With her tragic early death (though hardly surprising given Amy Winehouse's lifestyle) a truly unique voice of contemporary soul stopped singing on July 23, 2011. She has a voice that should never be overshadowed either by her chaotic life covering the pages of British tabloids, or by her struggles with alcohol and drugs, or even the hundreds of videos of failed concerts on YouTube... When the Winehouse phenomenon exploded with this second album, the sublime Back To Black being far superior to her first record Frank, soul music was going through a slump with hollow, syrupy R&B singers and sanitized productions flooding the scene. Few people tried to develop the path established by Aretha Franklin, Ann Peebles, Nina Simone, Tina Turner, Dinah Washington and Marlena Shaw. But then along came Amy Winehouse, with her incredible timbre, her genuine songs (which she wrote herself, unlike 90% of her peers), her vintage-tinged productions (which were never passé) and brass-filled instrumentation. To top it all off, even her image was distinctive: 50’s beehive, biker tattoos and a cheeky attitude. Back To Black topped the charts for months all over the world, and it's still a real masterpiece of soul music and R&B. When critical opinion meets popular opinion – something relatively rare that’s worth underlining - the enjoyment is only tenfold. © Marc Zisman/Qobuz

Cat Power—Chan Marshall—wanted to mark the moment in 1966 that "informs everything …  this precipice of time that changed music forever": Bob Dylan's "Royal Albert Hall Concert" (actually played at the Manchester Free Trade Hall), the one when he switched from acoustic to electric midway through—prompting an incensed folk purist to yell out "Judas!" Fifty-six years after that concert, Marshall delivered a sublime song-for-song re-creation of the set, at the actual Royal Albert Hall. "I'm not being Bob … I'm just recreating it, that's all. But not making it mine," she has said. Inevitably, though, the songs do become hers. It's evident right away, from "She Belongs to Me" (and shortly after, "It's All Over Now, Baby Blue"), the influence Dylan has long had on Cat Power's music. But with her husky voice, so like Nico's now and far from Dylan's youthful reediness, revealing traces of her Georgia upbringing ("She don't look baaaaack") and contrasting the clean acoustic guitar and shiny harmonica, she owns it. "Desolation Row" is a twelve-and-a-half minute marvel. The guitar is not blindingly bright like Charlie McCoy's flamenco flavor, but that works well with Marshall's more serious/less jaunty air here. Without aping Dylan, she hits his inflections, putting exuberant emphasis on the ends of lines ("And the good Samaritan! He's dressing!"). Her "Visions of Johanna" underscores the prettiness of the melody, while the way she sings the name "Jo-hanna" make it feel so much more exotic than it is. She gets playful with the familiar phrasing on the chorus of "Mr. Tambourine Man" and sings "Just Like a Woman" beautifully, offering a softer, less angular version of Dylan's classic. At 50, she was twice the age of Dylan when he recorded the song for Blonde on Blonde, and you can hear—feel—the extra tread on her heart. When electrified "Tell Me Momma" kicks in like the Wizard of Oz Technicolor moment, it's as thrilling as it's supposed to be, the first word of the titular line bitingly crisp each time. "I Don't Believe You (She Acts Like We Never Have Met)" plays up the soulful grooviness that always feels a little buried on Dylan's live recording, while "Baby, Let Me Follow You Down" expertly captures his wild-eyed edginess. Marshall's "Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues" is more elegant, even with its raw edges, than Dylan's young-man machismo. She does not recreate things down to the between-song patter but there is a moment, just before "Ballad of a Thin Man" (so slinky, so powerful), when someone yells out "Judas!"—and Marshall, serenely, responds, "Jesus." "I wasn't expecting the audience to recreate their part of the original show as well, but then I wanted to set the record straight—in a way, Dylan is a deity to all of us who write songs," she has said. And, as it did in 1966, closer "Like a Rolling Stone" sounds like liberation; maybe even like Marshall knows some part of this is hers now. © Shelly Ridenour/Qobuz

If you care about Joni Mitchell at all, this record is such a big deal. Recorded at the Newport Folk Festival in 2022, it captures the surprise performance—and first full set in 20 years—by the towering singer-songwriter. It's a study in humanity, love, fandom and the passage of time. Ringmaster Brandi Carlile opens the concert by describing what a real Joni Jam is like—the storied hootenannies at Mitchell's Laurel Canyon home, where musicians sing to honor, entertain and impress her. (Those onstage include Dawes' Taylor Goldsmith, Marcus Mumford, Shooter Jennings, Allison Russell, Wynonna Judd and more.) "Grab any old Martin guitar and tune it up ... the pets are here ... watch out for the orchids, they're everywhere," Carlile paints the scene.  "How are we going to have a Joni Jam without our queen? We're not!" And the crowd roars as Mitchell returns to the Newport stage for the first time since 1969. Then the iconic jangle of "Big Yellow Taxi" kicks in, performed as a group singalong with Mitchell's late-life velvet voice standing out here and there. The harmonies melt, with Lucius's Jess Wolfe and Holly Laessig steering the ship, but it's Mitchell who gets the last word in, growling "put up a parking lot" and gleefully laughing as the song fades. It's a bit of a shock, even after she switched to a contralto in the mid-'70s, to not hear the mezzo-soprano that made the song famous, but incredibly moving, too. Mitchell suffered an aneurysm in 2015 that meant she had to learn to walk and sing and play guitar again. Which makes her spry, cool guitar on an instrumental version of "Just Like This Train'' all the more remarkable. And Mitchell's voice only gets stronger as the set goes on. Carlile and her wild-honey croon take the lead on "A Case of You," but Mitchell picks it up at the chorus to chill-inducing effect and keeps going, with Carlile and Mumford twisting around her like gentle but supportive vines. Carlile sounds fabulous taking the high notes on a groovy "Carey," and Mitchell is like silver when she hollers: "Oh, you're a mean old daddy, but you're out of sight!" She tells a fun story about driving a Mercedes across the country and how Hejira was written on the way. "I didn't have a driver's license so I had to tailgate on truckers, you know, they always signal when there's cops ahead," Mitchell cackles. Goldsmith then takes the lead on "Amelia," with Mitchell slightly behind him like an austere shadow; the same happens as he leads the gang through "Come in from the Cold"—and when Mitchell implores the title, she sounds more heartfelt than ever. "Both Sides Now" is so mortal and beautiful; when, at 79, Mitchell sings that final chorus—written when she was 23—it's almost unbearable: "I've looked at life from both sides now/ From win and lose and still somehow/ It's life's illusions I recall/ I really don't know life at all." But closer "The Circle Game" (written for Neil Young after he lamented leaving his teens and turning 20) is joyous. "We're captive on the carousel of time," Mitchell sings, so happy to be here. It ends with her laughing heartily. © Shelly Ridenour/Qobuz

Singing standards, trying to bring something different to or imprint your style on a tune made famous by Sinatra, Garland or Holiday, is a brave venture in the 21st century. The eclectic and unpredictable Rickie Lee Jones, has also always been a sneakily talented, genre-spanning songwriter who approaches covers with the same determination she brings to her own songs. Jones has carefully built a proud though underappreciated career that now gives her the gravitas to have a little fun on the aptly named Pieces of Treasure. As she did for a selection of rock and pop covers on 2019's Kicks, Jones leans into well-known (and well-worn) pop music standards like Jimmy McHugh's' bouncy "Sunny Side of the Street" or Kurt Weill's enchanting ode to age, "September Song." Rather than drowning these chestnuts in sentimentality, she works her nimble vocal way at leisurely tempos that encourage finely detailed renditions, the kind she's always been fabulous at finding. The opener "Just in Time" is an on- target success as is her easy, swinging run through of George and Ira Gershwin's "They Can' Take That Away From Me" where just a bit of scatting is added. While the late Jimmy Scott will always own the Jimmy Van Heusen/Sammy Cohen knockout "All The Way," Jones gives her all here. Set against just an acoustic guitar, she earnestly wends her way through a warm version of "On the Sunny Side of the Street" in which the last note is held for more than a beat. Working again with Russ Titelman who, along with Lenny Waronker, produced her 1979 debut album, Jones says this album made her feel young again and was like a reunion with herself.  Titelman has said of Pieces of Treasure's sessions, "I adore the young Rickie Lee, but I love even more the old dame I watched pour her heart out every time she got in front of a microphone." Recorded with the very spare accompaniment of mostly just pianist Rob Mounsey, with appearances by guitarist Russell Malone and vibraphonist Mike Mainieri, Pieces of Treasure was tracked in New York City at Bass Hit Studio, whose owner Dave Darlington was one of four engineers, and also mixed the album.) As befits the project, Jones is close-mic'd and the instrumentalists are tastefully kept in the background. Rickie Lee Jones sounds reinvigorated by this trip down Tin Pan Alley. © Robert Baird/Qobuz

Queen Kylie Minogue's 2020 album, the bluntly titled Disco, was brilliantly lit by the glow of the disco ball. This time around, she's bringing an electro-pop strobe to the dance floor —and, at 55, proving age really doesn't mean anything. While Madonna has been spinning fruitlessly in search of reinvention, Minogue just keeps nailing trends and staying refreshingly relevant. "Padam Padam"—the onomatopoeic sound of a heartbeat—lives in a metallic echo chamber, carefully curated by producer Lostboy and decorated with an infectious snake-charmer chorus. "I'll be in your head all weekend," Minogue sings prophetically. "Tension" goes deep with '90s house keyboards and beats, and a robotic effect for Mingoue's sexy come-on, directing exactly how she wants to be handled by a lover—"Oh, my god/ Touch me right there/ Almost there/ touch me right there"—while also also making it clear she is completely in control: "I'm a star babe-babe-babe/ Do this all day-day-day/ Cool like sorbet-bet-bet." She works all her vocal tricks on tropical-vibe "One More Time": cooing, showing powerhouse strength, effortlessly hitting the high notes, sassing and whooping and sweating it. (Even though it's not a direct tribute, you can't help but be reminded by Daft Punk's monster hit of the same name.) "Green Light" is cool-breeze cafe pop with smooooooth jazz sax. "Things We Do for Love" delivers an energetic burst of euphoria with a shiny soap bubble of a bridge. "You Still Get Me High" fronts like a prom ballad before erupting into an emo-beat thriller, with wailing sax upping the adrenaline; it's like Kylie x Bleachers, and it's fun. "Hands" finds Minogue casually rapping and delighting in '90s girl-group R&B. "Vegas High" captures that city's cut-loose party vibe and is obviously a tie-in for her residency at the Venetian, which begins November 2023. But she makes up for that bit of cheesiness with "10 Out of 10,"  a goofy, giddy lark of a collaboration with Dutch DJ Oliver Heldens that delivers a Pet Shop Boys-style droll chorus: "Body, 10/ Touch, 10 / Energy, 10." Kylie: 10.  © Shelly Ridenour/Qobuz

On her ninth album, P!nk proves to be something her tough-edged younger self might never have imagined: graceful. At 43, she's long abandoned the sometimes seductive, sometimes challenging snarl of her early work, as well as the party-girl persona of albums like Funhouse. The scene is set with "When I Get There," a piano-and-strings ballad for her father, who died in 2021. ("Is there a bar up there/ Where you've got a favorite chair … Is there a place you go/ To watch the sunset, oh.") P!nk has said that the album was partly inspired, as so many records of this era are, by the pandemic and, in her case, seeing her young son so ill with Covid-19. "The panic is temporary/ But I'll be permanent ... As scary as it gets/ It's just turbulent," she sings on "Turbulence," offering pragmatism and the wisdom, born from experience, that shocks will pass. She's also a gracious collaborator, letting her duet partners sound like themselves rather than bending them completely to her polished pop sound. The Lumineers bring along familiar marching drum rolls and Wesley Schultz's warm vocals for "Long Way to Go." Likewise, "Kids In Love," with the Swedish siblings of First Aid Kit, is as airy and folky as anything by that duo. And you can tell P!nk is a true fan of Chris Stapleton. "Just Say I'm Sorry," their closing collaboration, sounds like a Stapleton song: romantic, nostalgic, with a Roy Orbison-esque melody and the country singer's evocative guitar tone. His voice is as powerful as P!nk's—it's not so much leather and lace as leather and brightly colored leather—yet neither of them overpowers the other. But look, P!nk is still here to have a good time. The title track, co-written with Snow Patrol's Johnny McDaid, glitters with EDM beats. And she called up old collaborators Max Martin and Shellback, who produced her 2010 hit "Raise Your Glass," to help concoct "Never Gonna Not Dance Again"—a sunny, shimmering disco number with tropical-breeze horns and rhythmic "d-d-d-dance" stuttering that sounds a whole lot like Justin Timberlake's "Can't Stop the Feeling." Writer/producer Greg Kurstin, a favorite of female artists including Kelly Clarkson, Sia and P!nk herself (he worked on 2012's The Truth About Love album), layers on post-punk guitars and a pop-punk chant ("Oh no! Here we go!") to help the singer tap into the spitfire of her early work with "Hate Me": "She's loud and drunk/ Let's take her down to size … I'm the villain you made me," P!nk sings. "Last Call" has a light country flavor, "Feel Something" offers R&B vibes and tender acoustics from experimental guitarist Nate Mercereau, and "Lost Cause" could be a Disney ballad with its soaring chorus. And, lest you forget the amazing vocal leaps and tricks P!nk is capable of, "Our Song" slathers on expansive range and Broadway-worthy drama to remind the world: it's all about that voice. © Shelly Ridenour/Qobuz

Recorded in London with Andy Wright, their regular producer, this Simply Red album was first conceived as a scathing response to the COVID-19 pandemic. In order to get through this difficult period, Mick Hucknall, the famous lead singer of the British group (founded in 1985), focused on the positive things that surrounded him and attempted to transcribe this state of mind into his music. Among these positive elements are his wife and family, to whom he dedicates the opening song, Better With You, with its resplendent melody and energetic rhythm. In similar fashion to this track, the album is full of songs that emanate a contagious optimism – whether it’s funky (Just Like You), bluesy (Slapbang), rock (Too Long At The Fair), or even jazzy (Butterflies). It’s also clear that the red-haired singer-songwriter demonstrates his gift for the sensual ballad, especially when it allows him to showcase his famous falsetto (Let Your Hair Down, and his impressive guitar solo thanks to Kenji Suzuki). Mick Hucknall also mentions certain current topics that are close to his heart, such as the migrant crisis in Hey Mister. The album ends with Earth In A Lonely Space, clearly influenced by the Beatles' Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds. A flagship group of the 1980s, influenced by the 1960s yet perfectly at ease in their 2023 sneakers: this is Simply Red showing everything they’ve got to offer with their 13th album. ©Nicolas Magenham/Qobuz

The Breeders of Pod and the Breeders of Last Splash seemed like two very different bands, as the astringent indie rock of the band's debut seemed to take a back seat to the highly melodic riff-dealing of their commercial breakthrough. The departure of Slint drummer Britt Walford and Throwing Muses guitarist Tanya Donnelly was certainly a factor, as Jim MacPherson's straightforward drumming has a whole lot to do with the propulsive power of Last Splash. However, Kim Deal's decision to recruit her twin sister Kelley for guitar and vocals is also a big factor. While the Deal sisters' vocal harmonies are justifiably praiseworthy for giving Last Splash some of its most memorable moments (the entirety of "Cannonball," for instance), the quirky muscularity of their deceptively intricate guitar work is the album's secret weapon. The weird combination of multi-tracked and doubled guitar lines (some on acoustic guitars, some on electric guitars, some on distorted acoustic guitars) sounds like effortlessly chunky garage rock, but a close listen to the component parts of a cut like the Blondie-nod of "Flipside" is likely to cause dizziness. This studio intensity is prevalent throughout much of Last Splash, giving it a unique patina that feels as rough and loose as it does meticulously crafted. Much of the album's sonic perfectionism has been variously ascribed to Kim Deal's wish for vengeance after being rudely fired from the Pixies, her escalating drug use, or simply that she's an audiophile spirit trapped in an indie rocker's body. In all likelihood, it was all three things combined with the natural energy that comes from a band working with an exceptional set of material. While "weird Breeders" gets plenty of air time on Last Splash ("Mad Lucas" and "Hag" both could have been Pod outtakes; "Roi" manages to make Led Zeppelin riffs sound like art-rock), the ridiculous quantity of infectious melodies and top-shelf arrangements on the album ("Saints," "Cannonball," "No Aloha," "Divine Hammer" and "Do You Love Me Now?") are evidence of an artist at the peak of her powers who just happens to have a band alongside her that can absolutely deliver on the promise of that material. This 30th anniversary edition benefits from being remastered from the original, long-thought-lost analog tapes (Deal was adamant that the album was recorded in an all-analog chain, so this should be a faithful rendition) as well as two previously unreleased bonus tracks. © Jason Ferguson/Qobuz

Released in conjunction with Billy Joel's grand experiment with classical music, The Essential Billy Joel was a welcome reminder of Billy Joel's way with a pop song, improving on the previous Greatest Hits, Vol. 1 & 2 by extending into the '90s and delving deeper into his catalog. There were some casualties along the way -- it's easy for a fan to carp about the absence of personal favorites like "She's Right on Time" or "Travelin' Prayer," and it may even make some sense that "You're Only Human (Second Wind)" or "Shameless" didn't make the cut, but it's mind-boggling that "Scenes From an Italian Restaurant" isn't here (we won't mention that the classical pieces that end the record, no matter how surprisingly good they are, are as out of place as Attila would have been) -- but for the most part, this has every one of Joel's heavy-hitters, and his craftsmanship, both as a songsmith and record maker, has never shone brighter. The biggest fault is that there is a notable drop-off in quality after 1986's The Bridge (which ends midway through disc two), but even so, this is as good a distillation of Joel's talents imaginable. In fact, as the first disc unfurls, even cynics may wonder why he's been dogged by the critics, since singer/songwriter pop doesn't come better than "Say Goodbye to Hollywood," "New York State of Mind," "Only the Good Die Young," "My Life," "It's Still Rock and Roll to Me," "Don't Ask Me Why," "Allentown," and their seven companions.© Stephen Thomas Erlewine /TiVo

"THE DEATH OF PEACE OF MIND is a record that redefines experimentation in modern metalcore." © TiVo

It's hard to overestimate the importance of The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan, the record that firmly established Dylan as an unparalleled songwriter, one of considerable skill, imagination, and vision. At the time, folk had been quite popular on college campuses and bohemian circles, making headway onto the pop charts in diluted form, and while there certainly were a number of gifted songwriters, nobody had transcended the scene as Dylan did with this record. There are a couple (very good) covers, with "Corrina Corrina" and "Honey Just Allow Me One More Chance," but they pale with the originals here. At the time, the social protests received the most attention, and deservedly so, since "Blowin' in the Wind," "Masters of War," and "A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall" weren't just specific in their targets; they were gracefully executed and even melodic. Although they've proven resilient throughout the years, if that's all Freewheelin' had to offer, it wouldn't have had its seismic impact, but this also revealed a songwriter who could turn out whimsy ("Don't Think Twice, It's All Right"), gorgeous love songs ("Girl From the North Country"), and cheerfully absurdist humor ("Bob Dylan's Blues," "Bob Dylan's Dream") with equal skill. This is rich, imaginative music, capturing the sound and spirit of America as much as that of Louis Armstrong, Hank Williams, or Elvis Presley. Dylan, in many ways, recorded music that equaled this, but he never topped it.© Stephen Thomas Erlewine /TiVo

On the 13th of March 2017, Tommy LiPuma died at the age of 80. The Grammy-adorned producer had, one year prior, began work on a new album for his protege Diana Krall. The Canadian singer was therefore left to mix the record entirely alone... The calibre of musician on this record is impressive: guitarists Russell Malone and Anthony Wilson, bassists John Clayton and Christian McBride, drummer Karriem Riggins and Bob Dylan’s bassist, Tony Garnier, all come along to finish off the recording of This Dream of You. A great fan of Dylan, Krall used a song name from his 2009 album Together Through Life as the title of this 15th album released by Verve. Whether in duet, trio or quartet, Madame Costello plays and sings in diverse contexts but ultimately returns to her preferred repertoire: the Great American Songbook. The standards that have come to be expected a thousand times over are met as if by magic. Autumn in New York by Vernon Duke, How Deep is the Ocean by Irving Berlin and the unmistakeable Singing in the Rain by Gene Kelley as well as other classics from giants like Sinatra and Nat King Cole become her own. A whisper, a murmur, a refined arrangement, an instrumental treasure, Diana Krall prevails time after time. One could fault her for not daring to reimagine the songs more, but when the standard of these renditions is so high and of such depth, we can do nothing but yield and wonder. Also note that for the first time Diana Krall’s face doesn’t appear on the album cover! © Marc Zisman/Qobuz

Taj Mahal has released many kinds of albums in a six-decade career: folk, jump, country, blues of all stripes, sounds from Africa, the Caribbean, R&B, soul, collaborations with musicians from across the globe, and even children's records. Savoy moves in another direction still. Recorded in collaboration with producer, pianist, and longtime friend John Simon, this set offers blues-kissed reads of 14 tunes from the Great American Songbook. The album is titled as an homage to the iconic Harlem ballroom at 596 Lenox Ave. Mahal's parents met there in 1938 seeing Ella Fitzgerald front the Chick Webb Orchestra. Simon and Mahal discussed the project for decades, but August 2022 was when the planets aligned. They cut the set live with a core band and guests. Mahal's band includes guitarist Danny Caron, bassist Ruth Davies, Simon on piano, drummer Leon Joyce, Jr., and a vocal chorus with Carla Holbrook, Leesa Humphrey, and Charlotte McKinnon. Interestingly, Caron and Davies served in Charles Brown's band, and Joyce drummed with Ramsey Lewis for many years. "Stompin' at the Savoy" starts with spoken word; Mahal delivers a reenactment of his parents' meeting. As he commences singing and scatting the lyrics, backing singers underscore with oohs, aahs, and call-and-response. "I'm Just a Lucky So-and-So" is one of three Duke Ellington numbers here. The languid horn section plays a blues progression with added warmth and grace from Kristen Strom's swinging flute. The arrangement of George Gershwin's "Summertime" is delivered allegretto, with blue, finger-popping swing from lush horns. "Mood Indigo" benefits from co-producer Manny Moreira's accumulated years of big band and Broadway experience. His layered brass colorations add dimension. "Do Nothin' Till You Hear from Me" offers languid, late-night horns (except in the bridge when they deliberately evoke gospel), and Simon's tasteful comping adds drama. The fluid blues guitar break from Caron benefits with elegance and bite. "Sweet Georgia Brown" is meaty and sprightly as Mahal's grainy singing and scatting contrasts beautifully with Evan Price's "Parisian hot jazz" violin. Maria Muldaur -- one of the great interpreters of vintage blues, jazz, R&B, and country -- joins Mahal on the fun, sultry "Baby It's Cold Outside," with excellent violin, trombone, and piano solos. "Caldonia," Louis Jordan's striding jump boogie, offers pumping piano, swinging guitar, and smoking sax and trombone solos behind Mahal's good-time vocal. His harmonica joins Strom's tenor sax to elevate in Benny Golson's dynamic "Killer Joe," before "One for My Baby (And One More for the Road)" closes the set. Mahal references several classic versions and arrangements in shifting tempos, but he ultimately only sounds like himself. Savoy embodies the abundant joy of its predecessor, Get On Board: The Songs of Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee, but the album offers added nuance, color, dynamics, and musical sophistication. It seemingly accomplishes the impossible by taking these (overly) familiar standards and breathing new life into them while simultaneously honoring their legacies as well as that of the historic Harlem ballroom. © Thom Jurek /TiVo