Mercyland: Hymns for the Rest of Us hits its stride once it takes an old-school turn courtesy of the Carolina Chocolate Drops, who kick up some serious string-band dust with a cover of the traditional gospel number "Lights In the Valley."

A beautifully fashioned, classy and meticulously crafted background music, perfect for Sunday brunch among the NPR crowd.

If Only Run proves anything, it’s that Clap Your Hands Say Yeah are still making music on their own terms--they just have the budget and freedom to pull it off with a little more flash.

The band expertly navigates unusual, sometimes radical mood changes, with a maturity that forsakes some of its youthful friskiness without compromising an idiosyncratic vision that is just as compelling today as it was 25 years ago.

Chesney has an uncanny knack for finding top-shelf material which sounds autobiographical and mixing it with his own to craft a uniquely distinguishable musical statement.

Jennings' songwriting is at its best in Minnesota when reflecting this troubling sense of uncertainty and contradiction.

Pixies’ full acceptance of the shifts in their schema only further solidify their inimitable identity. The exultant result: Head Carrier, a new classic.

The Gleam III is sparsely arranged, amplified only by earnest emotion, simple sincerity and undiminished sentiment.

Once you accept that Lana knows exactly what she's doing--that she, not Interscope Records or any of her co-producers, is the architect behind this R-rated retro-pop fantasy--then maybe you'll start loving her, too.

The 11 songs on Rockpango show the brothers are not only masters of their art but have a comfort level in their maturing sound that allows them to expand it without losing its essence.

Headphones enhance the experience as they help immerse the listener in Robertson’s edgy, creative and literate world.

Now in her early 70s, Wilson’s distinctive, powerful pipes haven’t lost any of their soulful command on this eleven-track program mixing intriguing covers with Wilson co-penned originals.

Matthews’ ageless voice remains warm and inviting as he winds his way through this hour long set, creating a wistful yet never regretful mood.

With 10 songs running just over 40 minutes, the disc is compact and taut. That helps makes this a moderately successful return for a veteran singer and occasional songwriter who always seems one hit away from the mainstream audience that threatens to constantly elude her.

Grace Potter's voice is the perfect compliment to the band's newly designed dual-guitar blitz.

Nothing here hasn’t been done many times before, and much better, by either the original artists (do we need a shockingly feeble-voiced Willie Nelson dueting with Lauper on his “Night Life”?) or others closer to the country aesthetic.

Combining their soft and sensual harmonies and energetic, pop song craft into a set of lovely songs, Beauty Queen Sister confirms The Indigo Girls are still making invigorating and emotional music, have plenty left to say and show no signs of slowing down or easing into nostalgia.

The Chili Peppers try to strike that same balance on their latest, I'm With You, which may turn out to be a minor installment in their canon but still accomplishes the impossible.

Perhaps the greatest strength holding The Olms debut together is it’s total lack of pretense: it is what it is... just because. And on that level, it works just fine.

It's a record well worth listening to, and such a myriad of sounds.

As the track [Untitled] fades out and Eminem thanks the listener for coming out to the show, it's clear that if this effort is just the recovery, then the countdown to full rehabilitation begins now.

Even though its origins are a bit unique, And I’ll Scratch Yours is still your garden-variety tribute album, subject to all of the perks and limitations that such projects tend to contain.

2017’s Flicker fermented a folkier, more organic sensibility, and despite Heartbreak Weather’s soaring ambition, he roots himself to lyrics that sprout from similar emotional earth.

The mood is enriched by an ambitious approach to what seems on the surface to be modest pop songs, which reveal themselves to be far more elaborate, challenging and unusual.

Over production is a constant issue with these tunes, as Stewart (who co-produced) layers guitars, horns, backing vocals and too much of everything on melodies that, by and large, are strong enough to stand on their own in more stripped down arrangements.

The twosome generates real sparks throughout and the natural camaraderie bursts through the speakers. You can almost see, and surely feel, their beaming faces on many selections. But even at its best, it’s hard not to wish this was a bigger showcase for Mahal than Mo’, with the latter’s notoriously slicker approach dialed down to allow the former’s gutsy soul to take the spotlight.

The outfit gets points for releasing an album comprising new compositions (minus Petty’s tune), which helps establish them as more than another ABB cover act, albeit one with undeniably valid credentials.

The Great Gatsby Soundtrack is a fine example of what a film’s musical-mate can and should be; it mirrors many aesthetic elements of the film, augments the general storyline and adds depth and personality to the characters and dialogue on the screen.