There are several Michael Jackson greatest-hits compilations out there, each one its own take on what should be the definitive portrait of the gloved one's career. The Ultimate Collection, The Essential Collection (different from the one here), and Number Ones have all surfaced in 2003 and 2004, and HIStory a few years prior. Each one of these collections, while commendable in its attempt to thoroughly document Jackson's accomplishments, has fallen woefully short in one aspect or another. This has finally been rectified with this installment of Sony's outstanding Essential collection. Starting with his campaign with his brothers in the Jackson 5, this two-disc set tours through every important single and every important fan favorite short of including his duet with Paul McCartney on "Say Say Say" (the Beatle does, however, make an appearance here on "The Girl Is Mine"). From Off the Wall to Dangerous, it's all here in one concise package, making it the ideal reference point from which exploration into his deeper catalog can begin. While die-hard fans will already have every single song contained herein and may be weary to purchase another greatest-hits compilation short of a greatest-hits compilation including his backing vocals on Rockwell's "Somebody's Watching Me," this may be the only one fans and casual listeners will ever have to purchase to get their fill of the King of Pop's magic.© Rob Theakston /TiVo

It’s a late christmas present from Post Malone (extremely late). Beerbongs & Bentleys has arrived 4 months after it’s original scheduled release date of December, with the artist needing more time to perfect the record. And it’s worth the wait, as the jam packed LP has a star studded line up, with Nicki Minaj, Ty Dolla $ign and G-Eazy among the featured names. It’s 18 tracks in total, including the smash hits Rockstar (alongside Kanye West’s prodigy 21 Savage) and Psycho, with the latter garnering Post his first number one single in the US. The album as a whole is Post doing what he does best, auto-tuned vocals that flow like a meandering river over wavy synths and trap 808’s. However, unlike his debut album Stoney (2016), he has added some live drums to the mix (Over Now), as well as a more acoustic track with  Stay. Tracks like Paranoid, Rich & Sad and Over Now show Malone’s vulnerability despite the money and the fame but the predominant themes of modern day Hip-Hop are evidently overriding on this LP. Post is a master of creating catchy hooks that can be listened to in any setting and after infiltrating the airwaves with his breakout tune White Iverson (2015), he hasn’t looked back since. He’s the modern day Rockstar!  © Aidan Nickerson/ Qobuz

Once Nat King Cole gave up playing piano on a regular basis and instead focused on a series of easy listening vocal albums, jazz fans longed for him to return to his first love. These 1956 studio sessions made up Cole's last jazz-oriented disc, where he played piano and sang on every number, joined by several guest soloists. Cole's vocals are impeccable and swinging, while his piano alternates between providing subdued backgrounds and light solos that don't reveal his true potential on the instrument. Willie Smith's smooth alto sax buoys the singer in the brisk take of "Just You, Just Me." Harry "Sweets" Edison's muted trumpet complements the leader in his interpretation of "Sweet Lorraine." Composer Juan Tizol's valve trombone and former Cole sideman Jack Costanzo's bongos add just the right touch to the brisk take of "Caravan." Stuff Smith's humorous, unusually understated violin is a nice touch in "When I Grow Too Old to Dream." It's hard for any Nat King Cole fan to ignore these important sessions. [The original version of this release featured a dozen tracks, later expanded to 17 in the '80s with the discovery of some unreleased material. Yet another track, the alternate take of "You're Looking at Me," was also found and added to reissues beginning in the late '90s.]© Ken Dryden /TiVo

Time has been good to Bonnie Raitt. At 72, she sounds great—and as strong as ever. The California roots-rock queen has said she wanted to try new styles on her 21st album, but there are no wild U-turns here. When she adopts a little Lyle Lovett jazziness on "Something's Got a Hold of My Heart"—accented by Glenn Patscha's seesaw piano and her own slow-hand guitar—she sounds like Nick of Time era Bonnie Raitt. Ditto the sexy, funky blues rock number "Waitin' for You to Blow," with its cocksure rhythm and a killer Hammond solo by Patscha. The whole thing sashays, and Raitt delivers the title line in a whispered growl that really belies her years. She plays around with R&B—heavy on the blues guitar—on the terrific "Made Up Mind," and tries on a little New Orleans street jazz sass for "Love So Strong." Her voice is so perfectly suited for the Dylan-esque ballad "Just Like That," about a man who died too young but donated his heart to save someone else's life. Told from the stricken perspective of his parents as they meet the man with their son's heart, she brings incredibly rich empathy to the story: "They say Jesus brings you peace and grace/ but he ain't found me yet," Raitt sings at first. Then, "I spent so long in darkness/ I thought the night would never end/ But somehow grace has found me/ and I had to let him in." There's a similar feel to "Down the Hall," a John Prine-like story song with the narrator finding redemption and hoping for good karma by caring for hospice patients—taking care of a dying stranger who has no one, washing his feet, shaving his bony head. Raitt, who has been making records for more than 50 years, is unafraid to face mortality on Just LIke That; it's a running theme, but matter-of-fact and in no way depressing. In fact, "Livin' for the Ones"—"Keep livin' for the ones who didn't make it/ Cut down through no fault of their own"—is absolutely alive with spitfire energy, a juke-joint blues rocker led by Raitt's ferocious guitar. "Just remember the ones who won't ever feel the sun on their faces again," she sings, and it feels like a jubilant rallying cry. She even makes amends on the Sunday-morning gospel blues of "Blame it On Me," drawing it out like taffy before she finally hits a high note of salvation and shifts the blame: "Ooooh, gonna blame it on you!" (After all, the clock's not stopped yet.) Raitt also sounds completely relaxed and like she's having a ball on "Here Comes Love"— a little bit of funk, a little jazz piano, a little street percussion. "Chicken 'n' dumplings that's all it's gonna take/ Just to make you stay for the ice cream cake" are the words of a woman who hasn't lost a beat. ©Shelly Ridenour/Qobuz

Just shy of a year after Kentucky rapper Jack Harlow released his 2022 sophomore studio album, Come Home the Kids Miss You, he narrowed his focus and drew from more personal material for his third proper commercial effort, Jackman. Harlow was fresh off of an enormous surge in popularity due to his appearance on Lil Nas X's 2021 track "Industry Baby" when Come Home the Kids Miss You was released, and he was primed for mainstream breakthrough with the album's extravagant production and superstar guests like Pharrell Williams, Drake, and Justin Timberlake. Jackman. is spare and understated by contrast, with just ten tracks clocking in at under 25 minutes, no features, and a somewhat bleak and solitary emotional tone throughout. Harlow stays in the role of a cautious observer in most of his lyrics, sometimes commenting on society at large (the white appropriation of Black culture on "Common Ground," loyalties deteriorating when ugly true colors are shown on "Gang Gang Gang") but mostly reflecting on his own struggles with family, fame, and his place in the rap game. "It Can't Be" finds Harlow running down a list of his talents and the hard work he's put in to get to his level of success, and "They Don't Love It" comes from the confrontational perspective of a rapper who was grinding out mixtapes for years before the world caught on. It's ironic that Harlow sounds worn down by the weight of his own stardom on his first album to debut at the top of the Billboard charts, and how Jackman. moves further away from pop than his previous record, feeling more like being in the room while Harlow is filterlessly talking to himself for almost half an hour. In that way, however, a lot of his thoughts are unfinished, and statements don't feel fully resolved. Even when he's rapping about a painfully strained relationship with his brother on "Blame on Me," there's no sense of closure, catharsis, or even deeper understanding of the pain; Harlow just raps in what equates to sad venting for a few minutes and then the song ends. As ever, Harlow is serviceable as a rapper and performs well enough cycling between beats styled after either late-2000s Kanye or early-2010s Drake. So much about Jackman. feels incomplete or partially thought out, however, that the album relegates itself to mere background music with occasional flashes that suggest serious emotion or profound contemplation without ever fully delivering.© TiVo Staff /TiVo

British pop chameleon Charli XCX issued Number 1 Angel -- a long-player that's technically just a mixtape teaser to prime fans for the official third LP -- in early 2017. Yet another sonic shift for the singer, Angel employs tropical bounce, cavernous electronics, and trap-rap influences on ten tracks that are more M.I.A. than Marina and the Diamonds. The collection debuted in the Billboard 200 and features guest appearances by MO, Uffie, ABRA, cupcakKe, Starrah, and Raye.© Neil Z. Yeung /TiVo

Continuing their global expansion, K-pop group Twice notched another international chart-topper with their 12th EP Ready to Be. Released in March 2023, the short set features the disco-kissed thriller "Set Me Free" (which subsequently received a full remix EP) and their second English-language song, the seductive R&B-pop of "Moonlight Sunrise." The electrified "Got the Thrills" lives up to its name, building to a joyous dance peak and bouncing along an elastic gang chorus. "Blame It on Me" injects a rock edge to the mix with a crunchy riff and popping percussion, while the contemplative "Crazy Stupid Love" puts the guitar on acoustic duty for this midtempo, lighters-up singalong. Keeping the energy and euphoria at a peak, Ready to Be is another serving of addictive pop moments from the confident and stylish nine-piece. © Neil Z. Yeung /TiVo

The companion to 2021's Macon (as in his hometown), Jason Aldean's tribute to his home state—and there's plenty of personalized nostalgia that does what country music does at its best: feel universal, even when you've never lived anything like it. Aldean is a master at writing and choosing songs that encapsulate a cinematic version of what people expect from a country song. "Whiskey Me Away" finds him chasing away his loneliness with a stranger in a "long-lost highway town" bar, throwing quarters in a jukebox to "play some old-school Alabama." He remembers past summers with a preacher's daughter on "Holy Water," commemorating her airbrushed T-shirt and bumper-car rides (bonus points for rhyming "heaven" and "Destin," as in the budget-Spring-Break Florida town). "Your Mama" is as sentimental as all get-out, sung from the POV of a dad to a newborn: "The one that brought you in the world/ You'll always be her baby," he sings of the woman of the title. "The one who makes it all OK/ When everything goes crazy." Call it country music comfort food. On "The State I'm In," he's (happily) outrunning a breakup: from an Alabama beach to Bourbon Street, finding a high in Colorado and putting it all on black in Nevada. The song's got a big, catchy chorus that drops away before kicking back in at the bridge—yes, it is formulaic, but sometimes that feels good. Aldean is the king of midtempo, and there aren't really any surprises here. He's always loved an '80s-inspired power-ballad chorus, and that's delivered on "Rock and Roll Cowboy," along with a light trap beat and lonesome drifter of a lead guitar. He has said that the single "Trouble With a Heartbreak" reminds him of "those bitter R&B breakup songs that take me back to riding through the backroads of Georgia." It'll remind you of, well, a Jason Aldean song. There are R&B inflections, too, on "Midnight and Missin' You"—which also sports searing-hot guitar and big, '80s rock drums—and "Ain't Enough Cowboy," filtered through the heavy Auto-Tune that feels passé in country now. Perhaps the freshest-sounding tune is also the most traditional: "My Weakness" is feisty with wailing steel guitar and Miranda Lambert-style sass. If the record doesn't feel familiar enough, it's back-loaded with live versions of old fan favorites—including snarler "Take a Little Ride" and chart-toppers "Rearview Town" and "Burnin' It Down"—that make a great advertisement for buying a concert ticket. ©Shelly Ridenour/Qobuz

In the late 90s Modest Mouse made angry-young-man music that was the spitting, alt-noise id of frontman Isaac Brock. By 2004's Good News for People Who Love Bad News the band found buoyancy — but refused to get too comfortable. Surprise hit "Float On" perfectly captures the new m.o., layering on haunted sound effects (cartoon boings, needling rhythm guitar) that are weirder and darker than the almost nursery-rhyme-like melodies suggest. Likewise, "Ocean Breathes Salty" pairs sun-dazed guitars with mournful organ. Throughout, Brock's lisping, serrated vocals veer wildly from a falsetto to a bark, often in the course of a single song. But even the off-kilter touches from the radio hits can’t prepare you for the campy and calamitous "Dance Hall," cowpoke cautionary tale "Bukowski" ("Who would want to be such a control freak?") or aggressively Tom Waits-y "The Devil's Workday." But when Modest Mouse borrows a bit of Pavement’s laconic vibe for “Blame It on the Tetons” and do a little sci-fi disco on “The View,” it’s pretty magical. © Qobuz

Sophomore effort Never Enough is Parker McCollum's big make-or-break moment in Nashville, on the heels of his major-label debut Gold Chain Cowboy and the Hollywood Gold EP. The past few years have seen the Texas singer-songwriter on a sharp upward trajectory, with hits "Pretty Heart" and "To Be Loved By You" and wins for both ACM New Male Artist of the Year and CMT's Breakthrough Video of the Year. Here, he delivers on all that promise; there’s no novelty or showiness at play, just really good songs and a really good voice. McCollum was raised on Willie Nelson, the red-dirt scene, and Steve Earle, and you can hear it all here—as well as a deep respect for George Strait. That neo-trad, plain-spoken appeal shines on songs like "Best I Never Had" (one of several cuts here to feature beautiful guitar work) and "Wheel." There’s a lot of early Earle—and even a little red-blooded Mellencamp—on "Hurricane," which kicks ass with banjo, Southern-rock guitar wail, and lines like "Ain't much you can do/ But grab a beer and get out of her way/ Someday she's gonna get her name/ On a hurricane." Credit to McCollum for choosing collaborators wisely, including songwriting hitmakers Ashley Gorley ("Have Your Heart Again," which finds the singer hitting a surprisingly breathy falsetto) and Liz Rose and Lori McKenna on "Burn It Down," "Lessons from an Old Man," and "I Ain't Going Nowhere"—a super romantic and catchy number that, McCollum has said, is about settling down with his wife. There’s still plenty of the necessary country heartbreak, though, including bourbon and whiskey wordplay on "Handle on You": "Tennessee and Kentucky/ 'Cause you ain't here to love me ... After all this back and forth/ A fifth won't do/ I finally got a handle on you." (Bonus points for a Merle Haggard name-check, not to mention the excellent use of honky-tonk ingredients: pedal steel, mandolin, and B3). Piano ballad "Things I Never Told You" lists all the stuff he hid from his parents about growing up—a Playboy tucked in a Johnny Cash LP cover, a well-hid can of Skoal, being hungover in Sunday church services after a wild Saturday night. Irresistible "Speed" is made for summer-night shed good times (indeed, he was playing it while out with Thomas Rhett in 2022). And "Stoned" is a standout—a hold-up-the-lighter-and-sway-along singalong that’s a gorgeous showcase for McCollum’s voice in the same way "To Be Loved By You" was. Solid and memorable, Never Enough is one to put on repeat. © Shelly Ridenour/Qobuz

Victory is the debut LP from Irish singer/songwriter Cian Ducrot and follows his breakout EP, Make Believe. Recorded in Paris with a slew of producers including Steve Mac (Ed Sheeran, Lewis Capaldi), the album sees Ducrot paying tribute to his family and upbringing with a mix of anthemic and emotionally charged contemporary pop.© Rich Wilson /TiVo

The songwriter's debut album, which subsequently went gold after several other singers took its songs to the top of the country and pop charts.© TiVo

This is a strangely moving and disturbing document in the long discography of Keith Jarrett: a solo piano album recorded in his rural New Jersey home studio in 1998 at a time when he was reportedly suffering from chronic fatigue syndrome. In stark contrast to his other solo albums, this one consists of short, simple, straightforward interpretations of ballads, songs in the public domain, and one very pretty original ("Meditation"), all taken at funereal tempi with hardly any virtuoso flourishes. Scattered amidst the assortment of standards like "Someone to Watch Over Me," "I Got It Bad and That Ain't Good," and "I Loves You Porgy" are nostalgic throwbacks like the hoary old "My Wild Irish Rose" (he plays the tune absolutely straight) and even the Mario Lanza hit "Be My Love." Sad as it is to say under the circumstances, these performances lack color, contrast and life; and while you pull for Jarrett to summon the energy to make music again, the results are touching for a while but soon pall. Also in contrast to Manfred Eicher's usual sonic standard at ECM, the sound is dull and lacking in luster, though some listeners might find that it gives the album a certain homey charm.© Richard S. Ginell /TiVo

Victory is the debut LP from Irish singer/songwriter Cian Ducrot and follows his breakout EP, Make Believe. Recorded in Paris with a slew of producers including Steve Mac (Ed Sheeran, Lewis Capaldi), the album sees Ducrot paying tribute to his family and upbringing with a mix of anthemic and emotionally charged contemporary pop.© Rich Wilson /TiVo

A major pop star in Scandinavia, Lisa Ekdahl was 24 when she attempted to sing straight-ahead jazz on the consistently weak When Did You Leave Heaven, which was her first release in the U.S. and her first all-English recording. The Swedish singer's thin, girlish, mousy voice might work on bubblegum pop, but it's hardly appropriate for standards like "Cry Me a River" and "I'm a Fool to Want You." Ekdahl tries to emulate Billie Holiday, although the disc ends up sounding more like Paula Abdul with a Scandinavian accent making an ill-advised attempt at acoustic jazz. Especially embarrassing is her version of "Lush Life" -- this is a song that even 35-year-old singers shy away from because they don't feel they've done enough living, and Ekdahl gives no indication that she has the type of depth needed to sing this Billy Strayhorn classic convincingly. As many gifted jazz singers as Sweden had in the late 1990s (including Jeanette Lindström and Lina Nyberg), it's most regrettable that RCA Victor chose to record someone who should have stuck to commercial pop.© Alex Henderson /TiVo