.

At its best, which it often is, Here If You Listen plays like a hybrid of Steely Dan, Joni Mitchell and CSN, a combination that is soothing and surprising in equal measure. It's an album that confirms that Crosby is at an unexpected and satisfying latter-day creative peak.

With Temporal, Julia Kent continues to craft cerebral yet accessible epics, encompassing a vast spectrum of emotions using a limited set of tools.

Immersive, joyous, but sometimes insubstantial, A Bath Full of Ecstasy lives up to its name in more ways than one. Even if it's not as consistent as some of Hot Chip's other albums, it's still a welcome, well-intended, and timely respite from the world at its worst.

A worthy follow-up and tonal cousin to B Boys' strong debut, Dudu hits its mark.

It's retro soul at its absolute best, and anyone who has a partner who makes them feel the way Bryant feels about Ann Peebles on this LP has plenty to be thankful for.

As grim as the album seems, something constantly pulls it back from sinking into utter despair, and the majestic closer "Stonefruit" feels nothing less than triumphant.

Such an ambitious, border-crossing project can't help seeming overwhelming and messy, but the participants' glee and love of expression comes through loud and clear, and the whole experience is a rewarding one.

I Came from Love is an informative, emotionally heavy album reminding listeners of the harsh realities and injustices of history, while encouraging resistance and change.

Darning Woman is at its most captivating when it doesn't even sound much like music at all, but more like the grinding gears of an overactive brain processing confusion and bliss.

Everything Squared is nearly as engrossing as anything from the group's past.

After he works his way through songs with titles like "Can I Mend It?," "Worms," and "God Knows Why," most listeners will likely be willing to give the sometimes anti-hero a second chance thanks to his deep self-awareness, charming turns of phrase, intention to do the work, and expressions of seemingly genuine affection.

https://www.allmusic.com/album/gods-favorite-customer-mw0003172246

Occasionally the vocals (and the constant name-dropping) become overbearing, but the musicianship is strong and adventurous, taking familiar instrumentation in unexpected directions, and Black Country, New Road are undeniably original.

[Jamie xx] accomplishes a difficult task in successfully (re)presenting Scott-Heron's music -- integrity intact -- in the present tense to a fickle yet discerning groove-centric culture without kitsch or excess.

The Imposters have never sounded better on record -- and they've never sounded more like the Attractions, either, which isn't entirely a coincidence -- and that helps give The Boy Named If its infectious kick: it may feel like an old-fashioned Elvis Costello album, but it sounds entirely fresh.

It's a gloves-off catharsis occurring in real time for the gifted singer/songwriter, and it leaves a mark on the listener as well.

As far as sophomore efforts go, Greys have stepped up their game considerably.

Black Country, New Road remain one of the most intriguing indie bands of the 2020s, and their flair for reinvention makes every release a thrill.

It's an oddly nourishing album that's as big a step forward for tUnE-yArDs as W H O K I L L was from Bird-Brains.

This is a keeper, one of those records that you'll still be listening to in ten years.

Each of Dehd's album's has been smarter, stranger, and more deceptively complex than the last, and the delightful and adventurous Poetry continues this upward trend.

Deface the Currency is gloriously intense and raucous, as avant funk, explosive jazz, free improv, psychedelia, and post-punk chaos meet in hallucinatory joy.

Whether they're sophisticated or visceral, Shame's energy and confidence makes Songs of Praise an exciting debut from one of the most vital-sounding British rock bands of the late 2010s.

The Smile take more risks with this follow-up, resulting in a gorgeous, sometimes difficult trip into the unknown that, if only briefly, can make you forget about their main gig.

As defined here, Soused accurately means "drenched" in sound. Walker's and Sunn 0)))'s individual identities, while always on full display, are brought jaggedly and thunderously together in an enthralling recording that equals the sum of its mighty parts.

"Nothing on Me" adds more variety yet by coming into view as if Cleo and company have found a sweet spot segueing out of a cover of D'Angelo's "Spanish Joint." "Love Will Lead You There," just voice and guitar, closes out the album on a serene note of togetherness.