Music Reviews

Music & Culture

'Interstate Gospel' Showcases Pistol Annies' Impressive Range Of Style

1:21pm November 07, 2018

by Ken Tucker

The trio of three country-music stars who make up Pistol Annies — Miranda Lambert, Ashley Monroe and Angaleena Presley — mix humor with righteousness and drama on their new album.

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Music & Culture

Neneh Cherry's 'Broken Politics' Has Great Strength In Its Understated Music

4:48pm November 05, 2018

by Will Hermes

Neneh Cherry started her music a career in a punk rock band, then she started rapping. Her new album, Broken Politics is a philosophical meditation on staying strong in trying times.

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Vince Staples returns with his third studio LP, FM!

Music & Culture

Vince Staples' 'FM!' Is A Potent Critique Of How We Consume Black Art (And It Slaps!)

9:45am November 05, 2018

by Rodney Carmichael

Leave it to rap's reigning iconoclast to release a summertime album full of bops and cognitive dissonance in the dead of fall.

Music & Culture

First Listen: Hanson, 'String Theory'

5:00am November 05, 2018

by Stephen Thompson

Even in a studio, backed by a symphony orchestra as they survey their long career in pop music, these guys know how to work a room.

The Glands' Double Coda is out Nov. 9 on New West Records.

Music & Culture

First Listen: The Glands, 'Double Coda'

10:34am November 01, 2018

by Grayson Haver Currin

Ross Shapiro built hooks that betrayed both sardonic armor and a soft heart. The posthumous Double Coda collects two decades worth of Glands demos and recordings.

Charles Bradley's 'Black Velvet' is out Nov. 9 on Dunham/Daptone Records.

Music & Culture

First Listen: Charles Bradley, 'Black Velvet'

8:26am November 01, 2018

by Bruce Warren

Charles Bradley had boundless love and talent. Black Velvet is a testimony to his beauty and spirit, a final love letter to his fans.

Laura Jane Grace & The Devouring Mothers' new album, Bought to Rot, comes out Nov. 9.

Music & Culture

First Listen: Laura Jane Grace & The Devouring Mothers, 'Bought To Rot'

5:00am November 01, 2018

by Stephen Thompson

The Against Me! singer bounds around outside the boundaries and margins of punk, while still sounding unfiltered, playfully profane and overstuffed with ideas.

Music & Culture

Kurt Vile Stretches In An Adventurous New Direction On 'Bottle It In'

1:22pm October 31, 2018

by Ken Tucker

A laid-back, generous spirit pervades many of the songs on Vile's latest album. Critic Ken Tucker says the singer/songwriter "sounds like one of the most well-adjusted pop musicians around."

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Robyn's new album, Honey, comes out Oct. 26.

Music & Culture

On 'Honey,' Robyn Dances Toward Stillness

1:27pm October 25, 2018

by Marissa Lorusso

Robyn songs feel like crying on the dancefloor. But Honey is, at its core, about moving towards something freer, softer, more honest.

Bob Dylan with a mandolin during the Blood On the Tracks sessions.

Music & Culture

First Listen: Bob Dylan, 'More Blood, More Tracks: The Bootleg Series Vol. 14'

9:18am October 25, 2018

by Tom Moon

When, if ever, can a song written by Bob Dylan be considered finished? A massive trove of outtakes documents every utterance from the New York sessions that led to Blood On the Tracks.