Music Reviews

In the controlled stillness of a theater stage-managed to match her songs' swirling moods, Adele seems to have found her place at last. Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for AD hide caption

In their work as Fever Ray, artist Karin Dreijer has used eerie, experimental pop music to excavate love's more complicated or marginalized incarnations. Nina Andersson hide caption

Not only does Paramore speak to the apathy of the times without sweeping grief under the rug, but This Is Why finds a new equilibrium among its members. Zachary Gray/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

Kelela's emotional remove paired with the ambiguity created by her vocal performance shifts this album from narrative-telling to mood-building. Photo by Alima Lee hide caption

Liv.e's turntablist approach warps the listener's sense of reality, letting reveries and hypotheticals bleed into the horizon without interrupting the perception of time and space. Photo by qlick hide caption

Caroline Polachek's new album, Desire, I Want To Turn Into You, comes at a particularly breathless point in the adventurous pop songwriter's career. Nedda Afsari/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

Billie Eilish in the video for "No Time to Die." YouTube hide caption

The work that so clearly went into sharpening Wizkid's delivery bristles against the listlessness applied to his writing. His voice alone can no longer sustain him. Fawaz Ibrahim hide caption

Natalie Mering — who performs as Weyes Blood — has been known to swing for the fences. Neil Krug hide caption

SAULT's work reinforces the sonic connections between global Black communities — from Africa to the Americas — and brings in a multitude of voices to tell an undivided story. Courtesy of the Artist hide caption

GloRilla hardly deviates from her points of emphasis, lyrically, but in energy, she's giving something different at almost every turn. Courtesy of the Artist hide caption

Daniel Bachman asked friends and family to chronicle the sound of pouring rain and strong winds to craft the personal palette for Almanac Behind. Aldona Dye/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

Revival: Live at Pookie's Pub captures a transitional moment in Elvin Jones' career. Francis Wolff/Courtesy of Blue Note Records hide caption

Despite the churlishness, or maybe because of it, Drake sounds, for the first time in a long time, like he's actually enjoying rapping. Courtesy of the artist hide caption