On her third album, Beautiful Lies, Birdy (born Jasmine van der Bogaerde) continues her evolution from acoustic covers singer to confident and powerful artist. When she had her breakout "Skinny Love" moment at the age of 14, her vulnerable voice and stripped-down acoustics conveyed a fragility and innocence indicative of the indie material she covered on her self-titled debut. While her sophomore effort (and first comprising original songs) bolstered her sound with livelier production -- harnessing the energy of OneRepublic, whose Ryan Tedder co-wrote a pair of tracks -- Beautiful Lies brings a depth that pulls Birdy from Ingrid Michaelson territory and into a scene occupied by Lorde, Florence, and Lana. On the lush opener "Growing Pains," she incorporates East Asian-influenced melody into a swelling, powerful chorus that echoes the aforementioned Del Rey with a little Kate Bush sprinkled on top. That refreshing quirkiness is also present on the wistful "Silhouette," which includes a surprising flourish that wouldn't be out of place on a Joanna Newsom or Regina Spektor track. Beautiful Lies' most uplifting moments, such as the full-throttle "Keeping Your Head Up" and the urgent "Wild Horses," provide touches of elevation and empowerment, similar to much of Foxes' 2016 release, All I Need. One such highlight, the beautiful "Hear You Calling," infuses the album with a power only previously hinted at on prior works. There is also a nice balance to Beautiful Lies that creates a fuller, more satisfying listening experience. Midtempo breathers like "Shadow" and "Words" comfort, while the atmospherics on "Take My Heart" and "Save Yourself" haunt like ballads by Vaults or Bat for Lashes. While Birdy is indeed growing up (she was 19 at the time of release), nods to her origins are present on the piano ballads "Lost It All," the soothing "Unbroken," and the closing title track, a sparse beauty that ends Beautiful Lies with a kiss goodbye. "Turn out the light, there are no more surprises to come," she sings, as the album takes its last breath. With more life, richer texture, and an inspiring attitude, Beautiful Lies is Birdy's declaration that she is more than able to make her mark in the big leagues and join the ranks of the alternative pop pantheon.© Neil Z. Yeung /TiVo

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This second of three underrated releases for Hi finds Syl Johnson slowly but surely transforming from a credulous loser into a standup guy no one messes around with. Diamond in the Rough could be viewed as a creative bridge between the slightly formulaic Hi approach of 1973's Back for a Taste of Your Love and the more bluesy and rewarding Total Explosion from 1975. Different from the southern soul belter which distinguished fellow Hi second leaguers Otis Clay and O.V. Wright, Johnson's unique feat lies in his earnest yet sometimes ironic take on love and relationships. Exemplary are "Keeping Down Confusion" with its rolling organ and "Don't Do It," where the singer drives home the ultimate cliché of "I was just doing my job/Working overtime," convincing listeners of wrongfully being accused of cheating on his better half. Singing at the top of his register unintentionally added to Johnson's well-timed delivery and was perfected for Total Explosion's closing track "That's Just My Luck." Not a dry eye in the house as Johnson's seemingly guilty conscious ("What am I doing here/With another man's wife/I'm shaking in fear/But I'm having the time of my life/I'm a fool/To put myself in jeopardy/But I can't help myself/She makes sweet love to me") makes for an adultery song which holds up with the likes of Don Covay's "I Was Checkin' out She Was Checkin' in." Diamond in the Rough has its own surprises, for instance in the minor R&B chart success of "I Want to Take You Home to See Mama." Initially coming on too joyfully honest for its own good, its credibility easily supersedes Al Green's "Let's Get Married." As ballads like the unfairly overlooked first single "Please Don't Give up on Me" stand out, the albums best song remains the driving "Stuck in Chicago." The only song not written by Willie Mitchell and his gang, it paved the way for Total Explosion's tougher approach where the former Chicago bluesman would let it loose on his harmonica. His reading of "Take Me to the River" gave the author and Hi superstar he was often compared to a run for his money. Like Big Mouth Billy Bass miming the song to Tony Soprano in one of the television series' episodes, Johnson did have the last laugh as "getting stuck in Chicago" would lead to his biggest hit. © Quint Kik /TiVo

When Patrice Rushen was being lambasted by jazz snobs for making the switch from jazz instrumentalist to R&B/pop singer, she was also winning over quite a few people. R&B fans didn't care if she was no longer playing long, improvised piano solos with Joe Henderson or Hubert Laws; they loved her singing, and couldn't have cared less what jazz snobs thought of her new direction. Rushen's profile in the R&B world continued to increase with Pizzazz, her second album for Elektra and fifth overall. The song that did the most to make this LP a success was "Haven't You Heard?," a gem of a single that soared to the top of R&B radio play lists and was among Rushen's biggest hits. Many listeners bought Pizzazz because of "Haven't You Heard?," and they quickly discovered that the rest of the album was also excellent. Drawing on such influences as Earth, Wind & Fire, Minnie Riperton, Stevie Wonder, and the Emotions, Rushen has no problem holding an R&B lover's attention with treasures that include the funky opener "Let the Music Take Me," the soulful ballad "Settle for My Love," and the perky "Keepin' Faith in Love." Pizzazz might have received tongue-lashings from jazz critics, but from an R&B/pop perspective, it's among Rushen's most rewarding and essential albums. © Alex Henderson /TiVo