Since her 2013 debut, “Same Trailer, Different Park,” Kacey Musgraves has claimed a niche all of her own within country music, striking a delicate balance between authenticity and accessibility. In spite of…
Is it better to be boring or uneven? Both are admittedly reductive characterizations of the music of Drake and Kanye West, but in this week of long-delayed, extremely high profile album releases,…
It’s impossible to evaluate Kanye West’s new music without considering everything that comes with it. Not just the unfocused pageantry leading up to the release of his long-delayed 10th album “Donda”…
Halsey has emerged among the young pop stars of their generation as an artist both with something to say, and the maturity to say it meaningfully. Maybe such declarations are premature —…
It can be a double-edged sword when artists slavishly explain their motive and inspirations for songs: the explanations simultaneously provide helpful context for something that may be misinterpreted, but they also remove all…
At a time when rock ‘n’ roll is more out of vogue than ever before, you have to hand it to the Killers: they found a way to absorb lots of different…
It’s hard not to look at Nas’ Grammy win last year for “King’s Disease” as a career win rather than individual recognition of what is a very good record, the musical equivalent…
At 28, Tinashe has produced a body of work that rivals artists two or three times her age: “333” is her fifth studio album, but her tenth overall project, and that…
Being a Prince fan means you have an obligation to feel a little bit conflicted every time his estate releases new material. The notorious perfectionist controlled every aspect of his vast library…
As a producer and songwriter, Jack Antonoff has been the transformative power behind artists like Taylor Swift, Lana Del Rey, St. Vincent, and Lorde, tweaking sounds and enacting changes in the pop landscape.
Billie Eilish has become one of the biggest pop stars in the world, and it seems like it might be the worst possible thing, that’s exactly what she wanted. It is more…
It’s always a challenge for an artist working on the periphery of a genre to cultivate a strong commercial following while retaining their unique personality — and to not be too well-defined by…