Music journalism, books and more

By now, Del Rey's persona and esthetic are well established: a femme fatale who revels in moody numbers about bad boys. It’s been a successful formula where the 32-year-old singer’s blank stare reflected her music’s ennui. So what are we to make of Del Rey’s smiling face on her latest album? Has she found contentment? While the New York City native is still mired in toxic relationships, her concerns now about have more to do with the state of the planet. “When the World Was at War We Kept Dancing” finds her asking “Is it the end of America?” and “God Bless America—And All the Beautiful Women In It” is an ode to feminism. Best of all, there’s something close to joyful abandon on the Beatlesqu...

She’s one of the greatest female singers ever to come out of the U.K. Six years before Adele was born, Alison Moyet was topping the charts with electropop duo Yaz. Blessed with a bluesy, soulful voice, Moyet went on to a highly successful solo career, exploring new styles with hits songs, including “All Cried Out” and “Invisible,” while selling over 23 million albums. A mother of three, the Grammy-nominated singer returned to her electronica roots with 2013’s excellent The Minutes. Working again with producer Guy Sigsworth (Björk, Madonna), Moyet continues making adventurous music on her ninth studio album. Some of the songs, like “Reassuring Pinches,” recall the meaningful electropop of “On...

Jay-Z resides comfortably in the palace of hip-hop: a groundbreaking rapper and label owner, with 21 Grammy Awards and sales of more than 100 million records to his name. As Beyoncé’s husband, he is also one half of pop’s royal couple. But all has not been well on the homefront, if we’re to believe the superstars’ artistic output. His alleged marital infidelity became grist for Queen Bey’s mill on her hit 2016 album Lemonade. Then there was elevator video footage showing an altercation with sister-in-law Solange. Jay-Z addresses both subjects on his 13th solo album. Confessional and apologetic, it’s an impressive mark of maturation from the man born Shawn Carter. Ove...

When the “Royals” singer first exploded on the charts with her debut album, Pure Heroine, she was only 17. Even then, she seemed much older. Now, four years on and with two Grammy Awards under her belt, Lorde (a.k.a. Ella Yelich-O’Connor) is back with more of her quirky, wise-beyond-her-years pop songs. The New Zealand singer-songwriter’s latest documents the current state of her life—wrestling with mixed emotions as she overcomes the loss of her first love and faces up to being single. She’s essentially journaling her personal dramas (the title is a playful knock on herself) and setting them to sounds that mix dance music, hip-hop and classic-pop influences. The album opens with “Green Ligh...

Hips don’t lie. Shakira proved that with her infectious, Latin-flavored dance hits that have helped make her an international superstar. Truth is, the Colombian diva certainly knows how to get hips-a-shaking. Married to Spanish soccer star Gerard Piqué, with whom she has two sons, the 40-year-old Shakira isn’t stopping on her 11th studio. Sung mostly in Spanish with several English tracks, El Dorado kicks off with “Me Enamore (I Fell in Love),” a clip-clopping slice of pop electronica about the romance that led to her marriage. Then Shakira duets with 23-year-old Colombia heartthrob Maluma on the reggaeton jam “Chantaje (Blackmail),” playfully calling him “pretty boy.” She delivers two versi...

Ryder’s breakthrough came with 2012’s Harmony, which featured two massive hits: the snappy love song “What I Wouldn’t Do” and the thunderous rock anthem “Stompa.” That album was forged out of a romantic breakup—as was this powerful followup. The Canadian star is now in a happy relationship with Trews frontman Colin MacDonald, who is now her fiancé. And her new album reflects those diverse emotional states. “Making [Utopia] has taken me to dark places, light places and places in the middle,” says Serena. “It’s my goal in life to find some kind of balance.” From the painful revelation of “The Flame” and the stark confession of “Rollercoaster” to the joyous “Electric Love” and the thumping “Got...

The world’s gone wild about Harry. He’s already compared notes about going solo with Paul McCartney and been interviewed by Almost Famous director Cameron Crowe for Rolling Stone. The sensation surrounding the former One Direction member stems from this kaleidoscopic solo debut, in which he remakes himself from boy-band idol to grownup rock star. The album draws from influences ranging from the Beatles and Bowie to Prince. And yet Styles manages to make it personal with intimate confessions. There are hints of glam rock on “Only Angel,” in which he woo-hoos like T-Rex’s Marc Bolan, and soft-rock in “Sweet Creature,” which includes a “Blackbird”-like riff. “You can't bribe the door on your wa...

The Queen of Hip-Hop Soul has always mined personal issues for her best work. This is the r&b diva known for such deeply confessional numbers as “Not Gon’ Cry” and “No More Drama.” For her 13th studio album, Blige had the biggest real-life drama to draw from: divorce from her longtime manager-husband Martin “Kendu” Isaacs. She doesn’t pull her punches, attacking him for his infidelity in the scathing “Set Me Free.” “How could you believe I wouldn’t fight back,” she tells him on “Telling the Truth,” a club number produced by Canada’s Kaytranada. But most of the album is more positive, with warm numbers like “Indestructible” and “Survivor.” “I’ve been broken for a long time,” she sings on ...

It’s been nearly a quarter of a century since Sheryl Crow launched her career with Tuesday Night Music, a rock-pop album that included such infectious songs as “All I Wanna Do.” She went on to record another seven albums, which cumulatively sold over 35 million copies worldwide. Now Crow has reunited with Jeff Trott, who co-wrote early hits “If It Makes You Happy” and “My Favorite Mistake.” The reunion pays dividends, returning the “Everyday is a Winding Road” singer to her ’90s rock-queen glory. Songs like “Roller Skate,” “Rest of Me” and exuberant title track are all instantly likeable. There’s also a darker edge to some material, reflecting Crow’s concern with the state of the world. “Hal...

The seven-time Grammy winner has done his best to deny that he’s still fixated on Katy Perry. “I wouldn’t say it started as a breakup record,” says Mayer, whose relationship with Perry ended in 2015. Yet most of the songs on this 12-cut compilation, which includes two four-track EPs released earlier this year plus four unreleased tracks, are full of longing. Asked point blank if one new number, the shimmering “Still Feel Like Your Man” was about Perry, Mayer answered “who else would I be thinking about?” The songs, mostly rock and blues ballads with a solitary country track, “Roll It on Home,” range from lovelorn (“You’re Gonna Live Forever in Me”) to heartbroken (“Never on the Day You Leave...