The Avett Brothers Closer Than Together

Published Oct 07, 2019

Oh bless Seth and Scott Avett — at least their hearts are in the right place. The well-meaning alt-folk siblings pull out all the stops on n...

Sturgill Simpson Sound & Fury

Published Sep 30, 2019

Some touring musicians like to call themselves road warriors, but Sturgill Simpson takes that term to Mad Max extremes on Sound & Fury, the...

Skyzoo and Pete Rock Retropolitan

Published Sep 25, 2019

"Heavy is the crown, but love the way fit on," Skyzoo spits on the chorus of "Carry the Tradition," making bearing that weight sound less li...

EarthGang Mirrorland

Published Sep 13, 2019

Impressive as elaborate lyricism can often be, there's also something to be said for simplicity. No MC in recent memory has made that case m...

Bas Spilled Milk Vol. 1

Published Aug 12, 2019

Like the simple yet deliciously tempting milk bottles on its cover art, Bas's latest release is a fresh batch of tracks that'll quench your...

Black Milk DiVE

Published Aug 06, 2019

Rap's most eclectic producer sets his sights on yet another genre, and once again draws on that style in inventive and exciting ways. This t...

Chance the Rapper The Big Day

Published Jul 29, 2019

Hip-hop's good guy has a confession to make. Yes, Chance the Rapper — the church-going, gospel-inclined, typically chipper MC — has learned...

Maxo Kream Brandon Banks

Published Jul 22, 2019

Maxo Kream will sound like a true student of the game during your first listen to Brandon Banks, the Houston MC's major label debut. Back-ha...

Freddie Gibbs & Madlib Bandana

Published Jun 28, 2019

For a rapper like Freddie Gibbs, any old beat would frankly do. So astute is his auteurist eye for nitty-gritty details, so athletically nim...

Willie Nelson Ride Me Back Home

Published Jun 20, 2019

Who says growing old can't be fun? Willie Nelson makes it sound like a gas on Ride Me Back Home, his latest LP and one of the best in the li...

GoldLink Diaspora

Published Jun 18, 2019

Panting. A racing pulse. Palpable, all but audible perspiration. Howling creatures in the distance.   These are but a few of the elements...

Mariee Sioux Grief in Exile

Published Jun 04, 2019

How can grief sound so gorgeous? Nevada City, CA singer-songwriter Mariee Sioux deftly pulls off that dichotomy on "Baby Wave," a key track...

Blu & Exile True & Livin

Published May 27, 2019

NASCAR isn't a typical touchstone in hip-hop lyrics, to say the least. But leave it to Blu to boldly go outside the box and name-check drive...

Aquasocks Holos

Published May 23, 2019

We all know the worst hip-hop glamorizes materialism and excess. But some of the best rap elevates such desires into fantasies that can insp...

Logic Confessions of a Dangerous Mind

Published May 13, 2019

Hate Logic all you want — you're only giving him more ammunition.   He spits quicker than an automatic rifle on "Homicide" (the smash sing...

Carlton Jumel Smith 1634 Lexington Avenue

Published May 13, 2019

In the tradition of Curtis Mayfield's "Miss Black America" and Sam Cooke's "You're Always On My Mind," Carlton Jumel Smith's "Woman You Made...

Donovan Woods The Other Way

Published May 03, 2019

By stripping down the songs from his masterful 2018 LP Both Ways on the newly released The Other Way, Donovan Woods has put a fresh spin on...

ScHoolboy Q CrasH Talk

Published May 01, 2019

Good news, ScHoolboy Q fans: he's still as menacing, off-kilter and creative as ever, maybe more so. But this time, he makes all those compe...

Supa Bwe Just Say Thank You

Published Apr 17, 2019

Getting Chance the Rapper on your album is a tall order indeed. But to then steal the show from the esteemed Chicago MC? Why that would be a...

Tim Baker Forever Overhead

Published Apr 16, 2019

When you pack East coast venues with fans that holler your orchestral indie rock anthems to the rafters, how do you up the ante from there?...