Strings and his musical cohorts have somehow managed to follow up their 2019 Grammy winning LP Home with an even stronger collective effort and one that will only help cement what we all already know: Billy Strings is, without question, one of the greatest musical talents of our lifetime, regardless of genre.

It’s no revelation that Coltrane’s music has withstood time. In fact, much of his later period spiritual work still sounds very radical. ... The more Coltrane, the better. Even these 8 LPs/5 CDs is not enough to satisfy the true fanatic, but it’s a treasure just the same.

This milestone reimagining of the last studio effort by the original four-man lineup is an emphatic final punctuation on R.E.M.’s long-term personal statement of chemistry, one which to this day remains altogether rare in contemporary rock and roll.

In keeping with other self-produced Dylan releases of recent years, the sonics of Rough And Rowdy Ways is as clear as its word sets are dense. ... The musicianship will not steal or detract attention from Bob himself, but rather encircle him as he performs, their fluid interplay functioning like that ideal frame which vividly illuminates a striking painting or photo. ... As with all the best Bob Dylan albums, poetic imagery abounds.

Giddens is one of the most important, and as this proves, versatile artists of our times. Certainly the crowning achievement of her three recordings so far, we’re left wondering if there is anything she can’t do.

Their strongest and most cohesive album to date. ... The band has now clearly developed their own signature sound and style, not following trends or outside influences. Roots encapsulates the band and their music at this point.

Fiona Apple’s Fetch The Bolt Cutters is a triumphant and very well-timed return after an eight-year hiatus. Apple’s fifth album, an introspective, 13 song journey defies genre. ... Fetch The Bolt Cutters takes many exciting turns. The album exudes freedom, it exudes breaking constraints, it exudes Fiona Apple, and it might just be the album that we look back on when we think back to this COVID-19 era.

It is utterly mesmerizing that Gabriel can still find new and unique ways to present his art to the world and the double mixes of this album only add to the nuanced mystique of his approach. Dark-Side or Bright-Side, these 12 songs are full-body experiences with cascading melodies that pull you in every direction. i/o cements Gabriel as one of the most innovative and daring artists of his time.

There will never be another Ray Charles. He sounds just as amazing now as he did 55-56 years ago. This is music one can’t revisit too often.

It is a flood of art at its most naked that won’t relent until you are submersed.

The reason it’s so hard to find something to say is that every song is perfection. ... This remastered collection is impressive no matter how you look at it.

We Will Always Love You, their third album, is just their latest achievement in flawlessness, a record that continues the sound that is undeniably The Avalanches.

An album that redefines collaboration on a spiritual level. ... 12 poetically moving pieces of art that focus on emotions and environments most would attempt to ignore. The Record hit our speakers with high expectations, and not a single second let us down.

Slowdive has created another masterpiece and shown why they are one of the most respected bands of the shoegaze genre.

While 13 years is a long time to wait, the gap melts away between the sounds of this 86-minute masterpiece. Difficult though it might be to fully process, it eases right into the Tool oeuvre and cements its place among their small but towering pantheon of prog-metal art.

The dynamic of this recording is truly special. You’ll hear something new with each listen. It’s one to best listen to alone to appreciate the mind-blowing experience it delivers.

The fearless artist trusts his gut, questions everything, including himself and the world he lives in, explores the limits of his guitar and his honesty to land on an all-encompassing opus that is equally undeniable and valiant.

All Mirrors belongs in the canon of essential break-up albums, but more Exile in Guyville than Rumours or Blue. ... The resulting instrumentation is impressively cohesive and resoundingly huge.

There’s a pop progressiveness coupled with an old-fashioned loneliness. It sounds nothing at all like Presley, but he lived in and understood those two worlds and might have appreciated the chance to bridge them in the way that Howard has here. ... Her distinctive vocal timbre is the twine that keeps Jamie wrapped-up tight. Not many artists can make loops and electronic sounds feel authentic, but Howard is more than able to keep them feeling warm and natural.

This one-night-only piece marks a point where creativity transcends commerce, further preserving what’s unarguably one of the pinnacles in Neil Young’s artistic history.

This release has cemented Howard as a must-hear artist as the wonderful sonic collage, soaring vocals, and insightful lyrics all come together winningly.

A balance of material, performance, and production mirrors the bandleader’s emotional equanimity in such sublime fashion, Relentless is as close to perfect as long-player out this year.

Attempting to unpack She Reaches Out in one listen is a futile task. This sounds like the album Wolfe was always meant to make. Nothing feels forced, a natural chaos erupts around every corner as Wolfe tip-toes around dense drums and distorted tones. Underneath the dark production are some of the best songwriting moments of Wolfe’s career.

Ants From Up Here is a thrilling listen, brimming with the confidence and electricity of a young band coming into their own on all fronts, pulling from the past but pushing it undeniably forward, and fully owning their ambition.

Welch lays her soul bare, goes into terrifying detail on topics most would run away from, and can emerge from it all with another pop innovation to add to her resume. Everybody Scream is Welch reaching a boiling point and stuffing this world of hurt and confusion into 12 gentle songs that never hold back a punch. The artist pens some of her most honest music to date, and even if the world seems to be crumbling around her, Welch comes out on the other side wiser, more daring.

Chamber music yields to hip-hop which surrenders to jazz (Harris is terrific) and back and forth through several sections of tension and release that somehow slithers into the ether, leaving us wanting even more. There’s just nothing like this out there unless you retreat back six years to Origami Harvest. Akinmusire has again delivered a fascinating and oddly irresistible project.

Throughout these eleven spellbinding performances, Buck Meek emerges with the most assured and innovative music of his solo career, skyrocketing his artistry to new heights through raw, genre-defying folk music that touches the heart and shocks the brain.

Both long-time fans, as well as curious dilettantes, may well experience numerous epiphanies large and small when immersed in all this content, the end result of such enlightenment a state of mind (heart and soul) George Harrison himself would no doubt appreciate.

The result is a great triumph, a living testament to the strength of these songs and the nature of the ongoing relationship between musicians and the art they create. Each track is straightforward in its delivery, but each nonetheless filtered through the guise of the musician covering it. ... epic remains Van Etten’s best album, but epic ten does its best at eliciting the awestruck reverence that countless musicians feel towards it.

Dacus’ lyricism is pushed farther on Home Video than ever before, with each song contributing its own characters and memories and developing a work tight and succinct enough to be called a concept album. ... Even more importantly, she has proven once again that she is amongst her generation’s strongest lyricists.

His songs remain deeply personal, revisiting his drinking days and happy to be done with them in “It Gets Easier” and paying tribute to his wife, Amanda’s natural mothering instincts in “Letting You Go” yet there is not a song as impactful as “Cover Me Up” or “Elephant.” Nonetheless, his material is consistently strong enough to merit the four-bagger. Yes, four in a row equals a grand slam.

So unassuming an offering it may very well sneak onto more than a few ‘Best of ’23’ lists, this LP certainly deserves such placement. Its forty-some minutes contain more than a few of those deeply stirring moments only truly great records possess.

It is revelatory that on such cuts–like the rest, ranging from five to eight minutes in duration–Metheny employs his instincts as much as his technique. The delicate balance of those two elements is nothing less than remarkable on Dream Box.

Thundercat surfaces with another wholeheartedly relatable and sonically mesmerizing LP. The artist’s fifth studio LP, Distracted, is an organically stunning and stubbornly present new chapter to Thundercat’s autobiographical discography, one that is both a poetic snapshot of the artist’s perspective and another refreshing take on Thundercat’s singular sound.

Yes, this should be a contender for Album of the Year in roots-rock circles. It is stunning.

Generally, it is flowing, highly sophisticated, and graceful, but with several intense moments. In the historical context; it lies somewhere between the Wayne Shorter and McCoy Tyner spectrum to the even more adventurous Andrew Hill, Eric Dolphy, and Grachan Moncur III. .... This is contemporary jazz of the highest order.

Bird Machine allows the nuances of Linkous’s unique artistry to take center stage while keeping even the most hectic moments intimate. These 14 songs put a stunningly beautiful bow on the Sparklehorse discography while being so distinctive and magically stirring, they stand in a spotlight all to their own.

Stand For Myself is a resounding success as confidence and talent oozes through each well-crafted note and stunning vocal phrase.

The weight of loss, the pain of failed love, the bleakness of it all, combined with Thundercats effervescent playing, unique playfulness and a giddy sense of humor combine on It Is What It Is, resulting in the best album of Brunner’s career and one of the strongest of 2020.

Seven originals (three from Redman, two from Mehldau, and one each from McBride and Blade) may seem a paucity after so long an interval since the last group endeavor these men undertook, but in this case, it’s a surfeit of riches. Needless to say, as it may be, it’s worth declaring RoundAgain is a top candidate for ‘Best of 2020’ lists.

Here’s a motion to take “Canola Fields,” “Operation Never Mind,” “The Horses and the Hounds” and “Ft. Walton Wake-Up Call” with “Blackberry Winter” a close contender, into that hallowed group – top 30 or 40 of McMurtry’s best songs. The others on this album missing from this shortlist would be the envy of any other songwriter, a measure of McMurtry’s brilliance.

Oregon-based Margo Cilker’s debut is a well-lived, road-worn collection of songs that transcend genre, dipping in and out of folk, Americana and modern roots offering a nearly flawless record from the opening track on.

Wyatt seems to have lived a lifetime in the three years between Felony Blues and Neon Cross. The byproduct is a powerfully affecting album that can speak to just about anyone who’s willing to listen.

Personnel differs slightly on each selection and the support is both sturdy and nuanced. It’s as if you need to listen at least twice even for the initial listen, once for the vocal beauty and again for the instrumentation. Even though the year has just begun, expect this marvelous project to show up on many Year’s Best lists for 2020

Cool It Down is a masterwork of lush production and catchy melodies that work off of one another to create a colorful and textured album that makes the 13-year wait worthwhile.

Expect this project, at a minimum, to be a Grammy contender with perhaps historic recognition in the wings at some point.

The album is a darkly sweet exploration of heavy themes like cancer, death, and motherhood, delivered with a newfound confidence and maturity. On News of the Universe, La Luz has crafted an album that sounds timeless yet fresh, pushing their boundaries while maintaining the hypnotic beauty that defines their music.

It’s hard not to agree with what might otherwise sound like hyperbole: this is one of, if not the finest effort of the great iconoclast’s career.

It all adds to yet another triumph for this singular artist, a preeminent voice of our times whose command of vocal and musical dynamics is the perfect complement for both her straightforward and oft ambiguous lyrics.

The band takes full advantage of their unpredictable reputation to craft an ambitious piece of art packed with enough personality and sparkle for it to be considered an undeniably fantastic release.

Stunning, dark, poetic. ... Chances are you won’t fall in love with this album immediately but images will liner in your head and you’ll be drawn back to it repeatedly and appreciate it more with each listen.

The album is one of the standout releases of the year, and also leaves you wanting to experience the Rose City Band live as soon as we are allowed to do that again.

Many of the songs on There Is No Other are structurally simple but most of the arrangements are compellingly imaginative. This is a magical listen from as tight a partnership as you’ll hear. As the title implies, it’s incomparable.

18 tracks of songwriting prowess set to dusty orchestrations that shake you to your core. For his first solo release in three years, Aesop Rock has never sounded hungrier as everything that makes him such a powerhouse rapper gets elevated and reimagined on what might be his best work in years.

There are also multiple versions, in markedly different running times, of numbers like “Magic Bus” and “Call Me Lightning,” which may be redundant except for completists and the inordinately curious. How much interest a listener has for that content may well correlate with an appreciation for the overall concept at work. ... But the Who’s leaps of artistry, viewed from the broad vantage point of this Super Deluxe Edition, with proverbial twenty-twenty acumen, appear nothing less than spectacular, no matter how tongue-in-cheek the interpretation of the Sell Out title.

Throughout The Father of Make Believe, Coheed and Cambria crafts unique stories that meld reality and fiction while balancing ferocious attacks with dulcet melodies. Whether taken as the next part of the Amory Wars saga, a fourth-wall-breaking commentary on it, or as its own thing, it’s masterful art that lives up to its ambitions.

While the full arrangements are stunningly mesmerizing, like the punchy horns on the title track, or the twinkling, alluring guitars on “On The Rocks,” it is when Hanson is left alone at his piano that the album achieves its singularity. .... Whether he’s pontificating over nimble pieces of soul or telling tales fire-side with piano-driven arrangements, Hanson proves to be a modern songwriting giant on I Love People.

Blue World reveals Coltrane’s personal progress, as well as the interactive consistency and sonic details the Classic Quartet had firmly established as their collective signature by 1964.

His most career-defining album to date. ... The cliché “love wins” is the essence of this project, which results in both an audio and visual album. Watching and listening to both creates quite a searing, provocative impact.

The Purple Bird is a stunning effort from Oldham, a testament to his relentless artistry and how freely it allows him to roam.

The band sacrifices their love for challenging sonics for soaring harmonies that accent subtle nods to Western nostalgia while filling the room with grandiose arrangements, creating a tight and consistently entertaining tracklist that still finds ways to shock and amaze.

In just two short years, Russell has emerged as one of our most important voices, and The Returner further projects her voice and career.

It showcases Dream Theater’s status as a collection of musical masters who, forty years later, remain at the top of their games.

Although the album’s new psychedelic undercurrent absolutely deserves mention as a previously unexplored avenue for Del Rey, even with the new dimension, this is unmistakably a Lana Del Rey album, optimized for languid West Coast afternoons: contemplative, moving, and thematically consistent music to get lost inside.

Its obvious replay value hints at the kind of staying power required of truly great albums and while it’s unlikely to dethrone Merriweather Post Pavilion’s status as their greatest album, it is without question the elite artistic accomplishment the world has been waiting for in a spiritual successor.

Despite its historical importance in completing something of a missing link in the wide arc of Nobel Laureate’s career, The Complete Budokan 1978 is notably missing designation as an entry into the ongoing archive initiative known as The Bootleg Series. Consequently, this is one of those ever-so-rare Bob Dylan items to be taken almost strictly at face value and savored as such.

Irreversible builds on that foundation of classic New Wave and modern indie pop to create a sound that feels both timeless and distinctly their own.

With every message of love comes a juxtaposing string section that leans on the opposite emotion, giving the album, and Kiwanuka’s music as a whole, a newfound emotional depth. Not that Kiwanuka’s previous releases were void of emotions in the slightest, but this new packaging gives his sentiments a new shine. Small Changes force the artist’s words into the spotlight like never before, allowing the full scope of Kiwanuka’s perspective to hit harder and stick with you longer.

The record starts off with “Lowland Trail,” a solid folk/country hybrid, but it’s on the next two tracks where she really shines; the horn-laden, unrushed “Keep It on A Burner” and “I Remember Carolina,” an undeniable earworm up there was with John Prine when it comes to charmingly sly wordplay. Across 11 tracks, the album is a near flawless exercise in songwriting.

All of this adds up to mana from heaven for Pylon fans.

You don’t need to have read the book to appreciate the honesty of the album, which makes a compelling argument for Lanegan as a contemporary Lead Belly. ... The tracks aren’t designed to be ornate; they’re designed to support his lyrics. The result is a beautifully haunting journey.

He continues to fuse elements of hip-hop, R&B, funk, soul, and rock ‘n roll into his signature style. ... He’s won both of his Grammy for “Best Contemporary Blues Album” but his music is so different from most other entrants that he’s in a sense carving out his own genre.

Welfare Jazz is a major progression for a band that has already been blowing minds with a sound unlike anything else out there, not to mention truly brilliant music videos. Their serrated and offbeat approach to rock and roll balances dark humor and unexpected thrills with the kind of dangerous edge that is sadly missing from most music these days. As one of the first album releases of the year, the Viagra Boys have set the bar high.

All these tracks are infused with percussion and amazing richly textured rhythmic patterns as you’ve already gleaned. Throughout, as on his other albums, Adjuah’s trumpet tone is clear and majestic sounding but it’s as if it resides on a higher plane above the rhythms and mix of acoustic and electronics taking place below. Together, the music remains unique, unlike almost anything else you’ve heard, unless it was from Adjuah or his label mate, Logan Richardson.

Only God Was Above Us is more than another Vampire Weekend album, it is an amalgamation of their storied career and experiences wrapped up in a fearless take on what their genre can become.

If MIKE had released Beware of the Monkey a few months earlier, a lot of the “Best Albums of the Year” lists you’ve been reading would look a lot different. He gracefully navigates a new season in his life through vibrant instrumentals and heartfelt poetry that is as direct as it is artistically ambitious.

Though controversial at the time, this music, experimental in nature, still resonates with intensity, spirituality, and unbridled power, a clear steppingstone to Trane’s Classic Quartet, and a ‘must have’ for Trane collectors.

The lyrics of Deadbeat scream essential Tame Impala. Still, there is a simplicity to Deadbeat that has never been a part of the band’s repertoire, allowing Parker’s songwriting to feel new and fresh. .... These twelve songs do more than satisfy Parker’s hunger for something fresh; they establish Tame Impala as an amorphic sonic giant ready to implement their singularity into whichever genre they please.

The beauty in this album lies in the delivery. Her vocals can easily kick your ass and will readily give you the bird, yet she switches these sentiments for vulnerability and pure honesty while remaining distinctly tough. She is a legend at 61, yet she sounds just as vibrant as her landmark album, TNT.

An extremely cerebral approach to experimental music, which tend to feel more disjointed. Every movement has a purpose and every song on the album combines to make a fantastic album.

One could quibble that the album seems just a bit static in places with little change in Lloyd’s musings and the re-airing of several staples in his repertoire, but those quibblers should listen to the sheer ecstasy in “Monk’s Dance,” the album’s brightest moments.

Sable, fABLE is stunning, emotionally-driven, psychedelic pop that bends at Vernon’s will, allowing the artist to explore the intricacies of the musical empire he has built over the years.

Every tune here would be a candidate for a film score, much of the moody and dramatic material conducive to Hitchcock. .... The Umbria Jazz Orchestra, with its blend of brass and woodwinds versus the heavy string emphasis of the Brussels Philharmonic, adds completely different sonic textures. Ringing guitar notes reverberate and echo with more authority as the ensemble extends them. The blending sounds are captivating, and Frisell’s trio mates also seem more at the forefront.

Rick Neilsen’s stage patter has the earlier, maniacal tone, Robin Zander’s vocals are sublime, Tom Peterrson’s bass sounds mammoth and Mr. Bun E. Carlos proves why he is truly irreplaceable. ... To quote the band’s paean to the faithful, Fan Club, these four discs are truly the sound of “four kings and an army strong.”

The unrelenting, intoxicating grooves of The Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio are everything one would want from an organ trio – a pinch of late’60s, some elements of more modern funk, and a riveting, magnetic swagger that won’t let go.

Throughout it’s impossible not to feel some goosebumps and chills in his poignant, raw delivery. ... Finley and Auerbach vary tempos and sound and with Finley’s changing vocal treatments, the album does a nice job of blending classic blues, R&B, and soul in an inviting mix. This project will likely receive much consideration for awards and year-end lists.

Hadsel is a stunning set of songs that demand and deserve your undivided attention, put your phone to the side, finish your household chores, and allow Beirut’s latest to transport you to a meditative state.

Undoubtedly other posthumous recordings from Masakela are forthcoming but this serves as a vital essential part of his storied legacy.

Apart from McLorin’s Salvant’s singular voice and compelling musical arrangements, it’s her courage and imagination for such heady projects that set her apart from any contemporary singer.

Use any adjective you want – stunning, devastating, captivating, or mesmerizing. Sea Drift sets the bar for the roots albums that follow in 2022.

We hear some new facets of Marshall’s artistry and have a terrific record demonstrating his versatility and vision. Clearly, it’s worthy of the hype.

The power, pain, and suffering of the original Delta blues from perhaps its singly most important innovator is here to be appreciated in better sound quality than it ever has. ... This is Son House at his peak, this is one to savor and cherish. It will likely become his legacy recording.

This scathingly provocative, intense work is overwhelming to digest in one listen. It well could become a landmark recording.

Weyes Blood’s And In the Darkness, Hearts Aglow is a revelatory baroque pop album forged in these recent chaotic days.

Pure energy, passion, and joy ring throughout, as “Elijah Rock” is one more case in point that shows that James Brandon Lewis can make a tribute album sound as original as possible.

Their ambitious sophomore album establishes them as a timeless act, a group of artists hellbent on saying what they want to say and nothing more. They proved they deserve every bit of praise while glossing over it to create an album so chaotic and stunning, it already feels timeless.

Despite the multitude of contributors, Placenta maintains a natural, cohesive flow. Niño’s role as a facilitator and catalyst is evident throughout, as he channels the creative energy of his collaborators into a unified, organic whole. .... Niño continues to push the boundaries of musical expression, and Placenta is a shining example of his visionary artistry.

The 7th Hand reveals even more of Wilkins’ artistry, deeply embracing Black music, citing his elders, and in so doing, demonstrating a stronger commitment to the spiritual aspects of channeling improvisation through a higher power than heard on his first effort. He further cements his growing reputation as one of the strongest contemporary forces in this music.