Music Reviews

Discover a broad range of this year's most compelling classical recordings, including symphonic booty-shakers, mystic violin, pipe organ prog and a guided tour of 18th century German chart-toppers.

Whether you're anxiously awaiting Christmas or already wishing the holidays would be over, here's a selection of music that lets you know you're not alone.

These love songs — Neko Case's "Oh, Neglect...," Valerie June's "Runnin' and Searchin'" and Olivia Dean's "Man I Need" — each express a refreshingly realistic ambivalence toward romance.

The American comedy Jay Kelly and the Scandinavian drama Sentimental Value are funhouse mirror versions of the same story about celebrities and their daughters.

Smith's debut album ushered in a new era of rock and roll. Critic Ken Tucker reviews the new anniversary edition of Horses, plus we listen back to Terry Gross' 1996 and 2010 interviews with Smith.

On his story-of-the-year album The Boy Who Played the Harp, the gifted Londoner puts an eye on the human casualties of fame and success.

Oh took the fast track to jazz prominence, emerging on the scene in the 2000s and becoming the bass player in bands led by Pat Metheny and Vijay Iyer. Her new album is a look back at her early work.

Critic Lloyd Schwartz tells a story about Lezhneva, a Russian singer he "discovered" a few months ago — without realizing he already owned a 2015 recording of her rendition of Handel's early oratorio.

The restless musician, sporting less electronic gear than usual, spotlights the acoustic warmth of her instrument in pieces stimulated by Bach's cello suites.

Three new hip-hop releases show a way forward for mid-level artists: albums the length of a network sitcom, and committing to the audience you already have.