For his new holiday album, Tis the Season, Shimabukuro teamed up with old friends, including an archival performance with the late Jimmy Buffett . There's also a performance with Michael McDonald, but ...

If we needed any more proof that the album isn't dead, 2025 was it. On this episode, Stephen Thompson is joined by Ann Powers and Daoud Tyler-Ameen to run through 12 dazzling albums that stuck with ...

2025 was one hell of a year. From the tumultuous political climate, the continued rise of social media, and the uncertainty of the future. One thing that remains consistent however, is the beauty of ...

So this is the future? Judging by mainstream music in 2025, humankind is not in a particularly creative place. The year’s main storylines included the rise of AI slop and cartoon K-pop. A number of ...

Rosalía made an album invoking the saints, Lily Allen took us on a tragicomic trip through her domestic hell, Lady Gaga found the sweet spot between artpop and arena-ready funk, and Bad Bunny was just ...

Recently, in casual conversations, I’ve been asked for my opinion about the October report that “No Rap Songs Are in the Billboard Hot 100’s Top 40 for the First Time Since 1990” more so than my ...

The breakout pop album of 2025. Addison Rae, a former TikTok star, pays tribute to musical forebears including Britney Spears and Lana Del Rey, but has a dreamy style all her own. “Always Been”. By ...

We’re at the end of yet another year where commentators and fans speculated on the health of the rap world. In October, it was reported that, for the first time in 35 years, there were no rap songs in ...

From Mavis Staples to the Kronos Quartet—these are our music critic’s favorite works from this year. The Lebanese Civil War. Corporate agri-capitalism. Tips for surviving a nasty divorce. Violence, ...

In 2025, even a challenged television landscape was rife with transportive stories. From streamers to broadcast networks, these narratives immersed viewers in different time periods, alternative ...

To make a list is immediately to begin second-guessing it. This year that’s especially true below the Top 10, in my list of 20 runner-up albums, for which I had double that many candidates I could ...

Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... After much consternation, I’ve managed to pare down a long list of fine jazz-improv recordings from 2025 to a top 10. So, apologies to Marshall Allen, The ...