The back story of Kanye West's 2016 release, The Life of Pablo, is nearly impossible to put in a nutshell, but it involves an ever-changing album title, including one that offended Wiz Khalifa so much that a twitter war ensued. Then there was a "Bill Cosby is innocent" tweet, and a consensus among producers and insiders that this was the culmination of his career. There was the Season 3 release of West's fashion line, a coinciding event that seemed just as important to Yeezy as dropping this LP. More important, maybe, since the runway models all made their cues while The Life of Pablo missed its release date, and while the idea that this is Kanye's career in one album can be loosely applied, it's more an angelic-themed LP in the vein of 808s & Heartbreak, with another vicious, trite, spiteful, parasitic release nibbling at its host. The opening masterpiece, "Ultralight Beam," represents the angelic side, offering a complicated emotional ride with the Gospel of Kirk Franklin fueling the song's jaw-dropping climax. Then, on a smaller scale, there's "No More Parties in L.A." with Kendrick Lamar and Madlib as co-producer, plus samples of Junie Morrison and Larry Graham, all supporting a smooth, rolling soul song they never could've imagined -- one about dropping your own shoe line -- plus "sheets still orange from your spray tan." Add the gorgeous "FML" ("I will die for those I love/God, I'm willing to make this my mission"), which comes with the Weeknd, and a marvelous sample of post-punkers Section 25, and the vibrant The Life of Pablo circles the wagons around family and soul mates in a manner that makes this the most holy of endeavors. And yet, when "Real Friends" explores the flipside, the emotions are tweet-sized and click bait, because paying a cousin a quarter million just to get a laptop back, just because of ex-girlfriend nudes, seems like G-Unit bragging or yesterday's bossip. There's the much talked about Taylor Swift diss in "Famous," which is not only callous, trite, and illogical but sits on a sub-Yeezy beat, and yet "Waves" (sounds like Kraftwerk remixing Chris Brown), "Highlights" (Young Thug and Yeezy connect supremely, like Drake and Future), and "Low Lights" (nothing but bass and a woman testifying for pure perfection) are all captivating, and make Pablo a soul-filling, gospel-fueled alternative to West's vicious, industrial-powered LP Yeezus. The bleached anuses that ruin expensive t-shirts in "Father Stretch My Hands, Pt. 1" just don't seem as interesting in this context, but the other way to look at the erratic Pablo is as an "instant" LP, one that was mastered at the last minute and debuted via streaming. On that count, it's a fascinating, magazine-like experience with plenty of reasons to give it a free play, and with "Feedback" adding "name one genius that ain't crazy" to the mix, Pablo excuses itself from the usual criticisms, although it could have been tighter.© David Jeffries /TiVo

All bets regarding Abel Tesfaye's career arc were off once Trilogy, material previously released at no (financial) cost to the listener, went platinum. For a period after that, it seemed like the singer had peaked just short of pop-star status. His eager congregation pushed Kiss Land, the proper debut, to number two in the U.S., yet none of its singles, not even the one that featured Drake, reached the Hot 100. "Love Me Harder," a duet with labelmate Ariana Grande released in 2014, proved to be a masterstroke. It put Tesfaye in the Top Ten for the first time and began a streak of similarly effective singles that preceded -- and are included on -- Beauty Behind the Madness. "Earned It," a ballad recorded for the Fifty Shades of Grey soundtrack, showed that he could adapt to a traditional pop backdrop. That cut a path for "The Hills," in which Tesfaye alleviated his "day one" base with a typically degenerate slow jam, co-produced by Illangelo, that affirmed "When I'm fucked up, that's the real me" while taking the toxic narrative a step further with lines like "Drugs started feelin' like it's decaf." And then "Can't Feel My Face," a sleek slice of retro-modern disco-funk produced by Max Martin and Ali Payami, landed in June 2015. An obvious pop move, it worked -- it went to number one in the U.S. and several other territories. Tesfaye skillfully delivered his biggest hooks as he sang about dependency in that part-anguished, part-euphoric fashion derived from Michael Jackson. Like its advance singles, the rest of Beauty Behind the Madness is R&B and pop as drug-den paella: chemical and sexual abasement, self-loathing, and self-absorbed belligerence over narcotized sludge and less expected moves that peak with the wholly sweet "As You Are" and crest with a big-band diversion on "Losers." Collaborations with Kanye West, Ed Sheeran, and Lana Del Rey add star power; the last of that pack contributes to a moment where Tesfaye turns another corner by acknowledging a dead end through the fog, "addicted to a life that's so empty and so cold." The commercial strides are obvious. The creative advancements are less apparent, but they're in there.© Andy Kellman /TiVo

The debut solo album by singer Camila Cabello, the eponymously titled Camila, is a warmly produced set of romantic pop punctuated by several rhythmically infectious Latin-influenced tracks informed by her Cuban heritage. Notably, Camila comes roughly two years after Cabello's much publicized departure from the all-female pop ensemble Fifth Harmony. While her exit begged some concerns (Was she a self-centered diva? Or just a singer with an abundance of personality and creative drive?), the release of several pre-album singles, most notably the deliciously steamy, piano-driven "Havana" (featuring rapper Young Thug), largely turned audiences in her favor. Purportedly, the reaction was so favorable it cause Cabellod (who was born in Cuba and raised in Miami) and her producers (Frank Dukes, Jarami, Skrillex, and others) to delay the album's release, adding songs that better reflected the Latin vibe of "Havana." Whatever the case, it worked, and there are several other Latin-inflected songs here, including the sultry, electronica-tinged, dancehall-ready "She Loves Control," and the buoyantly percussive, steel drum-flavored "Inside Out," in which Cabello sings briefly in Spanish. Along with the aforementioned "Havana," these are easily the most potent songs on the album, and showcase Cabello's effusively resonant voice and playful charisma. Elsewhere, cuts like the R&B-tinged anthem "All These Years" and the yearning, singer/songwriter-esque "Consequences" are emotionally resonant, lyrical songs that stick with you. There are also some nice, upbeat pop moments like the euphoric opener "Never Be the Same," with its falsetto pre-chorus and deftly placed Afro-Cuban drum sample. Similarly engaging is the steamy late-album banger "Into It," in which Cabello wryly coos to her would-be paramour, "Add up the things I wanna do to you, it's infinite/I mean...if you're into it." With tracks as contagious as "Into It" and "Havana," it's hard to imagine even the most resolute Fifth Harmony devotee not getting into it. Ultimately, Camila is a refreshing debut that makes good on Cabello's flight to pop freedom with songs that feel like they were borne out her own life experience and artistic point of view.© Matt Collar /TiVo

In 2004, when longtime smooth jazz producer Paul Brown unleashed his more personal guitar artistry via his solo debut, Up Front, and its hit airplay track "24/7," he created an interesting future dilemma for himself: he might someday be competing for radio time and sales against some of the superstars he'd helped to the top. The oft-imitated but never equaled producer, composer, and arranger has been the primary architect of the genre's urban sound for close to 15 years, scoring over 40 number one airplay hits for genre stars like Boney James (who duets with Brown on "Old Friends" and the title track), Rick Braun, Peter White, Kirk Whalum, Euge Groove, Norman Brown, Patti Austin, Larry Carlton, and legendary labelmates Al Jarreau and, in a cool full-circle career twist, Brown's chief jazz guitar influence, George Benson. Opening with the quirky and infectious "Cosmic Monkey," which features wordless vocals by Jeffrey Osborne, Brown gets even looser and funkier on this brilliant follow-up, inviting you into a whole new type of grooving playground. It's refreshing to hear tunes in this genre that sound so organic and uncontrived; the strutting, jamming, and funk-drenched "Las Vegas," written with guitarist Chuck Loeb and featuring the blistering sax of Michael Paulo, was created specifically for a New Year's Eve gig he did in Sin City. The collection also features some immediately identifiable crowd-pleasers -- a moody, retro chill-flavored cover of Grover Washington, Jr.'s trademark classic "Winelight" -- and other tracks that draw on Brown's deeper rock, soul, and jazz influences. The gentle, bossa nova-flavored "Hello Again" will bring to mind the Benson influence, while the thumpin' and crunchin' "Jumpin' Uptown," featuring some of Brown's most intense guitar licks -- textured with cool chill effects -- is the guitarist's throwback to the classic "Bumpin' on Sunset" by another chief inspiration, the legendary Wes Montgomery. He also adds a blast of Tower of Power-flavored brass intensity to "Reel Mutha for Ya," a classic '70s guitar rock-funk tune by Johnny "Guitar" Watson. One of the best smooth jazz dates of 2005.© Jonathan Widran /TiVo

Angelo Badalamenti's score for David Lynch's television series Twin Peaks is a model of film music ideally matched to the images and actions it underscores. Lynch's world, in which almost nothing was what it seemed to be, was so devastatingly chilling, mysteriously sinister, and fall-down funny -- so surreal -- that audiences were kept in a state of emotional upheaval that tended to either make them flee or turn them into avid followers. The sometimes overtly and sometimes subliminally creepy music Badalamenti created contributed immeasurably to the deeply unsettling textures of the series. That was largely because of his skill at creating such complexly layered music that, like the drama itself, stirred up such a flurry of powerful, simultaneously conflicting emotions. The theme song "Falling" is a perfect example of the emotional layering Badalamenti used throughout the series. Its words, and even its melody, make it seem like a traditional love ballad, but the accompaniment is so deeply menacing that anyone to whom it might actually be sung as a love song would be hard pressed to keep from jumping up and running like hell. That threatening undercurrent, created by throbbing electric guitars, synthesizers with a vibrato that's off the charts, and a weirdly, relentlessly chugging percussion, subverts whatever style of music it underlies, whether it's the cool jazz of Audrey's Dance or the surging romantic passion of Laura Palmer's Theme. (The spookiest thing about Laura Palmer's Theme is that its soaring lyricism evolves out of, and then recedes back into, music that evokes a chillingly dark perversity, an aural analog for Lynch's twisted narrative and visual imagery.) The composer and his ensemble deliver vivid performances of this eccentric music, and Julee Cruise's vocals are hauntingly ethereal. The sound is immaculate: clean, present, and atmospheric.© TiVo

The very title Real Friends carries an air of bonhomie, suggesting Chris Janson's third album was designed as good music for good friends. Sure enough, Real Friends is a cheerful, breezy affair, filled with reassuring ballads and party tunes that mindfully avoid pressing the pedal to the metal. Janson's deliberately light touch helps disguise how he takes a few more musical risks this time than he did on his previous two records. While he doesn't abandon his lean, straight-ahead country wheelhouse, he accentuates his traditionalism with Mellencamp-styled heartland rock, punchy horns, glossy pop, soft R&B, and a bunch of slick electronic tricks. It's varied enough to justify his claim of "Rolling Stone called me the most open-minded redneck on the block" on "Say About Me," and even if that lyric is just Janson paraphrasing himself (the 2017 article contained the quote "I'm the most open redneck you'll ever meet" from the singer), there is a kernel of truth to the sentiment. Janson does seem eager to appeal to all audiences on Real Friends, making music that is big, bright, and welcoming, but underneath that chummy veneer, he's essentially a modern-day good ol' boy, celebrating the virtues of home, buddies, beer, and family. This sentimental streak does result in some cornball moments -- kids singing along on "Hawaii on Me," name-drops of Porter Wagoner and Johnny Paycheck on the fiercely anti-traditional "Check," a hammy duet with Blake Shelton on the title track -- but that old-fashioned cheer is also the thing that makes Real Friends a fun listen.© Stephen Thomas Erlewine /TiVo

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All bets regarding Abel Tesfaye's career arc were off once Trilogy, material previously released at no (financial) cost to the listener, went platinum. For a period after that, it seemed like the singer had peaked just short of pop-star status. His eager congregation pushed Kiss Land, the proper debut, to number two in the U.S., yet none of its singles, not even the one that featured Drake, reached the Hot 100. "Love Me Harder," a duet with labelmate Ariana Grande released in 2014, proved to be a masterstroke. It put Tesfaye in the Top Ten for the first time and began a streak of similarly effective singles that preceded -- and are included on -- Beauty Behind the Madness. "Earned It," a ballad recorded for the Fifty Shades of Grey soundtrack, showed that he could adapt to a traditional pop backdrop. That cut a path for "The Hills," in which Tesfaye alleviated his "day one" base with a typically degenerate slow jam, co-produced by Illangelo, that affirmed "When I'm fucked up, that's the real me" while taking the toxic narrative a step further with lines like "Drugs started feelin' like it's decaf." And then "Can't Feel My Face," a sleek slice of retro-modern disco-funk produced by Max Martin and Ali Payami, landed in June 2015. An obvious pop move, it worked -- it went to number one in the U.S. and several other territories. Tesfaye skillfully delivered his biggest hooks as he sang about dependency in that part-anguished, part-euphoric fashion derived from Michael Jackson. Like its advance singles, the rest of Beauty Behind the Madness is R&B and pop as drug-den paella: chemical and sexual abasement, self-loathing, and self-absorbed belligerence over narcotized sludge and less expected moves that peak with the wholly sweet "As You Are" and crest with a big-band diversion on "Losers." Collaborations with Kanye West, Ed Sheeran, and Lana Del Rey add star power; the last of that pack contributes to a moment where Tesfaye turns another corner by acknowledging a dead end through the fog, "addicted to a life that's so empty and so cold." The commercial strides are obvious. The creative advancements are less apparent, but they're in there.© Andy Kellman /TiVo

All bets regarding Abel Tesfaye's career arc were off once Trilogy, material previously released at no (financial) cost to the listener, went platinum. For a period after that, it seemed like the singer had peaked just short of pop-star status. His eager congregation pushed Kiss Land, the proper debut, to number two in the U.S., yet none of its singles, not even the one that featured Drake, reached the Hot 100. "Love Me Harder," a duet with labelmate Ariana Grande released in 2014, proved to be a masterstroke. It put Tesfaye in the Top Ten for the first time and began a streak of similarly effective singles that preceded -- and are included on -- Beauty Behind the Madness. "Earned It," a ballad recorded for the Fifty Shades of Grey soundtrack, showed that he could adapt to a traditional pop backdrop. That cut a path for "The Hills," in which Tesfaye alleviated his "day one" base with a typically degenerate slow jam, co-produced by Illangelo, that affirmed "When I'm fucked up, that's the real me" while taking the toxic narrative a step further with lines like "Drugs started feelin' like it's decaf." And then "Can't Feel My Face," a sleek slice of retro-modern disco-funk produced by Max Martin and Ali Payami, landed in June 2015. An obvious pop move, it worked -- it went to number one in the U.S. and several other territories. Tesfaye skillfully delivered his biggest hooks as he sang about dependency in that part-anguished, part-euphoric fashion derived from Michael Jackson. Like its advance singles, the rest of Beauty Behind the Madness is R&B and pop as drug-den paella: chemical and sexual abasement, self-loathing, and self-absorbed belligerence over narcotized sludge and less expected moves that peak with the wholly sweet "As You Are" and crest with a big-band diversion on "Losers." Collaborations with Kanye West, Ed Sheeran, and Lana Del Rey add star power; the last of that pack contributes to a moment where Tesfaye turns another corner by acknowledging a dead end through the fog, "addicted to a life that's so empty and so cold." The commercial strides are obvious. The creative advancements are less apparent, but they're in there.© Andy Kellman /TiVo

4 stars out of 5 -- "FRIENDS KEEP SECRETS 2, which boasts six brand new songs, sees him enlist his real-life music buds for a sonic exploration of life’s ups and downs."© TiVo