Who's Next is not an album lacking for reissues. In addition to a deluxe edition from 2003, there have also been multiple audiophile editions and remasters of the album since its 1971 release. So what could a "super deluxe edition" possibly contain? Quite a bit, as it turns out. As even casual Who fans know, the genesis of Who's Next was as Lifehouse, a multimedia rock opera even more ambitious than Tommy. Pete Townshend had developed a bizarre, dystopian story that somehow merged his devotion to Indian guru Meher Baba, his recent fascination with synthesizers, and the idea that the only thing that could save humanity from a test-tube-bound future was "real rock 'n' roll." Yeah, the aftereffects of the '60s were wild. After some live shows at the Young Vic in London and a series of marathon recording sessions, a 16-song tracklist was finalized, but by this point, it was collectively decided—both creatively and commercially—that perhaps another concept-dense double album might not be the best studio follow-up to Tommy. So, eight Lifehouse songs were re-cut and one new song ("My Wife") was recorded and the leaner, meaner Who's Next was released in August 1971. The album was both an instant success and has become an undisputed part of the classic rock canon, thanks to the inclusion of absolutely iconic tracks like "Won't Get Fooled Again," "Baba O'Riley," and "Behind Blue Eyes."While one could make an argument that the taut and focused power of Who's Next inadvertently proved the point of the Lifehouse story (namely, that rock 'n' roll is most effective when it's at its most primal), it's important to remember that Who's Next was also a giant artistic leap forward for the Who, as it found them at the peak of their powers as a pummeling rock band and as a band willing to be experimental and artful in their approach to being a pummeling rock band. (If any evidence is needed of the group's unrivaled power, check out take 13 of "Won't Get Fooled Again" on this set, which is so immediate and electric that it could easily be mistaken for a concert performance.) While several Lifehouse tracks found their way to other Who and Townshend records, getting a sense of the contours of the project has been difficult. But this massive, 155-track set creates those lines thanks to the inclusion of multiple Townshend demos as well as recording sessions of Life House tracks that occurred both before and after the release of Who's Next, and, most notably, two freshly mixed live shows from 1971 (including one of the Young Vic shows) that provided both the energy and, in some cases the basic tracks, for the album versions. While nothing on this bursting-at-the-seams edition overrides the all-killer-no-filler approach of Who's Next, it does provide plenty of long-desired context and documentation for what made that record so powerful. © Jason Ferguson/Qobuz

With his sixth album, Gregory Porter excels once again in perfectly blending jazz, soul, rhythm'n'blues, pop and gospel. In addition to being blessed with a voice of pure velvet (so cliché, but so true), the Californian, who knows Great Black Music inside out, is also a real wordsmith. In these troubled times, Gregory Porter's music refreshes and rejuvenates, like on "Revival Song," a sort of neo-gospel hymn that ignites the soul and frees the body. This sense of wellbeing can also be felt when Porter puts on his crooner hat on "If Love Is Overrated" or when he channels his inner Marvin Gaye and George Benson on "Faith In Love." Brilliantly produced by Troy Miller (Laura Mvula, Jamie Cullum, Emili Sandé), All Rise propels the American singer towards greater global recognition, reaching audiences well outside the jazz sphere. © Max Dembo/Qobuz

After bursting onto the scene in 2013 with the brilliant WomanChild, Cécile McLorin Salvant raised the bar two years later with For One To Love, an even more impressive and complete album on which her voice worked wonders, and the more traditional Dreams & Daggers, recorded live at the Village Vanguard and the DiMenna Center with her faithful trio, the Quatuor Catalyst and the pianist Sullivan Fortner. She chose only to work with the latter of the two for her 2018 vintage album titled The Window. Born on August 28th, 1989 in Miami, Florida, she studied French law, baroque and vocal jazz in Aix-en-Provence in France before winning the Thelonious Monk International Jazz Competition in 2010 (at only 20 years old, in front of a panel of judges made up of Al Jarreau, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Patti Austin, Dianne Reeves and Kurt Elling!). For this album she decided on a vocal-piano duet. A baptism of fire which further demonstrates her astounding vocal ability. It is an album that also focuses on the complex nature of love through covers of songs by Richard Rodgers, Cole Porter, Leonard Bernstein and even Stevie Wonder. This is further proof that Cécile McLorin Salvant is anything but the cliché of a jazz singer, as trumpeter Wynton Marsalis puts it: “ You get a singer like this once in a generation or two…” © Marc Zisman/Qobuz

Though the Fugees had been wildly successful, and Lauryn Hill had been widely recognized as a key to their popularity, few were prepared for her stunning debut. The social heart of the group and its most talented performer, she tailored The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill not as a crossover record but as a collection of overtly personal and political statements; nevertheless, it rocketed to the top of the album charts and made her a superstar. Also, and most importantly, it introduced to the wider pop world an astonishingly broad talent. Hill's verses were intelligent and hardcore, with the talent to rank up there with Method Man. And for the choruses she could move from tough to smooth in a flash, with a vocal prowess that allowed her to be her own chanteuse (à la Mariah Carey). Hill, of Haitian heritage, rhymed in a tough Caribbean patois on the opener, "Lost Ones," wasting little time to excoriate her former bandmates and/or record-label executives for caving in to commercial success. She used a feature for Carlos Santana ("To Zion") to explain how her child comes before her career and found a hit single with "Doo Wop (That Thing)," an intelligent dissection of the sex game that saw it from both angles. "Superstar" took to task musicians with more emphasis on the bottom line than making great music (perhaps another Fugees nod), while her collaborations with a pair of sympathetic R&B superstars (D'Angelo and Mary J. Blige) also paid major dividends. And if her performing talents, vocal range, and songwriting smarts weren't enough, Hill also produced much of the record, ranging from stun-gun hip-hop to smoother R&B with little trouble. Though it certainly didn't sound like a crossover record, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill affected so many widely varying audiences that it's no surprise the record became a commercial hit as well as a musical epoch-maker.© John Bush /TiVo

The history of rock is full of bands that go unnoticed, along with their all-too neglected albums… Love and their record Forever Changes are at the front of the peloton in that category. Released in November 1967, this third studio album by the Californian quintet rivals some of the greatest records by The Beatles, The Rolling Stones or The Kinks because it offers a unique alternative. The ingenious and elusive Arthur Lee mixed together every genre imaginable on the album, from pop, jazz, folk and flamenco to psychedelic rock, psychedelia and classical music. With a touch of baroque, we find rather daring and audacious brass and string arrangements by David Angel. Carried by Lee's whirling voice and Bryan MacLean's clear guitars, Love created a record that is melancholic at some points, cheerful at others, but always very profound. The eclectic sound stems from its authors; Lee veers towards more bluesy rock melodies while MacLean is open to plural sonorities, whether they are classical or world music... The Summer of Love dismantled its tent for a few months and Forever Changes, an album that meanders between baroque pop and psychedelic folk, became the soundtrack of the disillusionment of America and its citizens. They were still dreamers, just perhaps aware of the fact that years to come wouldn’t be quite so multicoloured. In short, this album fuses the sublime with the sinister, and the years slide past this masterpiece without ever eroding its beauty. © Marc Zisman/Qobuz

That’s a hell of a list. With such famous friends, Sheryl Crow has turned Threads into an incredibly impressive collaborative album. The 5-star casting is wonderfully eclectic. From Keith Richards from the Rolling Stones to Public Enemy’s Chuck D., Willie Nelson, St. Vincent, Sting, Emmylou Harris, Lucius, Mavis Staples, Stevie Nicks, James Taylor, Jason Isbell and even her ex, Eric Clapton, the American singer crosses over stylistic and generational boundaries, highlighting her own colourful musical identity. Over the course of her ten previous albums, Sheryl Crow has slalomed between rock’n’roll, pop, country, blues and soul, never settling down in one genre. Such is the case again on Threads, even if the general atmosphere remains rooted in a rather classical rock’n’roll. When she topped the charts in the early 90s, this classicism already stood out next to her contemporaries such as Nirvana, Beck and The Smashing Pumpkins... Crow composed the bulk of the songs on this record, as well as adding some exceptionally tasty covers to the mix (George Harrison’s Beware of Darkness, Bob Dylan’s Everything is Broken, The Worst by the Rolling Stones, Kris Kristofferson’s Border Lord). Her prose on this record is more introspective than ever, taking on an almost confessional tone. Perhaps something to do with her recent shocking statement: Threads will be her last record! While we wait to find out if she will ever reconsider, Sheryl Crow signs her densest work at the age of 57. © Max Dembo/Qobuz

In just three sessions between November 1955 and October 1956, Miles Davis and his first quintet recorded enough material for the release of five albums under the label Prestige. With the great Rudy Van Gelder in his studio in Hackensack, New Jersey, this creative marathon produced some of the most iconic albums in the trumpeter’s discography, such as Miles: The New Miles Davis Quintet (1956), Cookin’ (1957), Relaxin’ (1958), Workin (1959) and Steamin’ (1961). Joining him are pianist Red Garland, double bassist Paul Chambers, drummer Philly Joe Jonas and saxophonist John Coltrane (before he became famous as a musical God). Throughout these 32 tracks which are chronologically sequenced and remastered in Hi-Res 24-Bit, the quintet essentially writes the birth certificate for hard bop, defining the genre. Although it often seems to be Miles David’s second quintet (1965-1968 with Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter, Tony Williams and Wayne Shorter) which has pride of place in the jazz history hall of fame, it shouldn’t overshadow this earlier group from the mid-fifties which was equally as influential. Miles’ pared-down style, the originality of Coltrane and his intricate keys and the great precision of Garland’s playing make for some stunning versions of these compositions, which include both popular music and more unconventional and innovative pieces. A must-listen! © Marc Zisman/Qobuz

Billie Holiday's first recordings for Norman Granz' Clef Records present a vocalist truly at the top of her craft, although she would begin a rapid decline soon thereafter. This 1952 recording (originally issued as a 10" LP, Billie Holiday Sings) places Holiday in front of small piano and tenor saxophone-led groups including jazz luminaries such as Oscar Peterson and Charlie Shavers, where her gentle phrasing sets the tone for the sessions, evoking lazy evenings and dreamy afternoons. The alcoholism and heroin use that would be her downfall by the end of this decade seems to be almost unfathomable during these recordings since Holiday is in as fine a voice as her work in the '30s, and the musical environment seems ideal for these slow torch songs. Solitude runs as the common theme throughout these 16 tracks; the idle breathiness of "These Foolish Things (Remind Me of You)" finds the vocalist casually reminiscing, and Barney Kessel's warm guitar lines frame the title track beautifully. Several of Holiday's best-known recordings came from this session, including outstanding versions of "I Only Have Eyes for You" and a darkly emotional "Love for Sale," making this album far and away the best work of her later years, and certainly a noteworthy moment of her entire career.© Zac Johnson /TiVo

Sinkane is the stage name of Sudanese-American musician Ahmed Abdullahi Gallab, who knows no boundaries.  He's worked with Yeasayer and of Montreal and is the musical director of Atomic Bomb! Band, an ever-shifting group tribute to Nigerian funk legend William Onyeabor that has included David Byrne, Dev Hynes, Damon Albarn, Amadou and Mariam, Joshua Redman and more. Sinkane's own work pulls in funk, electronica, prog rock, free jazz, disco and Sudanese pop influences. But the moniker has also morphed into the name of Gallab's musical collective; you could even argue that Sinkane is a state of mind. On Sinkane's ninth album We Belong, that spirit is often a joyous celebration. "How Sweet Is Your Love?" is glorious, feel-good dance funk with far-out Afrofuturism burbles that sounds ready to soundtrack a Soul Train line. "Come Together" is a George Clinton-style, spaced-out disco banger. And the deep funk of the title track is irresistible. Gallab has said he and collaborator Money Mark wanted to channel Parliament-Funkadelic, the gospel celebrations of '70s Pentecostal pastor T.L. Barrett (specifically, his epic Like a Ship) and even the surprisingly "bonkers" chords of Justin Timberlake's "Señorita." "We Belong"  features singers Ifedayo (Gatling, of Harlem Gospel Travelers) and sharp-edged powerhouse STOUT (Denise Renee), with the latter cutting loose to the high heavens—a guest turn that elevated the song's ending so much that Gallab cut a Vernon Reid guitar solo originally planned to go there. Gallab calls this album his "love letter to Black music," and it doesn't shy away from hard subject matter. Inspired in part by Stevie Wonder, "Another Day" features smooth Philly R&B singer Bilal and STOUT. "Another fire burning bright/ One more spirit chalked white … How many mamas need to cry?/ And if there's a god up in the sky/ Why is it us they sacrifice?" STOUT sings, before the choir comes in: "They keep wringing and wringing and wringing us out." Tru Osborne lends soulful falsetto to "Everything Is Everything"—which sounds like Sly & The Family Stone grooving on gospel—and "Invisible Distance." "Home" offers lovely rocksteady vocals by Hollie Cook, who was part of the last iteration of the Slits, and the album also features sax player Casey Benjamin and trumpeter Kenyatta Beasley. Quiet storm-flavored nu-jazz and Afro beats inform "Rise Above." More than anything, in a divisive world, We Belong is about connection. ©  Shelly Ridenour/Qobuz

In 1988, Stompin' Tom Connors, the most fiercely patriotic Canadian musician to ever take the stage in the land of the Maple Leaf, wrote a song in tribute to fellow Canadian k.d. lang for continuing to hang her hat in Alberta after enjoying a commercial breakthrough in the United States. It's hard to say what Stompin' Tom thinks about lang these days, now that she's an out-of-the-closet lesbian, an animal rights activist, and (gulp) spending most of her time in America, but it's a good bet he approves of Hymns of the 49th Parallel, in which lang turns her attention exclusively to the work of Canadian tunesmiths. Anchored by classic songs from Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, and Leonard Cohen (all of whom rate two songs each), Hymns of the 49th Parallel is not so much a flag-waving celebration of Canada as an appreciation of the often spare and evocative style of its best-known lyricists (or at least that's the case with the material on board), and lang and frequent collaborator Ben Mink have matched the selections with production and arrangements that are simple and to the point, with only a piano/bass/drums trio for accompaniment (though a string section pops in every once in a while). With her phrasing subdued and her projection scaled back from the big-as-all-outdoors sound of her early days, lang seems to have kept her own instrument in check as well, though her best moments still inspire a very real awe. Though lang has chosen some superb songs (and written a fine one herself in the album's only original, "Simple") and performed them with obvious love and affection, Hymns of the 49th Parallel seems oddly lacking in passion; perhaps in deference to the frozen North, this album has a cool and frosty undertow that seems designed to hold the listener at arm's length, despite the inarguable beauty of its craft. Perhaps for the follow-up, she should bring in Stompin' Tom for a duet on "The Hockey Song" to liven things up.© Mark Deming /TiVo

The full addition of Alan Wilder to Depeche Mode's lineup created a perfect troika that would last another 11 years, as the combination of Martin Gore's songwriting, Wilder's arranging, and David Gahan's singing and live star power resulted in an ever more compelling series of albums and singles. Construction Time Again, the new lineup's first full effort, is a bit hit and miss nonetheless, but when it does hit, it does so perfectly. Right from the album's first song, "Love, In Itself," something is clearly up; Depeche never sounded quite so thick with its sound before, with synths arranged into a mini-orchestra/horn section and real piano and acoustic guitar spliced in at strategic points. Two tracks later, "Pipeline" offers the first clear hint of an increasing industrial influence (the bandmembers were early fans of Einstürzende Neubauten), with clattering metal samples and oddly chain gang-like lyrics and vocals. The album's clear highlight has to be "Everything Counts," a live staple for years, combining a deceptively simple, ironic lyric about the music business with a perfectly catchy but unusually arranged blending of more metallic scraping samples and melodica amid even more forceful funk/hip-hop beats. Elsewhere, on "Shame" and "Told You So," Gore's lyrics start taking on more of the obsessive personal relationship studies that would soon dominate his writing. Wilder's own songwriting contributions are fine musically, but lyrically, "preachy" puts it mildly, especially the environment-friendly "The Landscape Is Changing."© Ned Raggett /TiVo

Dropped by a major label in 2018, The Wombats could have sunk like a stone. Instead, the Liverpool-formed trio has come out of that dilemma as energized as ever on their last two albums, including the new Fix Yourself, Not the World. In fact, they seem to take the title to heart: The record is the sound of a pessimist becoming a realist and trying to make the best of what they have (not exactly optimism, but baby steps). Which is pretty impressive considering the members were in three different countries during the recording sessions. "Ready for the High" starts off as a bottom-heavy monster, with dark-cloud, give-up lyrics about feeling stuck. "You can scream like a banshee and still nothing comes/ You can buy a heart balloon and watch the sky grow dull," Matt "Murph" Murphy sings. But then the whole thing opens up at the bridge, giving way to a sea of swaying trumpets symbolizing the true meaning: "The song is about being engulfed in a bad place, but rather than accepting this as immutable, acknowledging that it is only temporary and that better times are closer than they (currently) appear," Murph has said. "People Don't Change People, Time Does" sends a similar message, even if it's from a skewed perspective. "Everything I love is going to die/ So baby keep your big mouth shut and stop wasting my time," go the lyrics, reminding you to hold tight onto the raft you have. Sometimes, though, that cling wrap can look a bit like desperation. Depending on your view, bop "If You Ever Leave, I'm Coming With You" either promises or threatens, "I'm forever locking myself in the glass of your rearview." Throughout, the muscular synth comes on like, well, not quite Duran Duran—maybe more like the ⅗ Duran side project Arcadia—with exuberant, dancefloor-ready pop beats. "Wildfire" has a mid-tempo swagger that cruises on a funk groove and finds Murph putting his falsetto to good use. "Work Is Easy, Life Is Hard" shimmies and shakes. "Flip Me Upside Down" is as frenetic as Friday rush-hour city traffic. And "Don't Poke the Bear" could be a Parklife-era Blur melody. Sometimes songs sound so alike as to blend one into the other, but it's a good schtick—even when the outlook slips back into old habits: "it's not paranoia if it's really there," Murph frets on "Worry," its chorus like careening on a rain-slick road. © Shelly Ridenour/Qobuz

Sting and Shaggy: not such a surprising tandem! In 1979 Police’s leader released Reggatta de Blanc, a second album under the Jamaican influence that fed the reggae-punky wave at the time of the Clash, PIL, Ruts Madness, as well as Bob Marley himself. Gordon Summer, who has always been fascinated by Caribbean rhythms, never truly broke away from them. So when his manager Martin Kierszenbaum, who also works with Shaggy, let him listen to his next dancehall hit song, the bassist made the trip from his Malibu home to do a featuring. The understanding between the Jamaican artist and the ex-Police singer was stellar and the track became the single Don't Make Me Wait. And six months later, 44/876, the tandem album was complete. From Crooked Tree to Dreaming In The USA − which restored the US image −, the two companions gave us a most surprising album that blends reggae, dancehall and catchy pop, without falling into ridiculous clichés. “This is exactly the record the world needs right now”, according to Orville Richard Burrell a.k.a. Shaggy… © Charlotte Saintoin/Qobuz

Could Dublin be at the center of another post-punk earthquake? Following in the footsteps of Fontaines D.C and Girl Band, with whom they shared a rehearsal space, here come The Murder Capital’s 5 Irishmen and their urban claustrophobia. They’re post-apocalyptic, tender, furious and emotional. Taking from the likes of Joy Division, The Cure and Fugazi, their first album is titled When I Have Fears after the famous John Keats poem. As always, frontman James McGovern has a calculated approach when it comes to his band: “It would be too easy for us to write an album of ten punk songs at 170 bpm; we could deliver that. It’s a reflection of what’s inside our heads and there is no way we can be angry for that amount of time”. At the heart of that nuanced manifesto, equal amounts brooding romanticism and angry outbursts are the channels for McGovern’s socio-political concerns. He traces When I Have Fear’s inception to a traumatic event: “I had a very close friend of mine take his own life in February and we wanted to reflect the neglect held towards mental healthcare in Ireland. Unnecessary deaths happen due to neglect from the State, or from general emotional intelligence from our society. My friend simply couldn’t afford the help he needed.” The baritone drew from the Emerald Isle’s vast literary tradition in order to paint a scathing portrayal of youth communities plagued by binge culture. His message is underlined by razor-sharp arrangements that verge on the minimal. Their simplicity contributes to the sinister sense of urgency in many of the songs. Nonetheless, Diarmuid Brennan’s hyperactive drumming – listen to those hi-hats! – on Don’t Cling To Life, as well as the piano and the somber growls on How The Streets Adore Me Now demonstrate that the band is more than capable of going beyond the formal frameworks set in place during the early-2000s post-punk revival. When I Have Fears is 100% a Dublin record, transcending the cold and the misery without ever giving up on sincerity and power – A thunderous and sensitive Qobuzissime. © Alexis Renaudat/Qobuz