Music Reviews

Across Haram, an Islamic term meaning "forbidden," the rappers billy woods and ELUCID dissect all things taboo, and how, ultimately, those commodities are still ubiquitous across cultures.

Music & Culture

Armand Hammer Raps From Another Dimension. It's On Us To Catch Up

1:06pm March 25, 2021

by Marcus J. Moore

For nearly two decades, billy woods and ELUCID have established themselves as cult figures in hip-hop. The duo's new album, Haram, is their most approachable, even if the rhymes are still intricate.

Pharoah Sanders and Sam Shepherd (a.k.a. Floating Points) in the studio making Promises.

Music & Culture

Converging Across Generations To Clear A Space For New Sounds

10:49am March 24, 2021

by Nate Chinen

The avant-garde jazz musician Pharoah Sanders and the electronic composer Sam Shepherd, who records as Floating Points, have created a gorgeous, gemlike new album with the London Symphony Orchestra.

Even after brutal reviews for the short-lived Anyone Can Whistle, Stephen Sondheim continued to create provocative and form-shattering musicals.

Music & Culture

A Cult-Classic Sondheim Flop Gets An Essential New Recording

4:09pm March 22, 2021

by Bob Mondello

An updated recording of Anyone Can Whistle, a now-celebrated musical by composer-lyricist Stephen Sondheim, has some surprises, even for the completist.

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Music & Culture

Benoit Delbecq's 'Weight Of Light' Shows How Mysterious Prepared Piano Can Sound

1:50pm March 22, 2021

by Kevin Whitehead

The French pianist is known for inserting pieces of wood between strings to produce new sounds. Delbecq's technique — as showcased on his new album — can make him sound like he has an extra hand.

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Music & Culture

Julien Baker Chronicles Her Own Path To Redemption On 'Little Oblivions'

1:32pm March 17, 2021

by Ken Tucker

Baker supplies nearly all of the guitars, drums, synthesizers, banjo, and mandolin on her new album. It's a confessional and frequently beautiful record about mental distress and addiction.

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Selena Gomez on the cover of Revelación, her first Spanish-language EP.

Music & Culture

Sharing Secrets With Selena: The Understated Power Of 'Revelación'

11:38am March 13, 2021

by Anamaria Sayre

The Spanish-language EP presents a more intimate image of a pop singer who's still trying to find space for who she is and who she wants to be.

Music & Culture

Review: Valerie June's New LP 'The Moon And Stars: Prescriptions For Dreamers'

4:19pm March 12, 2021

by Oliver Wang

Valerie June has just released a new LP called The Moon And Stars: Prescriptions For Dreamers. The album foregrounds her distinctive voice and mixes reassurance with a yearning for engagement.

Chick Corea, holding a freshly won Grammy in the award ceremony's press room in LA on Feb. 8, 2015.

Considering Chick Corea's Grammys Success And The Kitchen Sink Of Genre

12:40pm March 11, 2021

by Nate Chinen

Corea, who died in February, remains the most-awarded jazz musician in Grammys history. But Corea, who always identified as a jazz player, wasn't landlocked by any genre conventions. He wasn't alone.

Music & Culture

With 'The Dream' Hailey Whitters Sings About The Ups And Downs Of Showbiz

1:48pm March 08, 2021

by Ken Tucker

The country singer spent more than a decade in Nashville before her first record broke through in 2020. Now she's adding five new songs in an expanded version of that album called, Living The Dream.

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Music & Culture

'Crusade For Harmony' Surveys The Life Work Of Saxophonist Julius Hemphill

1:43pm March 05, 2021

by Kevin Whitehead

Hemphill was a founding member and principal composer for the World Saxophone Quartet. The Boyé Multi-National Crusade for Harmony features seven discs of newly released music from his archives.

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