Refining rather than redefining. [Jun 2020, p.91]

Vincent's voice is so unusual and beguiling, it almost detracts from the lyrics, but they eventually punch through. ... Vincent and Another Sky enthrall. [Sep 2020, p.88]

Sangare's voice is pushed to the fore. ... It's deeper and throatier now, and wise enough not to overpower the strings--but you can still hear the youthful street singer having fun on Kamelemba and Mogoya. [Aug 2020, p.84]

Often you wonder exactly what you're hearing; you just know you haven't heard it before. [Aug 2020, p.87]

Creating a feel that blissfully reminiscent of Bruce Langhorne's instrumental score for Peter Fonda's 1971 western, The Hired Hand. [Aug 2020, p.89]

Decidedly bolder than 2016's Ellipsis, it is an album that revels in subverting expectations. [Jun 2020, p.88]

While Powell's bruised vocals evoke early Cat Power, she does remarkable things with that sound. [Sep 2020, p.87]

There's something likable and everyman about his voice, which sits easily with the variety of vintage country styles on these 14 new songs. [Sep 2020, p.87]

This is recycling as artistic endeavour. [Sep 2020, p.91]

Much of Hum has a brooding, measured Nick Drake-ish intensity, driven by fast, intricate folky picking. [Sep 2020, p.92]

Embryonic greatness, maybe, but still great. [Sep 2020, p.103]

Flaming Pie saw Paul McCartney critically asserting his place in the Fabbed-up mid-90s landscape. [Sep 2020, p.102]

Very sweet debut, a mostly acoustic affair. [Sep 2020, p.93]

Seasick's latest is unshakeably him. [Sep 2020, p.91]

Howl is most powerful on the aptly titled Everything Is Happening At The Same Time and the Yearning Strange Beauty. Seeing him play these songs live might flesh-out Howl's sometimes too-deliberate feel. [Jun 2020, p.94]

Those of a certain overcoat are assured a Proustian rush: distorted guitars, windswept austerity and Butler's rasp set to Triple Action Strepsil. [Jun 2020, p.95]

It's darker and more complex than their debut, but also bigger-sounding. [Sep 2020, p.80]

Her voice and band discernibly crackle with confidence. [Aug 2020, p.86]

Williams' forward-pushing, inter-generational sound - 70s fusion-era grooves mingle with modern club motifs - is fully formed on this second full solo outing. [Aug 2020, p.91]

With the voice of Linda Ronstadt and songwriting gifts of Joni Mitchell, there simply isn't anything to dislike about Old Flowers. [Jul 2020, p.84]

In Jessy Lanza's case, disruption has elevated artistic output. [Jul 2020, p.82]

Brief yet hugely entertaining debut. [Sep 2020, p.83]

McFarlane creates a series of vibrant storytelling soundscapes where her sweetly soulful harmonised vocals intertwine with woozy synth sounds and throbbing electronic rhythms. [Sep 2020, p.92]

This third-eye-for-the-folk-guy makeover suits them well, its 11 tracks filled with space and light. [Sep 2020, p.94]

The result is a rhapsodic work. [Sep 2020, p.89]

Ten spare, spacious folk-Americana songs, many of them lovely, and the instrumentation is subtle and beautiful. [Sep 2020, p.87]

Highlights include the cool Old Men, beer-soaked Dance With Your Spurs On and 90 Seconds Of Your Time, a dark, true-life tale that sounds both intense and insouciant. [Sep 2020, p.87]

The Waterfall II comes fitted with escape hatches and launch pads. ... Those in search for a 2020 anthem, meanwhile, could do worse than the gorgeous calendar-collapse of Spinning My Wheels. [Sep 2020, p.86]

Standout track by far is La Chiqui where trans artist Sophie and Arca go head to head, like two tall, sonic waveforms. Extraordinary. [Sep 2020, p.83]

Khruangbin haven't forgotten the global jukebox that got them this far: Turkish psychedelia, flamenco palmas, the shimmering heat of Houston, dub ... The ice has definitely melted. [Sep 2020, p.82]

Their most piercing and autobiographical yet. [Sep 2020, p.82]

Crain has always been good, but on A Small Death she's genuinely great. [Aug 2020, p.92]

Although the listener doesn't expect dynamics in this kind of music, there is little variation in either its colour and timbre. [Aug 2020, p.89]

Gleeful scattershot collision between genres and theatrical drama, explored through such epistles as DIE! DIE! DIE!, barked by Pixies' Black Francis. [Aug 2020, p.92]

The uniting factor, though, is Gabriel's greatest gift as a writer, vocalist and arranger. [Aug 2020, p.101]

Minimalist of palette it may be, but Laraaji's characteristic approach to melody, harmony and rhythm, at once both charmingly childlike and spiritually ecstatic, is present throughout. [Aug 2020, p.87]

An attractive ad hoc vibe pervades these seven longish songs, partially recorded live: a DIY futurism, all tinfoil and stick-backed plastic, that harks back to Pulp's early '90s. [Jun 2020, p.92]

Few Pretenders albums have honoured the classic line-up's template so faithfully or successfully as Hate For Sale. [Aug 2020, p.86]

The more elemental moments - Sour Flower's mournful rustle of handclaps, cymbals and Fender Rhodes, or the intimate, guitar-led Green Papaya and Can't fight - are understated, introspective and more powerful. [Aug 2020, p.84]

This is fresh, contemporary American music and Dion's throat is still golden despite the mileage. [Aug 2020, p.91

While the lilting melodies suggest south-east Asia - as do, explicitly, a couple of spoken word passages - a wandering, spidery guitar generates an off-balance flavour. [Jul 2020, p.81]

Laidback, dreamy third album. [Jul 2020, p.84]

A band effort. And it shows in the diversity and quality of the songs. ... A fine album. [Aug 2020, p.93]

If midlife crisis haunts the 40-year-old Skinner, encroaching mortality is re-energised by juniors like neo-soul sister Greentea Peng's soporific vibrations on I Wish You Loved You As Much As You Love Him. [Aug 2020, p.93]

The best moments involve stranger juddering textures, as on Flowers or Wishing Well. Beauty is always better with an edge. [Aug 2020, p.87]

It is a relief to see Wainwright honouring his formidable songwriting talents with songs as luscious as those on Poses or Want One. [Jun 2020, p.94]

No wheels were reinvented in the making of this record, but it travels straight to the heart nevertheless. [Aug 2020, p.92]

A-grade pop songwriting. [Aug 2020, p.94]

Relatability charms never harmed Dolly Parton, and that's who you think of as these gargantuan melodies shimmer and soar. [Jun 2020, p.88]

Joyful and full of subtle vigour, it's the perfect headphone-heard walking companion when you don't want lyrics crowding your thoughts. [Jul 2020, p.85]

Galvanising, jazzy embrace of call-and-response tradition. [Aug 2020, p.94]

The Hull five-piece treads the queasy tightrope of prime Cure, Ride etc with real dexterity. [Aug 2020, p.94]

This may not be the '70s cosmic cowboy of Nelson in his prime, but wise old grandpa Willie is as sage and poignant now as he has ever been. [Aug 2020, p.85]

A remarkable accomplishment, confirming that Williams has already built a world all of her own. [Aug 2020, p.84]

This second album build on the same template [as 2016's Cradle With Humanity]. [Jul 2020, p.82]

Reality Tunnels finds the Bristolian beat-master reaffirming known skills while cultivating fresh ones. [Aug 2020, p.87]

A subversion of new age, but still oddly soothing in its own way. [Aug 2020, p.94]

Opener Wall Of Glass resounds with stirring audience participation while a robust rhythm section and lively Hammond organist help cut through the din. [Aug 2020, p.86]

As well as Billy Zoom's fuzz-punk rhythm guitar there are psychobilly drums, hints of country and some tangy, Blondie-esque pop melodies. [Aug 2020, p.86]

Genuinely inspiring, the story of Bananagun is a great yarn. [Aug 2020, p.87]

For all of Startisha's eclecticism, Juwan's visions are coherent, his voice assured. [Aug 2020, p.88]

While a palpable sense of mournfulness lingers throughout Mia Gargaret, there's a degree of catharsis attached to it too. [Aug 2020, p.89]

Go some way to subverting stodgy blues-rock gender cliche on an LP that takes off on the Tom Petty-ish title track. [Aug 2020, p.94]

Their naked intimacy can be hard to bear. [Aug 2020, p.94]

There's nothing arch about Heavy Nights, only the sound of these gorgeously coiffured tunes. [Aug 2020, p.92]

If you enjoy a record that can gently coax a cathartic tear or two, Monovision fits the bill. [Aug 2020, p.88]

Shah's voice throughout is fantastic, carrying and castigating her listeners along with her, while her brilliant band nails radio-friendly rock, swirling 4AD-style gothic atmospheres, and perfect post-punk attack. [Jul 2020, p.82]

A mutant sound equal parts soft-pop, hard-fusion and psychedelic prog. [Jul 2020, p.80]

All combine to make this the year's first old school soul triumph. [Jun 2020, p.87]

Fugazi's signature edge duly emerges. [May 2020, p.86]

They've upped their game. [Jun 2020, p.87]

Synths sway like palm trees, grooves come sun-baked, and nifying message songs flow. [Jul 2020, p.88]

In all, it's not only Johnson's sixth ace long-player in three years, but a heaven sent sanctuary from 2020's many brutal realities. [Jun 2020, p.90]

More evidence of the vast scope of his artistic vision. What’s extraordinary is how it continues to expand, containing multitudes no one else thought of.

The most instantly appealing to date, channeling a high degree of emotional intensity and a remarkable sense of joy through minimal instrumentation. [Jul 2020, p.87]

Haunting, unsettling hybrid. [Jul 2020, p.83]

On Sunset will not be remembered as Weller's most immediate record, or the most musically even, but it's certainly one of the most rewarding, and powerful. [Jul 2020, p.76]

Highly entertaining, though best consumed a few songs at a time, Quickies is more than a novelty record, though certainly novel. [Jun 2020, p.90]

There is a grab-bag of variety. [May 2020, p.93]

It's artfully rumpled, but the ragged angry gasps that close the record confirm Bridgers' songwriting isn't the effortless dream it seems. [Jul 2020, p.78]

Lyrics are vital, and here they often clunk where they should pierce, deadening some of her undeniable power. [Jun 2020, p.86]

A transporting treat, tapping both the personal and the universally political. [Jun 2020, p.86]

A trancelike alliance of technical mastery and instinctual chemistry far greater than the sum of its acoustic parts, GoGo Penguin already feels definitive. [Jun 2020, p.93]

The extras will delight Ig-heads and Bowie buffs, likewise the thoroughly annotated 40-page booklet, featuring new interviews with key participants. [Jul 2020, p.92]

Urgent, retro-futurist and profoundly absorbing. [Jul 2020, p.84]

Gene is not restful, but it displays impressive commitment to following the whorls and helixes of its inner logic. [May 2020, p.86]

There are a lot of moments when - sleeves rolled up, top button undone - it sounds as if they're pouring out their hearts to the same bartender as The National. When they get the detailing right, though, it flies. [Jul 2020, p.78]

If Sideways To New Italy is a reckoning, Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever's balance sheet is entirely in the black. [Jul 2020, p.79]

The sound has been filled out. ... The burnished folk rock accentuates the intimacy of Power's voice and her writing. [Jul 2020, p.80]

Beginners is less rip-it-up statement than subtle realignment; less countrified and polished, more folky and sparse. [Jul 2020, p.80]

Heartbreaker Please expresses its title in the most literal terms; it's broken and pleading. At the same time, the music provides a through-line to the 43-year-old's singer's past, striking his usual balance between Buddy Holly simplicity and Roy Orbison sweep, with a dash of Memphis horns tossed in. [Jun 2020, p.89]

It lacks the gargantuan personality and all-encompassing throaty bark of FU's leader Damian Abraham to give it a USP, but Falco, as frontman, does a decent job of stamping his own marker. [Jul 2020, p.84]

It starts in fine fashion. ... Tellier's Auto-Tuned croon is unrelenting, and by the album's mid-point we're approaching the realms of self-parody. [May 2020, p.89]

There are transcendent moments. ... But Atkins tries on so many hackneyed faces during these 11 tracks that the overall effort feels faceless. [Jul 2020, p.82]

Highlight of an unfathomable whole: Hell. [Jul 2020, p.88]

There's more hope to be found in the sound Deerhoof assemble into single songs that play like a hallucinating DJ's set. Any element sounds perfectly straight by itself, but layered together, they feel imported from the multiverse. [Jul 2020, p.87]

Too opaque to fully connect, Consummation keeps its mystery high. [Jul 2020, p.85]

The boogie imperative on Knuckleball Express is less deconstructed than usual. [Jul 2020, p.84]