Whitney Houston became an international star with this album. It sold more than ten million copies around the world, yielded a string of number one hit singles across the board like "I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me)," "Didn't We Almost Have It All," and "Love Will Save the Day," and established Houston as the era's top female star. She later went on to more than solidify that status, with other hit albums and a budding film career. While this is a far cry from soul, it's the ultimate in polished, super-produced urban contemporary material.© Ron Wynn /TiVo

When Bossanova arrived in 1990, it reflected the exhaustion the Pixies felt after Doolittle's enormous success: For the first time, the band seems to be running out of ideas. Tellingly, Kim Deal contributes no songs, having formed the Breeders to give her work an outlet; that summer, their debut Pod won a warmer response than Bossanova received. Arguably the Pixies' weakest album -- though Francis has said it's his favorite -- most of it finds the band in fine form. Gil Norton's spacious, reverb-heavy production makes the Pixies sound like a Martian bar band, which fits the cover of the Surftones' "Cecilia Ann" and the glorious, shimmering closer "Havalina" perfectly. On the theremin-driven "Velouria," science fiction imagery displaces Francis' penchant for fetishistic lyrics; next to the token kinky song "Down to the Well"'s tired sound, it's a refreshing change. The similarly cryptic "All Over the World" and alien abduction tale "The Happening" add to the sci-fi feel. Quirky pop songs like "Allison," a tribute to jazz cool-cat Mose Allison, and "Dig for Fire," Francis' self-professed Talking Heads homage, heighten Bossanova's playful, slightly off-kilter vibe, but rockers like "Hang Wire" and "Blown Away," fall flat. However, "Rock Music" is one of the group's most fiery outbursts, and "Is She Weird"'s chugging grind and sexy, funny lyrics make it a classic Pixies song. The band was so consistently amazing on their previous albums that when they released a slightly weaker one, critics and fans alike judged them too harshly. But on Bossanova's strongest moments, the Pixies explored their softer side and found different uses for their extreme dynamics. Like a straight-A student who suddenly receives a B+, Bossanova might have been a disappointment initially, but its (small) failings emphasize the strengths of the rest of the Pixies' work. © Heather Phares /TiVo

These days, the only thing louder than the explosions in your average action/adventure/fantasy/science fiction film trailer is the music. After experiencing German composer Carl Orff's 1937 cantata Carmina Burana paired with slow-motion shots of men preparing for battle for the umpteenth time, composers Nick Phoenix and Thomas J. Bergersen decided that they would create their own production company, Two Steps from Hell, and create their own original trailer music. Skyworld, the company's third collection of compact bombast, is also its first to be widely available publicly (the previous two outings were marketed directly to film studios). The 22 tracks, all of which (as of 2012) have yet to find their celluloid soul mates, feel like the best parts of a Hans Zimmer score condensed into three- to four-minute bursts of over the top tension and melodrama, resulting in the perfect audio companion for a summer blockbuster fan in the doldrums of January, or an extreme sports enthusiast, conspiracy theorist, or necromancer. © James Christopher Monger /TiVo

While Lennon claimed to have always been politically minded, given his working-class upbringing in class-conscious England ("I've been satirizing the system since my childhood," he once mused), rock-pop sensibilities, clever wordplay, or matters of the heart usually took precedence in his musical output. But here Lennon and Yoko, accompanied by New York's Elephant's Memory, sing and scream freely against sexism in "Woman Is the Nigger Of The World" and "Sisters, O Sisters." They protest incarceration in "John Sinclair," "Attica State," and "Born In A Prison," colonialism in "Sunday Bloody Sunday" and "The Luck Of The Irish," and racism in "Angela." The richness of Phil Spector's production fills out the danceable grooves on nearly every track. Also featured is Lennon's paean to his adopted home, "New York City," with allusions to doping clerics and transsexual rockers as well as the highly quotable line, "What a bad-ass city!" On the bonus disc, Lennon and Ono get it on with Zappa and the Mothers in live sets from London and New York. Things heat up considerably with "Cold Turkey," freak out with "Don't Worry Kyoko," and veer into the ridiculous with audience participation on "Scumbag." SOMETIME IN NEW YORK CITY is some of the groovin'-est, most tuneful agit-prop ever committed to disc.© TiVo

Since he had joined Santana in 1972, keyboard player Tom Coster had been Carlos Santana's right-hand man, playing, co-writing, co-producing, and generally taking the place of founding member Gregg Rolie. But Coster left the band in the spring of 1978, to be replaced by keyboardist/guitarist Chris Solberg and keyboardist Chris Ryne. Despite the change, the band soldiered on, and with Inner Secrets they scored three chart singles: the discoish "One Chain (Don't Make No Prison)" (#59), "Stormy" (#32), and a cover of Buddy Holly's "Well All Right" (#69), done in the Blind Faith arrangement. (There seems to be a Steve Winwood fixation here. The album also featured a cover of Traffic's "Dealer.") The singles kept the album on the charts longer than any Santana LP since 1971...© William Ruhlmann /TiVo

Diana Ross' first album of originals in over 20 years and first studio LP since the covers-oriented I Love You is neither the unqualified triumph nor the disgrace it could have been. Thank You is constructed as a major return. Although Ross co-wrote eight of the songs and did some of the recording at her home studio, it involves multiple teams of writers and producers, was pieced together from other sessions in Los Angeles, New York, Miami, and London, and features the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and London Symphony Orchestra separately on over half the cuts. Ross seems much more invested in these songs than she did on her 1999 and 2006 efforts. She puts her all into these positive messages of gratitude, support, and unity, no matter how much the lyrics resemble mixed-and-matched phrases from inspirational memes. Conviction is always evident in her soothing voice, even when it's modulated to a jarring extent or sounds somewhat garbled. The clearest bid for a smash is the one produced by hitmaker Jack Antonoff, "I Still Believe," whose fully tricked-out modern disco is so sweeping and grand that Annie Clark's guitar is barely audible. That and other songs clearly attempt to recapture moments from Ross' past -- the Supremes era and later solo ballads and dancefloor hits -- and then there's "Beautiful Love," a ballad that seems to have Lionel Richie's "Hello" in mind despite its maternal perspective. That song is among eight collaborations with Troy Miller (Laura Mvula, Gregory Porter). The four made with the hipper Triangle Park team are more adventurous, veering from the stiff dancefloor jumble "Tomorrow" to "Let's Do It," a motivational number that finely melds U.K. garage and synth funk (a world apart from the like-titled Cole Porter composition Ross reinterpreted on Blue). © Andy Kellman /TiVo

Featuring a selection of Oscar-winning standards, ranging from 1934's "The Continental" to 1962's "Days of Wine and Roses," Academy Award Winners is professional and stylish album, but it only yields a handful of true gems. That isn't the fault of either Frank Sinatra or arranger/conductor Nelson Riddle. Although their performances aren't quite as distinguished as their past collaborations, they are nevertheless highly enjoyable. Sinatra is charming and lively, even if he doesn't demonstrate the full range of his technique on each track, while Riddle's charts are light and entertaining. The main problem with record is how it plays as a series of individual moments, not as a cohesive collection. Granted, some of the moments are first-rate -- "The Way You Look Tonight" is one of Sinatra's classic performances, and "Three Coins in the Fountain" and "All the Way" are nearly as good -- but the moments never form a whole, which makes the album an occasionally frustrating listen.© Stephen Thomas Erlewine /TiVo

William Bell wrote "Born Under a Bad Sign," "You Don't Miss Your Water," and "I Forgot to Be Your Lover," among many other R&B classics, and anyone with those tunes on their résumé has nothing to prove to anyone. But no artist wants to be regarded as a spent force, no matter how impressive their past body of work may be. While Bell has stayed in the game since his glory days in the '60s and '70s, like many giants of the soul era, his recordings of the '90s and onward often suffered from poor production and a lack of sympathetic, worthwhile collaborators. But unlike many of his peers, Bell has been lucky enough to get a second chance at making a great record, and the revived Stax label teamed Bell with songwriter and producer John Leventhal. Working with Leventhal has brought out the best in Bell, and 2016's This Is Where I Live is his strongest and most powerful work since the late '70s. Bell's voice is in marvelous condition here, with the faint signs of age only adding to the subtle authority of his delivery. And in Leventhal, Bell has found a writing partner who has coaxed some excellent songs from him. The new songs on This Is Where I Live deal with the home truths of life and love that are the bedrock of Southern Soul. "The Three of Me," "The House Always Wins," and the title song are thoughtful and literate while also sounding warm and down to earth, and the maturity of Bell's outlook speaks of wisdom rather than wear. Bell also finds a few new wrinkles in his re-recording of "Born Under a Bad Sign," and his interpretation of Jesse Winchester's "All Your Stories" is splendid and knowing. The studio musicians have given these songs backdrops that evoke the mood of vintage soul without stumbling into cliches, and practically every aspect of this album flatters Bell and his talents. It's tempting to call This Is Where I Live a comeback, but the truth is Bell never went away. What the album does prove is that Bell's talent is as strong as ever, and that he's been given a chance to let it shine. Give a carpenter a small amount of marginal materials and he'll build a shed. Give that builder the proper supplies and he can construct a house. Give William Bell what he needs and he'll give you a mansion, and that's just what he's delivered with This Is Where I Live.© Mark Deming /TiVo

Besides being noteworthy as an astonishingly good all-covers album, Kicking Against the Pricks is notable for the arrival of a new key member for the Seeds, drummer Thomas Wydler. Besides being a fine percussionist, able to perform at both the explosive and restrained levels Cave requires, Wydler also allowed Harvey to concentrate on adding guitar and keyboards live as well as in the studio, a notable bonus. Race reappears briefly to add some guitar while former Birthday Party cohorts Rowland Howard and Tracy Pew guest as well, the latter on some of his last tracks before his untimely death. The selection of songs is quite impressive, ranging from old standards like "Long Black Veil" to everything from John Lee Hooker's "I'm Gonna Kill That Woman" and Gene Pitney's pop aria "Something's Gotten Hold of My Heart." Matching the range of material, the Seeds are well on their way to becoming the rock/cabaret/blues showband of Cave's dreams, able to conjure up haunting, winsome atmospheres ("Sleeping Annaleah") as much as higher-volume takes (Roy Orbison's "Running Scared," the Velvet Underground's "All Tomorrow's Parties"). The version of Leadbelly's "Black Betty" is particularly grand, Harvey's drumming driving the track with ominous power. This said, often holding everything back is the key, as the creepout build of "Hey Joe" demonstrates. Even more striking is how Cave's own vocals rebut the charges that all he ever does is overdramatize everything he sings -- consider the husky, purring delivery on Johnny Cash's "The Singer." Other winners include a masterful version of Jimmy Webb's "By the Time I Get to Phoenix" and the stately, album-closing "The Carnival Is Over," originally a mid-'60s hit for the Seekers.© Ned Raggett /TiVo

Following a four-year-long hiatus, Jason Mraz presents his sixth album. Know remains faithful to the modern and sunny pop folk he’s been known for since his early days. However, this opus is by far his most sincere. After discovering Buddhism in Myanmar, many things have resounded in the mind of the two-time Grammy Award winning singer. Sharing, giving and many other positive thoughts: a myriad of wholesome vibes have influenced Mraz’s creativity. Supported by David Hodges and other long-time collaborators, this new project ventures in an enticing pop direction. A romantic duo with Meghan Trainor on More Than Friends, a dreamy folk ballad with Sleeping to Dream, sensational and catchy pop with Have It All or dancing and rhythmic pop on Might As Well Dance: Mraz is all the rage once again. © Anna Coluthe/Qobuz

To dare, in this day and age, to produce a cover version of the whole of the album Lady in Satin by Billie Holiday, the late masterpiece released shortly before the legendary singer's death, one would either have to be ambitious to the point of pretension, or else approach the project very cleverly. Singer-guitarist M. Ward, an unassuming fixture of American pop and Americana for about twenty years, has, naturally, chosen the second option: his approach is gentle and careful. Whereas in 1958 Billie Holiday sang amidst a forty-strong orchestra, like a shipwreck amid a storm, Mr. Ward approaches the songs of Lady in Satin alone, with an acoustic guitar and a Tascam 4-track. Mr. Ward has always been a friend of female singers. He has played with Cat Power, Norah Jones and Zooey Deschanel on the duo She & Him. Maybe in addition to thinking about spring, he was dreaming of accompanying Billie Holiday on this record. In any case, his singing draws out the torpor and detachment from Lady Day’s works. His guitar playing is deceptively simple and minimalist, like idle chords strummed at home when no one is listening. Sometimes they sound like hoarse little jazz bossas, hanging out of time. Recorded on a tight budget and finished during the Covid epidemic when Mr. Ward could no longer do concerts, Think of Spring sounds like an album of domestic demos, a pyjama record. © Stéphane Deschamps/Qobuz.