Music Reviews

Few rappers have been as entertaining to listen to this year as DaBaby. In the often hyper-masculine context of hip-hop, his new album proves he's not afraid to be goofy.

Musicians on the Queens of the Stone Age frontman-led album include ZZ Top's Billy Gibbons and Primus' Les Claypool.

Early in his career, Cole formed a trio with guitarist Oscar Moore and bassist Wesley Prince. Hittin' the Ramp, a new 7-CD roundup, showcases the band that help catapult Cole to stardom.

Hip hop duo Gang Starr broke up in the mid-2000s and in 2010, MC Guru died. So fans were surprised by the announcement of a new, posthumous album called One Of The Best Yet.

Country music has take a turn towards pop of late, but Pardi's new album goes back to the genre's roots, with a collection of excellent honky-tonk songs — many of which are about booze.

There are moments of inspired magic on West's gospel-flavored ninth album, and moments that sound ill-considered and slapped together. Those extremes feel like the story of his recent career.

Haitian band Lakou Mizik is out with its second album — a dazzling set of collaborations with New Orleans musicians, celebrating the close musical and cultural ties between the two places.

Indian percussionist Zakir Hussain joins with saxophonist Dave Holland and bassist Chris Potter on a new album that that's clear and confident, with plenty of fire.

Singer Summer Walker's album, Over It, debuted earlier this month — and it's already broken records. Music critic Briana Younger of The New Yorker discusses some of the album's standout songs.

As the voice of Chairlift, Caroline Polachek crisscrossed indie and mainstream tastes. Her solo LP adds digital flex to that voice, melding real and "enhanced" performance into one penetrating force.

As she's grown upwards and inwards, the singer-songwriter's work has dramatically increased in scope and scale — a mirror reflecting the internal world she's working to conquer.

Bynum's album features nine musicians, including guitarist Mary Halvorson, a newly minted MacArthur fellow. Each improviser sings the tune — or sings around it — in their own way, in their own time.