Although Sharon Jones may have passed away four years ago, her collaboration with the Dap-Kings lives on in another posthumous release. The latest collection of songs, Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Rendition Was In), is a collection of songs the…
Album Review: Laura Veirs Balances Anxiety and Comfort on “My Echo”
Like the best folk singers, Laura Veirs is appealing in her consistency and reliability. Her latest album, My Echo, is a concise album with plenty of lyrics illustrating feelings of anxiety and bittersweet nostalgia. Fortunately, because of her clear vocals, earthy…
Album Review: Sylvan Esso craft subtle treasures on “Free Love”
On Amelia Meath and Nick Sandborn’s third album as Sylvan Esso, Free Love, the group pares down their sound even further while expanding their emotional reach. The precise electronic-pop beats of Sylvan Esso’s most prominent prior tracks, like “Coffee” and “Radio,”…
Album Review: Imelda May trades rockabilly for spoken word on “Slip of the Tongue”
Irish singer-songwriter Imelda May’s latest outing, Slip of the Tongue, is a far cry from her early rockabilly output. However, this isn’t such a huge leap from her last album way back in 2017, Life Love Flesh Blood, which was decidedly moodier. Slip of…
Album Review: Katy Perry – “Smile”
On Katy Perry’s latest, long-teased album Smile, Perry remains resolutely pop. While her peers and successors are increasingly genre-hopping and dropping surprise records and EPs, Perry’s Smile feels like a charming remnant from a prior era. In the first place, the very first…
Album Review: Bully – “SUGAREGG”
On Bully’s third release, SUGAREGG, now-official band mastermind Alicia Bognanno continues to channel her every feeling into intense rock howls. The sound of SUGAREGG is not markedly different from prior releases, Feels Like and Losing, except for feeling even more concentrated. The album begins…
Album Review: Mary Chapin Carpenter – “The Dirt and the Stars”
Mary Chapin Carpenter’s latest studio album, The Dirt and the Stars, can join the list of 2020 records that accidentally work perfectly for our communal mental crisis. Carpenter’s record works particularly well as a soothing balm, with her carefully chosen words…