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Kendrick returns with an impressive sophomore album
Rapper Kendrick Lamar went three years without releasing an album, taking his time to craft an impressive sophomore effort in “To Pimp a Butterfly.” ... -
Madonna’s ‘Rebel Heart’ is lovely
Madonna’s 13th studio album, “Rebel Heart,” beats with romance and rebellion. At 19 tracks, it’s an overstuffed triptych through the iconic performer’s life, careening ... -
Iron & Wine releases choice archive material
The songs from Iron & Wine’s first album, “The Creek Drank the Cradle,” were cherry-picked from material Sam Beam had been recording at home ... -
’80s hair metal giants join forces for Sweet & Lynch
Is this heaven-sent hair metal, or did they just get lucky? Either way, Sweet & Lynch have hit it out of the park on ... -
1 channel is all the Mavericks need on ‘Mono’
The Mavericks have always been a rootsy band, plying musical turf from Havana to Nashville via Miami. Here their sound is more retro than ... -
‘Fifty Shades’ soundtrack is a sexy romp
Prepare to get crazy in love, in lust and everything in between. Anticipated sex romp ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’ may or may not get ... -
Bob Dylan’s late-night disc
Bob Dylan has never called “Shadows in the Night” a Frank Sinatra tribute album. The idea seems nuts: one of the last century’s greatest ... -
Ne-Yo’s ‘Non-Fiction’ tells the same story
Ahh, Ne-Yo. So much talent — the voice, the songwriting. And yet, somehow, such a boring album. It’s a little crazy-making, truth be told. ... -
Album celebrates music of ‘Inside Llewyn Davis’
Fans of the Coen brothers’ amused, affectionate portrait of the 1960s Greenwich Village folk scene — and of banjo-playing, guitar-plucking Americana in general — ... -
Mark Ronson’s ‘Uptown Special’ is not that special
Mark Ronson’s new album, “Uptown Special,” opens with such promising notes — Stevie Wonder’s harmonica, playing so soulful and slow that the listener can’t ... -
Minaj’s ‘Pinkprint’ delivers grown-up complexity
Maybe we knew — even in 2010 — when Nicki Minaj released her debut set, that beneath the fluorescent wigs and zany accents, there ... -
MDT/AP Top 10 albums | Sam Smith’s ‘In The Lonely Hour’ reigns
1. “In the Lonely Hour,” Sam Smith: Sam Smith’s album was an emotional roller coaster — a ride you couldn’t get off of even ... -
D’Angelo’s ‘Black Messiah’ plays to message of rising up
The phrase “long-awaited album” gets tossed around quite a bit — slapped on sets delayed by a couple years, or a few measly months, ... -
Gov’t Mule covers Pink Floyd on new live album
When you’re playing music for 20 years with the caveat that no two shows will ever be the same, you had better write a ... -
Charli XCX’s sophomore CD is no ‘Sucker’
Charli XCX, the British artist with a penchant for teenage churlishness, knows a thing or two about warfare. With her second major label album, ... -
Wu-Tang look to cement legacy on new album
Old Dirty Bastard once proclaimed: Wu-Tang is for the children. On their sixth album, “A Better Tomorrow,” U-God reinforces the sentiment: We “construct these ... -
Turmoil helps AC/DC shine on new album
In 1980, AC/DC’s very existence was at stake: singer Bon Scott died just as the band was starting to get big. They used the ... -
‘Prizefighter’ shows Yearwood’s range
Trisha Yearwood returns with her first new recordings in seven years with “Prizefighter,” which combines 10 of her best- known hits (“XXX’s and OOO’s,” ... -
Pink Floyd say goodbye with ‘The Endless River’
Never was an album more aptly named than “The Endless River,” the new — and seemingly final — release from Pink Floyd. It flows ... -
Some tracks work, others don’t
Collaborations between contemporary country artists and classic rock stars have become commonplace over the years. But the Doobie Brothers, with their accent on catchy ... -
Flaming Lips fail with ‘Sgt. Pepper’ cover
Ever wonder what “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” would sound like sung by robots? Me neither, but here’s the answer. The Flaming Lips ... -
Jessie Ware cruises on sophomore album
Jessie Ware’s “Tough Love” is lovely, and that’s not a tepid endorsement. No, the English singer’s sophomore disc is lovely in the way of ... -
Pianist Lang Lang tackles Mozart
This double-CD set is the first all-Mozart recording from the Chinese-born piano virtuoso Lang Lang, who at age 32 has achieved something approaching matinee ... -
Streisand’s timeless ‘Partners’ soars
Barbra Streisand’s “Partners” isn’t just about star-powered duets, but partnerships of love and family. It’s a love album for the ages, as fit for ... -
Opera’s Kaufmann turns to lighter fare
Is there anything Jonas Kaufmann can’t do? The great German tenor has long since conquered the worlds of grand opera and classical recital. Now ... -
No surprise the surprise U2 album shines
Everything about U2’s new album “Songs of Innocence” is unexpected. Like its very existence, for one, after the Irish rock band dropped it on ... -
Ty Segall at height of his powers
In another time and collective mental headspace Ty Segall might have been a pop star. With his dreamy new album, “Manipulator,” the Los Angeles ... -
Grande’s ‘My Everything’ is everything
This is how you follow up an impressive debut: simply step into the recording booth, and be amazing yet again. Maybe it’s easier said ... -
Artists cover landmark Johnny Cash album
Throughout his career, Johnny Cash sang about the downtrodden, giving a voice to the voiceless. But his 1964 concept album, “Bitter Tears: Ballads of ... -
A forlorn Sinead O’Connor
After a rough few years for Sinead O’Connor, as she dealt with a 16-day marriage and canceled a tour due to mental illness, it’s ... -
Shaver shows staying power on new album
Old cowboys love to lament that contemporary country music’s in a sorry state and guilty of casting aside sage singers and songwriters — like ... -
Muscle, menace from Drenge on debut album
British rock duo Drenge’s self-titled debut is pretty much perfect. That’s not a word critics of any kind should throw around lightly, and it’s ... -
La Roux returns with sexy, sassy second LP
Coming off an artistic hiatus after a widely acclaimed, Grammy Award-winning debut, La Roux returns in force with an off-beat, electrifying and synth-pop second ... -
Jazz masters evoke joy, sadness on duet CD
There’s a sense of both joy and sadness to “Last Dance,” which surprisingly is the first album in pianist Keith Jarrett’s illustrious nearly 50-year ... -
Judas Priest has redeeming metal value
It takes a lot for a band to make up for a “farewell tour” that ended up not being a farewell after all. But ...
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