by Shannon Smith
James Bay’s journey from the youthful singer-songwriter who burst onto the scene in 2015 with Chaos and the Calm to his fourth studio album, Changes All the Time, reveals a subtle shift in his creative voice. This new album sees Bay lean further into his Americana influences while continuing to explore themes of self-reflection and resilience. The eleven-track offering shows his commitment to songwriting tradition while weaving in new voices lyrically and musically alongside producer Gabe Simon.
The album opens with “Up All Night,” a collaboration featuring The Lumineers and Noah Kahan. The song [...]
In the ever-evolving narrative of Lizzy McAlpine’s discography, Older offers a reflective and introspective body of work, distinct in its maturity and depth from her preceding albums, notably 2022’s five seconds flat. McAlpine, who has been on a clear upward trajectory since her debut, continues to push the singer/songwriter’s awareness of her artistry, delving into more personal and nuanced territories with Older. These fourteen songs, written over a three-year span marking McAlpine’s transition into adulthood, are a voyage through the complexities of growth, heartache, and self-discovery.
Older is built around raw emotion [...]
Ben Howard has consistently pushed the boundaries of folk and indie music, veering towards the experimental, but with his fifth studio album, Is It?, he propels himself into a new, intriguing realm altogether. Recorded for ten days at Le Manoir de Léon Studios in the serene beauty of Southern France, the album emerges as a lush soundscape, a journey through Howard’s artistic resilience and creative expansion, especially given the life-altering health crisis he endured while creating it.
The album opener, “Couldn’t Make It Up,” is a pleasant surprise. Produced by Bullion, it instantly plunges the listener into Howard’s [...]
Max Highstein is a multi-instrumentalist singer-songwriter that calls the hot open spaces of New Mexico home. For his latest album, he has many releases in multiple genres; Highstein pairs his jazzy, new-age sounds with adult-contemporary rock. Also on the offering is a balance of vocal and instrumental songs to keep things eclectic. The album is called Hotcakes, and Ed Willet joins Highstein on cello and Mark Clark on drums. In addition, Judy Mitchell plays accordion, and guitarist Jeff Pevar performs on “First Day Out.” The rest of the sounds are Highstein performing on various instruments but featuring his guitar playing and lead [...]