Firmly in his comfort zone, Tim McGraw doesn't stray from the expected on Standing Room Only. Working once again with Byron Gallimore, his producer since the beginning, McGraw sticks to the middle of the road, turning out ballads as well as love tunes and inspirational pop numbers that feel like ballads thanks to their immaculate polish. The smooth approach is the appeal of Standing Room Only -- it glides easily, it sounds as familiar and cozy as home -- but it's also something of a detriment. Not only do all the songs blend together on the album itself, the line separating Standing Room Only and Here on Earth -- or The Rest of Our Life, for that matter -- blurs easily: they all provide grist for an easy-listening mill, offering seamless comfortable entertainment on an endless Tim McGraw playlist.© Stephen Thomas Erlewine /TiVo

This album was summarily dismissed by reviewers, who universally invoked their handbooks of hackneyed "critic speak." Cop-out terms like "indulgent" and "pretentious" were bandied about, employing the popular critics' method of simply discrediting an album due to its concurrent release with the arrival of punk rock -- as if that were an intellectually sound critique given the virtually unrelated style of Jethro Tull's music. The main knock on this album is the ill-conceived concept involving an aging rock star. That is a valid observation, but what rock concept albums are deserving of literary accolades? Precious few, if any. Lyrical themes notwithstanding, Too Old to Rock 'n' Roll is a fine collection of independent rock songs that marked a return to the classic Tull style carved out on Aqualung and Benefit. Absent here are the muddled epic-length pieces synonymous with Thick as a Brick and A Passion Play, the pop leanings of War Child, and the complexity of Minstrel in the Gallery. So despite being the target of disparaging reviews, this album achieved modest chart success and boasted several quality rockers like "Quizz Kid," "Taxi Grab," and "Big Dipper." Martin Barre's unheralded lead guitar style remains a force, rescuing a couple of tracks from the doldrums. David Palmer's orchestral arrangements are, at times, a bit overblown, but this album is far from the colossal disaster it's been portrayed as. Jethro Tull's third bassist, John Glascock, made his debut on this record, and Maddy Prior makes a guest appearance on the title track.© Dave Sleger /TiVo

Bass player Christian McBride regularly sets his big gleaming band in motion. This time for a second album, Bringin’ It, following the brilliant The Good Feeling released in 2011. An enchanting break for the musician, whose name is featured on over 300 albums. A configuration that the best bass players in jazz history – Charles Mingus, Charlie Haden, Jaco Pastorius, William Parker, Ron Carter, etc. – have always favoured, and that lets McBride shine as a leader, but also as an arranger. But even more so, he falls in the tradition of the great ensembles led by Oliver Nelson, Benny Golson, Duke Ellington, and Billy Strayhorn, over even Maria Schneider. And let’s not forget (in a reduced format), the Art Blakey’s Jazz Messenger, a major influence as well. The strength of Bringin’ It is to incorporate this entire big-band heritage, handpicking the past to reach a rather personal partition dominated by colours. In order to reach this rhythmically staggering rainbow, Christian McBride surrounded himself with true virtuosos whose main attribute is to be receptive to others around them. © MD/Qobuz

One of Duke Ellington's finest small group sessions from his final decade was this frequently exciting quartet date with guitarist Joe Pass, bassist Ray Brown and drummer Louie Bellson. Ellington's percussive style always sounded modern and he comes up with consistently strong solos on such numbers as "Love You Madly," "The Hawk Talks" and especially "Cotton Tail," easily keeping up with his younger sidemen. Highly recommended.© Scott Yanow /TiVo

On the third of his three standards albums, trumpeter Wynton Marsalis meets up with his father, pianist Ellis Marsalis (along with bassist Reginald Veal and drummer Herlin Riley), for 17 standards and three of his originals (including "In the Court of King Oliver"). Wynton, perhaps because of his father's presence, is very respectful of the melodies, sometimes overly so. The result is that this set is not as adventurous as one would like although Marsalis's beautiful tone makes the music worth hearing.© Scott Yanow /TiVo

There are countless tributes to this little town in Alabama! Muscle Shoals: Small Town, Big Sound looks back on these productions from legendary studios M.S.S.S (Muscle Shoals Sound Studio) and Fame, that changed the history of soul music. Beyond a simple tribute, it is a flashback that reflects on an entire era. The sixties saw the rise of the great producer Rick Hall, a visionary and craftsman of soul music, but also of the Swampers, who played for a multitude of artists: Aretha Franklin, Wilson Pickett, Etta James, Cher, Joe Cocker, James Brown, Bob Dylan, the Rolling Stones and many others. On the fringes of country and rock’n’roll, with blues and even pop influences, it would take ten albums like this one to explore it all. This tribute album remains faithful to the magic of Muscle Shoals. Grace Potter brings Etta James back to life on I'd Rather Go Blind, Steve Tyler and Nuno Bettencourt tear up Keith and Mick’s Brown Sugar, and Kid Rock provides a little surprise with Clarence Carter’s Snatching It Back. Even the new generation joins the party! Jason Isbell, the ambassador of modern country rock, puts his spin on Candi Staton’s I Ain't Easy To Love. With groovy soul and a warm atmosphere, this project also carries a strong emotional load. Led by Rodney Hall (Rick’s son), this album is a tribute to his father who passed away in early 2018 and couldn’t see it fully finished. Needless to say, the small town with the big sound is not stopping anytime soon… © Clara Bismuth/Qobuz

Scott Walker's success as a teen idol singer of Spectorish ballads with the Walker Brothers in no way prepared listeners for the mordant, despairing lyrics of his solo debut. To compound the surprise, he does his best to imitate the vocal girth of Tony Bennett and Frank Sinatra on this mix of original tunes and covers, which also features sweeping, bloated orchestral arrangements. It was hardly rock, and pop of a most oddball sort, but it found a surprisingly large audience -- in Britain, anyway, where it reached the Top Three in 1967. Poke behind the velvet curtain of the languid MOR arrangements, and one finds a surprisingly literate existentialist at the helm of these proceedings. His lyrical nuances were probably lost on his audience of predominately teenage girls, though they've earned him a small cult audience that endures to this day. Besides presenting three of his own compositions, Walker covers tunes by Weill/Mann, Tim Hardin, and Andre & Dory Previn on this album, as well as three songs by his favorite writer, Jacques Brel. Highlights include his exquisitely anguished rendition of Brel's classic "Amsterdam" and his dramatic cover of the early-'60s Toni Fisher pop ballad "The Big Hurt."© Richie Unterberger /TiVo

After Sunday's Child, John Martyn took an extended break from studio recording. By late 1975, feeling he was close to going "completely round the bend," he had also stopped touring. To put some distance between himself and the pressures of the business and to recoup his creative energies, he went to Jamaica. There, after meeting dub producer Lee "Scratch" Perry, Martyn sat in on sessions by other artists and contributed to Burning Spear's Man in the Hills. Martyn returned to the U.K. reinvigorated and began recording One World in summer 1977. Produced by Island boss Chris Blackwell and featuring Dave Pegg, Morris Pert, John Stevens, Danny Thompson, and Steve Winwood, among others, One World combines the experimental tendencies of 1973's Inside Out and the more conventional song structures of Sunday's Child. While tracks like "Couldn't Love You More," "Smiling Stranger," and "Certain Surprise" display some continuity with the rootsy, jazzy folk-rock of Martyn's previous albums, this record has a stronger commercial feel than his earlier work, crossing over into pop territory. Especially memorable in that regard is the electrified swagger of "Big Muff," a number co-written by Perry that would become one of Martyn's live staples. But One World's understated explorations of mood are even more compelling; the experimental nature of dub -- of which Perry was a legendary exponent -- clearly resonated with Martyn. Since the early '70s, he had displayed a keen ear for sonic manipulation, using effects like Echoplex and a phase shifter to craft drifting, hypnotic textures. Here, the lazy title track and the synth-pulsing "Small Hours" exemplify Martyn's knack for mesmerizing, smoky grooves. Those looser, atmospheric numbers notwithstanding, most of One World signals the more slick pop direction John Martyn would take in the '80s starting with Grace & Danger (and with increasingly mixed results). [In 2005, Island released a Deluxe Edition of One World that included five live tracks and 10 alternate versions of songs from the initial release.]© Wilson Neate /TiVo

The beauty of Roxette is that the duo of Per Gessle and Marie Fredriksson can do practically anything in terms of Top 40 music. From the quiet desperation of "Spending My Time" to the chanting carnival of "Joyride" to the folky "Church of Your Heart," they bring a worldliness to their lyrics and melodies that most pop A-listers don't even have the imagination to dream of. This, the follow-up to their breakthrough disc, Look Sharp!, sees through on what that collection hinted at, meaning most of the songs sound like they were designed to be hit singles, not just filler between two or three good cuts. "The Big L," "Soul Deep," and "Hotblooded" all follow in the successful vein Gessle and Fredriksson mined with "The Look," while "Fading Like a Flower (Every Time You Leave)," an insistent rock ballad, and the accordion-driven "Perfect Day" take things down a notch. The low-key "Watercolours in the Rain" and the whining "(Do You Get) Excited?" are the only cuts that keep the album from being a total success. For the most part, though, this is two pop artists at the top of their game.© Bryan Buss /TiVo

Chumbawamba had been kicking around the British indie scene for years, releasing nine albums before Tubthumper unexpectedly brought the band to the top of the charts not only in England, but around the world. The difference between Tubthumper and the rest of Chumbawamba's catalog lay in "Tubthumping," a giddily infectious blend of big dance beats, pop hooks, and football chants. It's a standout single, one that finds the group at its catchiest, and there isn't anything quite as good on the remainder of Tubthumper, an album that finds the group downplaying its notorious political radicalism in favor of pop and dance. Still, there's a handful of cuts scattered throughout the record that make the album worthwhile, and there's no denying that "Tubthumping" is a hit single unlike any other. It's one of the least likely hit singles ever, and that alone makes the record distinctive.© Stephen Thomas Erlewine /TiVo

After the juvenile observer and the gangster mogul, Nas needed a new challenge for his third album. Now a muse for an uncompromisingly globalised rap, an heir to both Rakim and Whodini, Nas was hailed and booed in equal measure for his choices and his position. His career ran into trouble after his group The Firm proved a commercial and critical flop; as did his collaboration with Cormega, who was his main influence and link to the streets; and his ill-fated work with Dr. Dre. With this new, hotly-anticipated album, Nas aimed to re-impose himself as a widely-acclaimed genius. Revised and remodelled many times, I am was one one of the first albums to suffer enormously from piracy and successive leaks. Nas threw in the ultimate provocation, appearing on the sleeve as a Pharaoh, and as a Christian martyr with Puff Daddy, commercial rap's great demon of the day, on the controversial "Hate Me Now".But, inviting legends Scarface, DMX and Aliyaah, he survived the decimation of the icons of the day, and paid his respects to 2pac and Biggie on “We Will Survive”. Bearing the cross for his movement, Nas sometimes gets lost in a suit that's too big for him, with some cheap flash from Trackmasters and LES. But alongside these contradictions, we also see a return to good old habits, especially with DJ Premier on the iconic "NY State of Mind Part II" and above all "Nas is Like". As his urban hymns continue to resonate, Nas remains one of the greatest voices of his time.  © Aurélien Chapuis/ Qobuz  

Lady A took a breather after 2014's 747, with Charles Kelley and Hillary Scott both releasing solo albums in 2016, while Dave Haywood produced the country-pop trio Post Monroe. Reconvening, the group teamed up with Busbee -- the buzz producer of 2017 thanks to his lithe, clever production for Maren Morris' 2016 debut Hero -- and headed out to the west coast to cut Heart Break. Lady A have steadily drifted toward the smooth sounds of soft rock, and recording in Southern California only accentuates their inherent mellowness. Busbee adds some flash to Lady A, particularly on the numbers that are just a shade lively. "You Look Good" cooks with a vaguely funky beat, canned synth-horns, and busy drum loops; "Good Time to Be Alive" aspires to be an affirming anthem echoing off the walls of stadiums; "Think About You" moves along to a clean, chipper hook, and "Teenage Heart" achieves a synthesis of open-road country and Lumineers-styled stomp-alongs. These are the exceptions to the sweet, soft rule, though. The rest of Heart Break is split between slow tunes -- either songs of love won or lost (notably, the title track does not belong to this latter category) -- and sugary midtempo numbers graced by the group's supple harmonies. It's mood music and designed to be as such: The alluring sheen doesn't intend to grab the ear but burrows into the subconscious, so the melodies are remembered upon repeated plays. Perhaps the songs often resemble one another, but isolate individual tracks -- especially on radio -- and they each seem sturdy and friendly, the kind of music that is proudly pleasant.© Stephen Thomas Erlewine /TiVo

YoungBoy Never Broke Again's second album of 2023 is the 33-track, 85-minute mammoth Don't Try This at Home, following the relatively brief 19-song I Rest My Case. While that album was a detour into Playboi Carti-style rage rap, Don't Try This at Home seems like a return to YoungBoy's standard territory, which generally means hard-hitting pop-trap along with more vulnerable, introspective moments. Alt-R&B singer Mariah the Scientist's too-short guest verse on the atmospheric "Rear View" is one of the set's standouts. An unusually subdued Nicki Minaj briefly appears on "WTF," another track with a lighter, mellower instrumental. The only other song with guest appearances is "What You Say," featuring Post Malone and the Kid LAROI. Otherwise, Don't Try This at Home is just YoungBoy being YoungBoy, for an hour and a half. The album was YoungBoy's first to reach the Top Five of the Billboard 200 since the five-minutes-shorter The Last Slimeto. © Paul Simpson /TiVo

In the decade between Invisible Cinema, his 2008 Blue Note debut, and Little Big, an intentional sequel, pianist and composer Aaron Parks has covered a lot of ground. He cut two leader dates for ECM (one solo, one trio), and two as a member of the active James Farm collective on Nonesuch. In addition, Parks has worked as a sideman too, playing live and on recordings with more than a dozen artists including Kurt Rosenwinkel, Yeahwon Shin, and Gilad Heckselman. Little Big is the self-titled debut from his electric quartet with guitarist Greg Tuohey, bassist David Ginyard, and drummer Tommy Crane. The album shares its title with the 1981 award-winning fantasy novel by John Crowley. This 15-song set is the proper sequel to Invisible Cinema. Few artists in 2008 were bridging the aesthetics of post-bop jazz, hip-hop, and indie rock, let alone articulating them in a single compositional voice. Here Parks continues to create episodic, accessible, yet mysterious melodies, framed by layered textures, rock dynamics, and electro-acoustic atmospherics amid shifting harmonic narratives and solos. On opener "Kid," a relentless piano figure contrasts with Tuohey's (Parks' foil throughout) electric guitar in direct tension. He follows the motif with a melody of his own. Driving it all is a skeletal but propulsive bassline and a series of tight, fleshy hi-hat and snare flourishes that push at the seams in roiling tension. There are subtle electronics hovering about the backdrop as various players solo, but Parks' pattern never relents, keeping the listener in circular time. On "Trickster," the pace is slower, and Parks' melody is at the fore as Tuohey's extends his vamp in jagged fragments as Crane's kit flits between rock timekeeping, elegantly funky breaks and jazz syncopations. In other tunes, such as "Professor Strangeweather" and "Digital Society," one can hear Herbie Hancock's pioneering keyboard-driven fusion ring about amid interplay between Ginyard's funky bubbling bass and Crane's drums ring canny and streetwise under Parks' layers of electric and acoustic keyboards in an exchange of edgy ideas with Tuohey. "Siren," "Mandala," "Hearth," and "The Fool," from the center section of the set, offer four takes on ballad forms; they echo everything from gentle fusion to a taut atmospheric dimension akin to Radiohead's Kid A without sacrificing Parks' inherent compositional lyricism. "Rising Mind," with its undulating hip-hop rhythm, allows the other players to build on a post-bop foundation while Parks' solo engages knotty Latin jazz, even as guitar rock chord changes add drama. Closers "Good Morning" and "Doors Open" begin mantra-like on the same note. The former amid a slow shuffle as a near euphoric melody revels in songlike interplay between guitar and piano, while the latter offers a near telegraphic drone that unfolds to reveal a crystalline, processional harmonic conversation from the ensemble. Though Little Big emerges from the aesthetic Parks employed on Invisible Cinema, it travels deeper and wider, forming a new intersection between song, inquiry, and improvisation.© Thom Jurek /TiVo