Can't Buy a Thrill became an unexpected hit, and as a response, Donald Fagen became the group's full-time lead vocalist, and he and Walter Becker acted like Steely Dan was a rock & roll band for the group's second album, Countdown to Ecstasy. The loud guitars and pronounced backbeat of "Bodhisattva," "Show Biz Kids," and "My Old School" camouflage the fact that Countdown is a riskier album, musically speaking, than its predecessor. Each of its eight songs have sophisticated, jazz-inflected interludes, and apart from the bluesy vamps "Bodhisattva" and "Show Biz Kids," which sound like they were written for the stage, the songs are subtly textured. "Razor Boy," with its murmuring vibes, and the hard bop tribute "Your Gold Teeth" reveal Becker and Fagen's jazz roots, while the country-flavored "Pearl of the Quarter" and the ominous, skittering "King of the World" are both overlooked gems. Countdown to Ecstasy is the only time Steely Dan played it relatively straight, and its eight songs are rich with either musical or lyrical detail that their album rock or art rock contemporaries couldn't hope to match.© Stephen Thomas Erlewine /TiVo

For all the slings and arrows retrospectively cast at the titans of '70s rock, the notion that these bands were somehow callow opportunists who'd sacrifice their authenticity and musical spirit to climb a few more slots on the chart is one  that never applied to Fleetwood Mac. Although the band was one of the dominant rock-adjacent musical forces in the late '70s, Fleetwood Mac was also always one of the quirkiest "big" bands around, due both to their long and varied history and the intensely weird interpersonal dynamics. Today, they only seem like a mainstream band because their unique approach became so popular that it defined the mainstream sound of the era. And while that sound found its purest representation on this lineup's three '70s studio albums, Fleetwood Mac was also a singular and powerful live presence, delivering generous and rewarding sets during their imperial period. While they certainly weren't the Grateful Dead, and they largely stuck to the same set list throughout their tours, there were a few shows in the band's history that have become somewhat legendary, among them their August 1977 three-show run at the Forum in Los Angeles.Rumours Live documents the first of the sold-out shows, which finds the band returning to their hometown during the height of their powers, in the middle of the tour. To be fair, the material doesn't diverge too much from the set list that the band relied on during the tour but the energy of this performance is electric. Of course, Stevie Nicks is the focal point throughout, and the nonchalant way she introduces "Rhiannon"—"This is a song about a witch"—is absolute peak Stevie, but this recording also demonstrates how strong of a performer she was during this era, whether it's the vocals that waver between clear harmonies and full-throated belting, or more discrete highlights like the gut-punching "oooooh" she delivers halfway through "Dreams." This show also demonstrates the often-ignored strengths of Fleetwood Mac as a band. When they find their groove—which is often on Rumours Live—it's a sight to behold, with a loose, rollicking confidence that can only come from a group of players absolutely locked into one another. Although many of the songs are delivered in relatively faithful versions, when the band does get playful with arrangements (bouncy, twangy "Over My Head," twitchy, proto-New Wave "Blue Letter," jammy, guitar-forward "I'm So Afraid") or stretch out (extended jams on "Rhiannon," "World Turning" and "Gold Dust Woman"), the deep symbiosis that these players had is abundantly clear. That's further emphasized in the encore, which is introduced with "We don't have any more songs so we're gonna jam around." They proceed to play a-now iconic number ("The Chain"), the song that opened—and thematically defined—Rumours ("Second Hand News"), and one of the best songs ever written by anyone in the band (Christine McVie's "Songbird") to close out the show in a fashion that is loose, loving, warm, and absolutely without peer. © Jason Ferguson/Qobuz

We've been waiting for a new Sigur Ros album for ten years. Fans had been patient with two solo albums by singer Jónsi (Shiver and Obsidian in 2020 and 2021) and the Odin's Raven Magic cult live publication, recorded in 2002 at the Barbican Centre in London. The trio became a little distant during the 2010 decade. And then, in 2019, Kjartan Sveinsson, the keyboardist, who had left the band in 2012, came to Los Angeles to say hello to Jónsi, who immediately grabbed his guitar and bow to start a jamming session in the basement.It was sufficient enough of a spark to reignite the machine. After Covid, bassist Georg “Goggi” Hólm joined them and, accompanied by an orchestra, the trio left to record ATTA at Abbey Road studios. This eighth album starts with Jónsi’s usual high-pitched voice, which is buoyed on a whirlwind of instruments rising towards the sky. The magic of Sigur Ros immediately becomes apparent. Thirty years after their debut, the chemistry of the trio remains intact. Their renowned art of combining strings, synthesisers, and falsetto creates otherworldly passages that never cease to amaze. © Smaël Bouaici/Qobuz

Beginning with Swordfishtrombones, released in September 1983, Tom Waits' turn towards cabaret blues-rock (that had more to do with Bertolt Brecht than George Gerswhin) was brilliantly confirmed on Rain Dogs two years later. Marc Ribot, the genius behind this masterstroke, brought a unique, unregimented guitar sound to the Californian bluesman, finding a perfect osmosis with his wavering organ. Also on six-string, another big name was on hand for a few tracks: Keith Richards! With his crazy stories, improbable stopovers between New York and Singapore, UFO sounds, disfigured blues and drunken waltzes, Waits dares to do it all, and delivers some of his finest songs, such as Downtown Train and Jockey Full Of Bourbon. Behind the brilliant array of crazier instruments that give our modern-day Howlin' Wolf his unique identity, Rain Dogs offers some truly timeless songs.    © Marc Zisman/Qobuz

For this third and final part of The Lord of the Rings (released in 2003 and adapted from Tolkien’s famous book), Howard Shore once again benefited from the exceptional opportunity to create 3h50m of music, which covers 90% of the film! Other than the London Philharmonic Orchestra, there is a wide variety of choirs and prestigious soloists. The latter are sometimes even actors in the films: The Green Dragon is an Irish-inspired tune, performed by the actor Billy Boyd, a.k.a. Pippin. Other soloists (both actors and not) include the famous flautist James Galway, as well as Viggo Mortensen and Renée Fleming. All three are present in The Fellowship Reunited.On the instrumental side of things, we hear several leitmotifs, some of which are already known (and sometimes developed), others completely new. One of the most beautiful phrases related to the ring appears in the first track, Roots and Beginnings, and evokes Richard Wagner's own ring theme from the opera Der Ring des Nibelungen. The simplicity of this short melodic phrase (only nine notes long) shows that Howard Shore wanted to personify the ring and not the stakes that it represents. Far from the strange calm of this music, we also encounter more epic, even horrific pieces, such as the amazing Shelob's Lair. Howard Shore is David Cronenberg's appointed composer, and in this respect, an undeniable specialist in the field. Finally, it’s worth listening to the majestic song Into the West as the closing credits roll, with Annie Lennox on mic. © Nicolas Magenham/Qobuz

“This is my life in Songs. Some of them reconstructed, some of them refitted, some of them reframed, and all of them with a contemporary focus.” That is the description of Sting’s latest record, making this more than just a collection of his biggest hits (either solo or with The Police). It was a particular kind of rhythm that he wanted to work in, so as to eliminate the ‘dated’ feel to some of his songs (according to Sting himself). More striking than the original, the drums of Demolition Man, If You Love Someone Set Them Free, Desert Rose and even Englishman in New York will take listeners by surprise. Regarding this famous tribute to gay icon Quentin Crisp, the song released in 1988 is seasoned by pizzicatos and a soprano sax solo.As for the other ballads, it’s more in the singer’s texture and vocal prowess that the reinvention is most noticeable. Less pure but more structured than before, Sting’s voice carries a new dimension in Fields of Gold and Fragile, two songs that also prove that the Englishman’s talent as a melodist has not aged a bit. The same goes for tracks taken from his Police years too, in particular Message in a Bottle and Walking on the Moon, as well as the ubiquitous Roxanne (presented here as a live version). © Nicolas Magenham/Qobuz

For the general public as well as for many of his fans, Harvest is the pinnacle of his rich discography from the 70s. Against a melancholic backdrop of country-rock and folk, Young’s songwriting shines brightly throughout this fourth album released in February, 1972. A sort of bucolic, rural and hippie Grail, the album laid bare his tumultuous relationship with the actress Carrie Snodgress, the mother of his first son Zeke. It also explored darker themes such as on The Needle and the Damage Done, a ballad about his guitarist Danny Whitten’s heroin addiction. Whitten died of an overdose in November that same year, just after Young kicked him out the band. Behind its peace & love façade (a principle that Crosby, Stills & Nash, James Taylor and Linda Ronstadt still very much followed), Harvest is an incredibly rich, troubled and melodically perfect record. Within the flawless work we even find the string section of the London Symphony Orchestra (A Man Needs a Maid and There's a World), handled with care and good taste. This was a record that would go on to influence countless generations. © Marc Zisman/Qobuz

After being the Princess of Nashville and then the World Queen of Pop, might Taylor Swift now be the goddess of indie folk? In the summer of 2020, she released the surprising Folklore. An album produced by Aaron Dessner of the National on which she performs with Justin Vernon of Bon Iver. With no pop bangers, no body-built beats, it's the perfect folk counterpoint, carried by understated instrumentation mixing piano, acoustic guitar, mellotron, mandolin and slide guitar. Barely five months later, Evermore has all the hallmarks of the sequel to Folklore: it might even be its twin. Especially since Bon Iver and the National are still there. The Haim sisters and Marcus Mumford of Mumford & Sons have joined the ranks of these classy guests. Taylor Swift keeps her folk-pop troubadour costume on, and here becomes more introspective than ever. Her songs offer a precise fusion of real facts and improbable daydreams. Obviously, Folklore's element of surprise is no longer on the agenda. But that doesn't keep the star from coming out with strong lyrics about fame (Gold Rush and Dorothea), separation (Happiness) or the twilight of love (Tolerate It). She says she spent 2020 writing, writing, writing, and her pen clearly got a workout. Not all of her songs are of the same calibre and Folklore remains superior overall. But taken as a whole, all of these 2020 recordings have tipped her over into another world. The fascinating little craft business that Taylor Swift is running here has shaken up the pop canon to make a sound that's even more personal and universal than ever. It remains to be seen what the world (of Taylor Swift) will look like after... © Marc Zisman / Qobuz

After the extensive retrospective of his ACT years, which, in three albums (3 Generations), offered a magnificent overview of his innumerable talents through a series of prestigious collaborations, trombonist, singer, composer, producer, and conductor Nils Landgren returns to the stylistic unity of the supergroup that he’s been a part of since 2019. He’s joined by some of his most loyal companions from the label (Michael Wollny on piano and Wolfgang Haffner on drums, both German, as well as Swedish bassist Lars Danielsson) to record the second volume of their alliance, following 4 Wheel Drive.With an eclectic repertoire that mixes original compositions with covers of pop songs by Paul Simon (“Still Crazy After All These Years,” “The Sound of Silence”), Genesis (“Hold On My Heart”), Sting (“Fields of God”), or even Elton John (“My Song”), the quartet deploys the same sharp attention to detail that they do on their first record. Placing his delightfully fragile voice or the rippling swirls of his trombone within a sophisticated frame of arrangements that are never ostentatious or abstractly deconstructivist, Landgren shows gratitude toward the melodic seduction of these songs, making space for his companions to make subtle digressions (notably, Michael Wollny, often taking the lead with dazzling interventions). Depending on the track, he is able to take the ensemble with him toward a more modernist chamber jazz, or, in the opposite direction toward a pop music that’s at once nostalgic and carefree. © Stéphane Ollivier/Qobuz 

The follow-up to 2022's excellent, Grammy-winning album Crooked Tree, Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway's latest continues the youthful, feminine-but-not-girly bluegrass thread woven by Alison Krauss and Sara Watkin; it would be wrong to call Tuttle's femininity incidental. It's fascinating to hear a woman's point of view about the butch and burly California gold rush, as on "El Dorado." "I'm Gold Rush Kate from the Golden State/ With a nugget around my neck/ I keep the red lights burning bright/ from here to Hell and back," she sings against fleet banjo, clear-as-a-bell dobro and her own spirited guitar; it's true-blue mountain music recast for dusty goldfields. Tuttle also celebrates her home state on "San Joaquin," a spritely number about riding the rails out west written with Old Crow Medicine Show's Ketch Secor, a frequent collaborator on City of Gold. Loose and meandering in a comfortable way, "Yosemite" is inspired by Tuttle's true story of taking a cross-country road trip with her partner and breaking up along the way: "When all that remains is the gas in the tank/ The tread on the tires/ What's left in the bank," she sings alongside duet partner Dave Matthews. There's what Tuttle calls "a love song about death" (ballad "When My Race Is Run") about wanting a romance so big it carries over to the afterlife and one about falling in love with yourself: the Jerry Jeff Walker-esque "The First Time I Fell in Love," which finds Tuttle delivering a quick tongue-twister ("topsy-turvy wild and whirly in a hurry full of worry roller coaster ride"). "Next Rodeo'' is a cowgirl romp, "Down Home Dispensary"—a plea to Tennessee legislators to legalize marijuana—turns on the boogie-woogie charm, and "More Like a River" flirts with a gentle jug-band melody. Stomper "Alice in the Bluegrass" reorients Alice in Wonderland in a backwoods country setting. Erie, swampy-sounding "Stranger Things" showcases band member Bronwyn Keith-Hynes' keening fiddle alongside hummingbird dobro by bluegrass legend Jerry Douglas, who also produced the record. And it's a bracingly cold creekwater shock to hear Tuttle spin the gothic tale of "Goodbye Mary," a ballad about a man encouraging his girl to cause a miscarriage she doesn't want. It all leads to her death which, viewed through a modern lens and told by a woman, feels like a frightening survey of a post-Dobbs world. © Shelly Ridenour/Qobuz

The Swedish hitmakers' first compilation prepared for the CD format, and one of the biggest-selling releases of all time.© TiVo

"For Lilies I just wanted to retreat to a cave with my Pro-Tools, my computer, and my cheap, 100Euro Shure SM-58 microphone. I could have gone to a big studio, made a big production – but I wanted none of that. I wanted to go back to the seed of creativity, the simplest materials. I was in this room where there was no light, no night or day at all, no heat. Very uncomfortable. But I felt free. I was happy to have this feeling – ‘I don’t need more, I have everything I need here.’” The spirit and the context in which Melanie De Biasio created Lilies are certainly in keeping with this unique artist's life and work... A singer-musician who is always ready to question and challenge herself anew and push the boundary markers which are so often set down between musical genres. Released in 2013, her album No Deal excelled as an atmospheric meeting of jazz, electro and rock. The Belgian who worships Nina Simone and Abbey Lincoln took another departure from the beaten track with what is commonly called vocal jazz, and wandered towards soul, trip hop, blues: into the most impalpable of ethers. In these weightless sequences, Lilies is firmly stamped with the De Biasio hallmark. This is a way of doing away with labels and playing with light and dark, day and night. © MD/Qobuz

Picking up on the ‘60s soul undercurrent of Brothers, the Black Keys smartly capitalize on their 2010 breakthrough by plunging headfirst into retro-soul on El Camino. Savvy operators that they are, the Black Keys don’t opt for authenticity à la Sharon Jones or Eli “Paperboy” Reed: they bring Danger Mouse back into the fold, the producer adding texture and glitter to the duo’s clean, lean songwriting. Apart from “Little Black Submarines,” an acoustic number that crashes into Zeppelin heaviosity as it reaches its coda, every one of the 11 songs here clocks in under four minutes, adding up to a lean 38-minute rock & roll rush, an album that’s the polar opposite of the Black Keys’ previous collaboration with Danger Mouse, the hazy 2008 platter Attack & Release. That purposely drifted into detours, whereas El Camino never takes its eye off the main road: it barrels down the highway, a modern motor in its vintage body. Danger Mouse adds glam flair that doesn’t distract from the songs, all so sturdily built they easily accommodate the shellacked layers of cheap organs, fuzz guitars, talk boxes, backing girls, tambourines, foot stomps, and handclaps. Each element harks back to something from the past -- there are Motown beats and glam rock guitars -- but everything is fractured through a modern prism: the rhythms have swing, but they’re tight enough to illustrate the duo’s allegiance to hip-hop; the gleaming surfaces are postmodern collages, hinting at collective aural memories. All this blurring of eras is in the service of having a hell of a good time. More than any other Black Keys album, El Camino is an outright party, playing like a collection of 11 lost 45 singles, each one having a bigger beat or dirtier hook than the previous side. What’s being said doesn’t matter as much as how it’s said: El Camino is all trash and flash and it’s highly addictive.© Stephen Thomas Erlewine /TiVo

A duets collection of folk song covers could be pure novelty, but Rufus Wainwright infuses this recording with so much thought and care, it feels essential. Wainwright's song choices aren't precious. There are plenty of traditionals, including a jazzy version of the bluegrass standard "Cotton Eyed Joe" that finds him melting like butter next to Chaka Khan's heat. And Brandi Carlile brings incredible earthiness to the high harmonies of "Down in the Willow Garden," a gruesome Appalachian murder ballad ("I drew a saber through her/ It was an awful sight/ I threw her in the river/ Then ran off in fright") previously recorded by Flatt & Scruggs (as "Rose Connelly") and the Everly Brothers. But there's also a delightful take on "Twelve-Thirty (Young Girls Are Coming to the Canyon)," with Wainwright assembling his own version of the Mamas & the Papas—himself, Susanna Hoffs, Sheryl Crow, and Chris Stills (son of Stephen)—that captures all the charm and chamber-pop melancholy of the original (while making it clear that Hoffs and Crow should do more together). Stills and Andrew Bird contribute rich harmonies, as well as weepy violin from Bird, for Neil Young's "Harvest." Van Dyke Parks guests on accordion and spritely piano for his own "Black Gold," with Wainwright playfully leaping from note to note. And Wainwright even stages a theatrical reimagining of his own "Going to a Town." First released in 2007, the song is about giving up on the political division of America—written when gay marriage was being debated—and decamping to Berlin; it feels painfully relevant all over again in 2023, especially with trans artist Anohni silkily shadowing Wainwright. A warm and earthy John Legend joins in for a feather-light version of Peggy Seeger's "Heading for Home," while David Byrne shows up for Moondog's "High on a Rocky Ledge"; his and Wainwright's eccentricities are so different and yet so complementary. Make no mistake, Wainwright is the star of the show here, and does not shy away from the spotlight, with his inimitable vocal tone warming up each and every track. He even takes a couple of solo turns, including a cover of "Shenandoah," velvety with bell-piano, that showcase his remarkable ability to meld with the music: effortlessly alternating restraint, sustain, and full-throated power. And yes, he brings in his talented family, teaming with siblings Martha Wainwright and Lucy Wainwright Roche on a chilling version of the traditional lullaby "Hush Little Baby";  on "Wild Mountain Thyme" they’re joined by their aunt Anna McGarrigle and her daughter Lily Lanken, as well as Chaim Tannenbaum, a longtime musical collaborator of both of Wainwright's parents, Loudon Wainwright III and the late Kate McGarrigle. The harmonies are at once celestial, yet so human—vibrantly alive and warm with flesh and spirit. © Shelly Ridenour/Qobuz

Eva Cassidy's life story hasn't been made into film … yet. Her love of schmaltzy repertoire and refusal to be pigeonholed as one type of singer made attracting label interest difficult, but she finally made her debut recording in 1992. By the mid-'90s, Cassidy was building a buzz in the Washington, D.C., music scene (despite her hesitancy about performing live and, in general, singing as a career), only to be derailed by a cancer diagnosis. In May 1996 she self-released her second album, Live at Blues Alley, just as the cancer returned and spread through her bones and lungs; six months later Cassidy died at the age of 33. But thanks to a BBC DJ playing her version of Judy Garland's ageless hit "Over the Rainbow" (from Songbird, a posthumous 1998 compilation), Cassidy became a hit in the UK in 2000—Songbird would eventually go six times platinum in the U.K. and gold in the U.S. For its 25th anniversary, Live at Blues Alley, whose original purpose was just to give Cassidy something to sell at gigs, has been digitally remastered by Robert Vosgien (who mastered the original album) from the original mixes. The sound, which was always surprisingly good for a live album recorded in a small Georgetown club, seems audibly improved by the fresh tweaks. While Cassidy's voice and instinctual gift for phrasing allowed her to sing almost anything well, her fondness for popular (read: overexposed) older repertoire like Irving Berlin's "Cheek to Cheek" and T-Bone Walker's "Stormy Monday" mixes with slightly more adventurous fare like Sting's "Fields of Gold" and Al Green's "Take Me to The River." Cassidy's superpower was that her voice and phrasing were extraordinary at communicating a resounding feeling of sadness. It's tempting to say it's because she sensed her coming tragedy. Supported by a quintet that includes pianist Lenny Williams and her then partner bassist Chris Biondo, Cassidy wrings every drop of pathos out of the Johnny Mercer-penned standard, "Autumn Leaves." Frustrating as a tease for what her subsequent career might have been, Live at Blues Alley nevertheless is a precious crumb of genius tragically interrupted. © Robert Baird/Qobuz