21 June 2018
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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Third studio album from the New York rapper with guest appearances from FKA twigs, French Montana, Juicy J, Kid Cudi, Kodak Black, Moby, Frank Ocean, Skepta
6.4
The Harlem rapper's latest is loud, frenetic, and about as vibrant as hip-hop gets Read Review
Sonically, Testing is an experimental project. A shedding of the 29-year-old artist's old skin and a rebirth of something more profound and slightly more complicated Read Review
On his third studio album, Rocky is more experimental and personal. But for music that relies on the New York rapper’s artful intuitions, it’s unfortunate his intuitions are often very basic Read Review
An intriguing mix of garbled white noise and amp interference interspersed with splashes of instrumentals and a smattering of A-list features Read Review
ASAP Rocky takes to more experimentation in his music to match up with his style of fashion Read Review
Testing is what it says it is, though this far into his career, he should be doing better than merely a passing grade Read Review
The rapper’s aversion to the mainstream takes his third album to some glorious heights, with the help of Skepta and Frank Ocean. But is his swaggering decadence wearing thin? Read Review
Testing’s title might suggest experimentation, but it delivers more on tentativeness, with a smattering of solid songs mixed into aesthetically interesting but unresolved experiments Read Review
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Culture Abuse Bay Dream
California band Culture Abuse are no longer so upset at the world on new album Bay Dream PopMatters
Their focus is squarely on the lovelier things in life DIY
A great example of a band living up to the potential hinted at by their early work, and while day-one fans might be turned off by the album's cleaned-up production, it would be ungracious to begrudge a young band their newfound opportunities Exclaim
At first glance, it's easy to underestimate Culture Abuse for the part-time slackers they present themselves to be, but there's a lot more to them than meets the eye on this satisfying second effort All Music
A breezy, poppy and oh-so melodic summer album Punk News
The Carters Everything Is Love
This album is really just a fart that smells like dingy dollar bills Earbuddy
Sophie Oil Of Every Pearl's Un-Insides
Art isn’t immediately good just because it’s progressive or moral, but OIL OF EVERY PEARL's UN-INSIDES isn’t moralising. It’s an invocation, a diarising, the personal becoming political through its own pertinence The 405
Kamasi Washington Heaven & Earth
When was the last time a jazz album included seven violas? The Arts Desk
Neko Case Hell-On
This is an album of disparate musical tones that together create an emotional journey God Is In The TV
A triumphant, albeit compromising, capstone to the superstars’ reconciliation saga Consequence Of Sound
A powerful statement of identity, a shattering of traditional genre boundaries and nuanced, moving expressions of emotion where there once was an inscrutable deadpan. The fact that it all sounds so irresistibly good is the icing on the cake music OMH
Nas NASIR
Nasir proves Nas’ ongoing relevance as one of New York’s biggest living rappers, with the best overall production and best quality control since Illmatic music OMH
Closing with “LOVEHAPPY”, Beyonce and Hov are at their most transparent about the moment that almost broke their marriage The Independent
The duo’s surprise release, rooted far more in hip-hop than R&B, embraces their romantic bliss and phenomenal wealth as well as highlighting racism in the US The Guardian
A powerful celebration of love, family and legacy Rolling Stone
Since we've been around, that is. So, the highest-rated albums from the past eight years or so. Rankings are calculated to two decimal places.
Kendrick Lamar To Pimp A Butterfly
Kendrick Lamar Damn.
D'Angelo And The Vanguard Black Messiah
Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds Skeleton Tree
Frank Ocean Channel Orange
Anaïs Mitchell Hadestown
Kanye West My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
Leonard Cohen You Want It Darker
Sufjan Stevens Carrie & Lowell
Mount Eerie A Crow Looked at Me