Music Reviews

Traumazine raffirms Megan Thee Stalllion's skills as one of rap's bar-for-bar heavyweights.

Music & Culture

Megan Thee Stallion resets her terms with 'Traumazine'

9:32am August 19, 2022

by Shamira Ibrahim

The rapper's second studio album reaches for a confessional mode, making space for ruminations and grief — while reaffirming her skills as one of rap's bar-for-bar heavyweights.

Black Thought and producer Danger Mouse define a new lane for the rapper on the collaborative album Cheat Codes.

Music & Culture

'Cheat Codes' is the solo album Black Thought couldn't have made until now

8:12pm August 18, 2022

by Sheldon Pearce

A proper standalone LP from the voice of The Roots was rumored for two decades at least. Finally here, Cheat Codes isn't just excellent: It's a product of all the years it went unmade.

Andrew Combs' new album, Sundays, is focused on hopefulness in the wake of hardship.

Music & Culture

On 'Sundays,' Andrew Combs seeks a roadmap to redemption

12:01pm August 18, 2022

by Brittney McKenna

In the aftermath of an early-pandemic breakdown, Combs sought solace in a regular songwriting routine. The result is a beautiful, intimate album that grapples with personal and existential questions.

Music & Culture

New release is a reminder of Judy Garland's artistry and vocal prowess

1:39pm August 15, 2022

by Lloyd Schwartz

On the occasion of what would have been Garland's 100th birthday, Warner Bros. has been re-issuing her films on Blu-Ray; classical music critic Lloyd Schwartz reviews the most recent release.

Queue Listen Now

Album review of Black Thought and Danger Mouse's 'Cheat Codes'

5:20pm August 14, 2022

Music writer Jack Hamilton reviews the new collaboration album from Black Thought and Danger Mouse, Cheat Codes.

Music & Culture

Megan Thee Stallion gets vulnerable on hot sophomore album 'Traumazine'

9:04am August 13, 2022

NPR's Ailsa Chang talks with Sidney Madden from NPR Music about Megan Thee Stallion's sophomore album Traumazine.

Queue Listen Now

The songs on Sylvan Esso's new album, No Rules Sandy, don't sound belabored; instead, they hold a weightlessness emphasized by a thematic interest in the present.

Music & Culture

On 'No Rules Sandy,' Sylvan Esso finds freedom outside the formula

10:01am August 11, 2022

by Cyrena Touros

The duo's fourth album is marked by experimentation and a focus on living in the present moment. Relaxed and unselfconscious, it's a testament to the ease of collaboration between longtime partners.

Deaton Chris Anthony reconfigures the sound of nostalgia

4:57pm August 05, 2022

by Miguel Perez

The new album from Deaton Chris Anthony, Sid the Kid, conjures a glitchy, abrasive, digital nostalgia from his childhood in Kansas.

Music & Culture

'Renaissance' places Beyoncé at the very center of pop music right now

1:26pm August 05, 2022

by Ken Tucker

The escapist aesthetic of Renaissance is its own kind of statement — Beyoncé's way of asserting the primacy of Black musical forms throughout American pop history.

Queue Listen Now

What Wild Up unearths on Julius Eastman, Vol. 2: Joy Boy is more than just music, it's a set of relations and modes of comporting in the world that risk trading fleeting, worldly praise to regain the eternal soul.

Music & Culture

Interpreting the music of Julius Eastman, Wild Up honors the composer's vastness

10:21am August 04, 2022

by Harmony Holiday

The feat the Los Angeles group Wild Up achieves in interpreting the music of Julius Eastman is the refusal to attempt impersonation — the musicians make him their muse without fetishizing him.