Adi Mehta
Taylor Swift Continues To Reclaim Her Roots With ‘Speak Now (Taylor’s Version)’
Album Reviews • Published on July 2023
Any release from a specific stage of an artist’s life might function as a time capsule, but few do this as perfectly as Taylor Swift’s 2010 album “Speak Now.” As the first…
PJ Harvey’s Masterful Book-Length Poem Gets a Surreal Soundtrack With ‘I Inside the Old Year Dying’
Album Reviews • Published on July 2023
PJ Harvey has never been one to lapse into routine. Every album since her 1992 debut, “Dry,” has taken unanticipated turns. Still, these disparate works can all be said to bear her…
On ‘Subtract,’ Ed Sheeran Seeks Catharsis by Diving Into His Own Depression
Aaron Dessner • Published on May 2023
Ed Sheeran has managed to consistently top charts ever since “Plus.” That work began an ambitious four-part series that is now coming to a closure, with the release of its final installment,…
The National Find Inspiration in Mary Shelley on Post-Depression Rebound Album
Album Reviews • Published on April 2023
Indie mainstay, The National, released their last album, 2019’s “I Am Easy to Find,” in conjunction with a short film that began with birth and ended with death. It shouldn’t particularly boggle…
‘Little Richard: I Am Everything’ Captures the Conflicted Life and Legacy of a Rock ‘n’ Roll Pioneer
Features • Published on April 2023
The roots of rock ‘n’ roll have always belonged to its Black pioneers, but Little Richard was an important figure who went largely unrecognized throughout his life. Filmmaker Lisa Cortés’ new documentary, “…
Lana Del Rey Hovers Between Heaven and Hotel Room Floors on ‘Did You Know That There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd’
Album Reviews • Published on March 2023
Lana Del Rey has always offered a unique mix of nostalgia and novelty. Modes and manners of bygone eras came alongside hip-hop-style grandstanding in crafted pop songs that often took inspiration from…
‘Endless Summer Vacation’ Scrambles the Reinventions of Miley Cyrus Into a Single Serving
Album Reviews • Published on March 2023
A new Miley Cyrus album has usually come with a new Miley Cyrus. The last Miley was the ‘80s rock revisionist of 2020’s “Plastic Heart.” Before that came the country pop good…
On ‘Red Moon in Venus,’ Kali Uchis Swoons Over Sultry Slow Jams With Sharp Edges
Album Reviews • Published on March 2023
Kali Uchis’ third album, “Red Moon in Venus,” opens to chirping birds and languid keys, as Uchis speaks, “I just wanted to tell you, in case you forgot / I love…
Caroline Polachek Leaps Forward With Bolder Avant-Pop Designs on ‘Desire, I Want to Turn Into You’
Album Reviews • Published on February 2023
Caroline Polachek made her name as frontwoman of indie pop outfit Chairlift, teased different personas under the monikers of Ramona Lisa and CEP, and went on to write songs for the likes…
The Raw Affection and Aggression of SZA’s ‘SOS’
Album Reviews • Published on December 2022
With her debut album, 2017’s “Ctrl,” SZA established herself as a singer-songwriter quite like no other. While her early EPs had teased refreshing variations on contemporary R&B designs, her first full-length release…
On ‘Midnights,’ Taylor Swift Assumes New Confessional Depths
Album Reviews • Published on October 2022
Last year, Taylor Swift rerecorded two of her early albums, 2008’s “Fearless” and 2012’s “Red,” as part of her plan to regain control of her master recordings. The faithful rework of “Red”…
Megan Thee Stallion Returns Guns Blazing but Unfocused on ‘Traumazine’
Album Reviews • Published on August 2022
Megan The Stallion begins her new album guns blazing, declaring, “I ain’t perfect, but anything I did to any of you niggas, y’all deserved it.” From the onset of opener “NDA,” her…
The Consummate Songcraft of Maggie Rogers Gets an Overhaul on ‘Surrender’
Album Reviews • Published on July 2022
Few singer-songwriters in recent years have enjoyed a success story quite like Maggie Rogers. While Rogers was pursuing a degree at NYU’s Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music, a 2016 master class…
Beyoncé Catwalks Through a Celebratory Summer With ‘Renaissance’
Album Reviews • Published on July 2022
Beyoncé has long subverted standards, marching comfortably to the beat of her own drum. Indeed, the spectacular drumlines at her historic 2018 Coachella performance, commemorated in the Netflix film, “Homecoming: A Film…
Lizzo Knows She Is ‘Special,’ and Insists You Are Too
Album Reviews • Published on July 2022
Lizzo storms into her fourth album, “Special,” wearing a wide grin, greeting her audience with, “Hi motherfucker, did you miss me?” She promptly updates us, “I’ve been home since 2020 /…
‘Halftime’ Documentary Is a Salute to Jennifer Lopez
Features • Published on June 2022
Director Amanda Micheli’s Netflix documentary “Halftime” is an overdue celebration of Jennifer Lopez. Rather than follow a traditional biographical format or merely peer behind the scenes of Lopez’s titular 2020…
Harry Styles Balances Giddy Revelry and Sentimental Musings on ‘Harry’s House’
Album Reviews • Published on May 2022
For his third solo album, “Harry’s House,” Harry Styles took inspiration from Japanese pop pioneer Haruomi Hosono, who released a record in 1973 titled “Hosono House.” While Styles staked out a…
The Smile ‘A Light For Attracting Attention’: Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood Shed Weight on Radiohead Side Project
Album Reviews • Published on May 2022
In July 2005, Radiohead’s Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood premiered a piece titled “Weird Fishes / Arpeggi” at the Ether Festival with the London Sinfonietta Orchestra and the Arab Orchestra of Nazareth. Greenwood,…
Kendrick Lamar Unmasks, Relinquishes the Myth on ‘Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers’
Album Reviews • Published on May 2022
“United In Grief,” the opening number of Kendrick Lamar’s latest record, begins with a sung snippet, courtesy of singer-songwriter Sam Dew: “I hope you find some peace of mind in this lifetime.”…
Florence and the Machine Harness the Power of ‘Dance Fever’
Album Reviews • Published on May 2022
“Dance Fever,” the latest album from UK indie giants Florence and the Machine, drew its titular inspiration from the phenomenon of choreomania, a mysterious “dancing plague” that took over Europe in…