20 December 2024
Here's how it works: The Recent Releases chart brings together critical reaction to new albums from more than 50 sources worldwide. It's updated daily. Albums qualify with 5 reviews, and drop out after 6 weeks into the longer timespan charts.
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The latest album of contemporary jazz from this accomplished bassist and singer
6.2
Spalding's improvised ensemble pieces put pay to the tittle-tattle about jazz being dead. It is very much alive. Print edition only
She has talent as abundant as her Afro Read Review
Concentrates solely on vocal tunes with accessible melodies, blatantly indulging in her soul/R&B tendencies Read Review
Persuasively delivered Read Review
She's the kind of artist whose skills absolutely merit a wide audience, but Radio Music Society proves that she hasn't quite figured out how to capture one Read Review
Spalding often succeeds in her goal of taking some of pop’s rather rigid formats and opening them out into something freer, fresher and more responsive Read Review
A dazzling player skilled at butterfly-zoo arrangements, the 27-year-old steps toward pop here Read Review
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Esperanza Spalding: Radio Music Society
Cindy Lee Diamond Jubilee
Overall, Diamond Jubilee is a compelling diamond in a year of classics that, while hurt by some issues, strives to a level of uniqueness and brilliance that makes it one of the most needed albums to listen to this year Spill Magazine
The record – just like the medium of music – is doomed (or blessed) to exist in this in-between state of ghost-like liminality. Some things exist only through their non-existence, in a brief flash of time, defined through the myths we attribute to them, the outlines we long to perceive within, to imagine another, to feel ourselves Beats Per Minute
An out-of-the-blue magnum opus from the Canadian indie drag artist. Print edition only Uncut
The sprawling and spectacular Cindy Lee album is an essential trove of music. Each song is like a foggy transmission from a rock’n’roll netherworld with its own ghostly canon of beloved hits Pitchfork
“Diamond Jubilee” is more than just an album—it’s an experience, a journey into the unknown that challenges our preconceived notions of what music can be Northern Transmissions
Patrick Flegel’s new double-album, available only on YouTube and GeoCities, sounds like it’s coming from the other room, if not another gauzy galaxy Paste Magazine
Saint Etienne The Night
It is thematic and specific and at the same time one of the most coherent efforts the trio has come up with so far Spill Magazine
Linkin Park From Zero
For long-time fans, From Zero offers a mix of nostalgia and renewal. For newcomers, it’s an invitation to explore the band’s rich discography. Either way, it’s clear that Linkin Park is not just surviving but thriving in this new chapter of their career Vinyl Chapters
The Night is a meditative journey through sound, seamlessly blending moments of quiet introspection with richly textured ambiance. The hyponic ambience that they’ve crafted must be experienced Northern Transmissions
It’s a lullaby for the modern age—best savoured before sleep, one delicate note at a time XS Noize
Snoop Dogg Missionary
As a follow-up to the history-making ‘Doggystyle’, ‘Missionary’ swaps out its predecessor’s hedonistic charm for some more mature nuggets of wisdom NME
Their first full-length collaboration since Doggystyle is a celebration of strengths, displaying Snoop's growth while underlining his congenial gangsta appeal Rolling Stone
Aligning with Dre across the full breadth of the record, ‘Missionary’ is one of rap’s most iconic voices doing what he does best Clash
While it doesn't really come close to capturing the lightning-in-a-bottle power of Doggystyle, there's enough of that original spirit mixed with a modernized production sound to make Missionary one of Snoop's more enjoyable full-album listening experiences in several years All Music
Snoop Dogg has a spring in his step on his relentlessly interesting Dr Dre collaboration The Independent
Since we've been around, that is. So, the highest-rated albums from the past twelve years or so. Rankings are calculated to two decimal places.
Kendrick Lamar To Pimp A Butterfly
Fiona Apple Fetch The Bolt Cutters
Kendrick Lamar Damn.
D'Angelo And The Vanguard Black Messiah
Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds Ghosteen
Self Esteem Prioritise Pleasure
Bob Dylan Rough and Rowdy Ways
Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds Skeleton Tree
Frank Ocean Channel Orange
Dave We’re All Alone In This Together