Nonesuch Records releases its second album from Pulitzer Prize–winning composer Caroline Shaw, Narrow Sea, on January 22, 2021. The title piece was written for Sō Percussion, Dawn Upshaw, and Gilbert Kalish in 2017; they perform it on this recording as well. Narrow Sea comprises five parts, each a new setting of a text from The Sacred Harp nineteenth century collection of shape-note hymns. A composition Shaw wrote for Sō Percussion in 2012, Taxidermy, also is on the album.

The career of Buke & Gase, the duo of Arone Dyer and Aron Sanchez, has one of the more idiosyncratic arcs of any band of the past two decades. Formed in 2008, they became a cult obsession shortly after the release of their first demo EP, with the left-field indie rock of that release and their first LP Riposte earning the attention of luminaries like The National and Lou Reed, and praise from the likes of Pitchfork and Radiolab (which featured the group on three episodes) and NPR (where they played one of the very first Tiny Desk Concerts).

Billie Eilish has fast become one of the biggest stars to emerge since the release of her debut single Ocean Eyes, and continues to shatter the ceiling of music with her genre-defying sound. Fast forward from her humble breakout in 2015, Billie’s album When We All Fall Asleep Where Do We Go? debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 in the U.S as well as 17 additional countries around the world upon release, and was the most streamed album of 2019. When We All Fall Asleep Where Do We Go? was written, produced and recorded entirely by Billie Eilish and brother Finneas in their childhood home of Los Angeles.

Conjuring a next-generation fusion of folk, soul, gospel, country and transcendental blues, The Moon and Stars, Prescriptions For Dreamers, Valerie June’s third full-length album for Fantasy Records is a deeply affecting work of genuine beauty and unassuming wonder. Produced by Jack Splash (Kendrick Lamar, Alicia Keys, John Legend) and Valerie June and recorded at Fresh Young Minds in Los Angeles, CA and Hit Factory Criteria in Miami, FL., the new album is her first release since 2017’s highly acclaimed The Order of Time and features 11 songs and three musical interludes, all written by Valerie.

Digitally remastered and expanded two CD edition of this 1995 album from the jazz/R&B vocalist. This set includes a staggering 14 bonus remixes and exclusive interviews with Randy Crawford and Ralf Droesemeyer. This collection is a must for all acid jazz, jazz-funk, soul and dance fans everywhere!

Red velvet curtains draw back to reveal a cosmic wheel of fortune, floating in the deep black star-studded theater of infinite space. A whirl of timbres, personalities, and stories. The Turning Wheel, the third full-length by the Bay Area artist SPELLLING (Chrystia Cabral), revolves around themes of human unity, the future, divine love and the enigmatic ups and downs of being a part of this carnival called life.

On Palberta5000, Ani Ivry-Block, Lily Konigsberg, and Nina Ryser max out traditional pop forms—blowing the genre out into lush, kinetic extensions - to create their own hardcore style of popular music. Together these 16 adventurous, hyper-melodic tracks represent the band’s most accessible album by far - one that is bursting at the seams with vocal hooks and exuberant playing.

A group from Genoa, Italy, starting as a totally improvisational band in 2002, led by Alessandro Vernetti (guitar) and Carlo Barreca (aka zerothehero) (bass, Chapman stick).After numerous line-up changes the band moved on to more structured compositions and in 2004 they recorded the album ''Careful!''.This was not released before 2006 on Mellow Records, at a time when the participating members Cinzia Bernardi and Vittoria Mezzano (female vocals) and drummer William Bettucchi had already left Fungus…

Alice Coltrane is the undeniable godmother of spiritual jazz and an acknowledged influence on everyone from Flying Lotus and Kamasi Washington to Solange and Radiohead. Kirtan: Turiya Sings features Alice Coltrane at peak spirituality and is presented in this arrangement for the first time in any format. Turyia Sings was originally released in 1982 on cassette as a collection of devotional songs including vocals, organ, strings, and synthesizers available only at Alice’s Sai Anantam Ashram. Kirtan: Turiya Sings features a sparser arrangement of organ and chanting, produced by Ravi Coltrane. This is intentional, devotional music created with the purpose of connecting to a higher power. The pared back arrangements on this new release are enchantingly haunting and encourage the listener to reach a meditative headspace so as to channel connectiveness to a greater spirit. The perfect introduction to Alice Coltrane for listeners interested in music for mediation and personal wellness. “Turiya” is short for Alice’s full Sanskrit name Turiyasangitananda. “Kirtan” means “narrating, reciting, telling, describing, of an idea of story”.

A member of both the Songwriters and Rock & Roll Halls of Fame, Laura Nyro not only wrote songs that became hits for acts including The 5th Dimension, Blood, Sweat & Tears, Three Dog Night, Barbra Streisand, and many more, but has been cited as a major influence by Kate Bush, Elton John, Elvis Costello, Cyndi Lauper, Todd Rundgren, Broadway composer Stephen Schwartz (Godspell, Wicked), and countless others. She recorded 10 studio albums (one released posthumously), but a live performance from Nyro was always an event.

Introducing Layla Revisited (Live at LOCKN’), a 2-CD, 3-LP live album of an instant classic concert, with Tedeschi Trucks Band joined by special guests Trey Anastasio and Doyle Bramhall II for a top-to-bottom performance of the classic Derek and the Dominos album Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs, live at LOCKN' Festival on August 24, 2019.

Already established as consistent hit-makers and dynamic live performers, Atlantic Starr – formed in 1976 in upstate New York, with a nucleus of three brothers, Jonathan, David and Wayne Lewis – were riding the quest of a wave of success in 1986 with the pop/R&B single “Secret Lovers” from the certified-gold LP “As The Band Turns” for A&M Records. The record’s success occurred just as the group – slimmed down from its original nine-member line-up to a quintet included the Lewis brothers, longtime member Joseph ‘Joey’ Phillips and new female lead singer, Barbara Weathers – had negotiated a new recording contract with Warner Brothers Records.

Emma Stevens swaps folk convention that marked her previous records for brighter pop waves. Her fourth studio record, Light Year, out today (April 30), remains earth-bound with her rootsy songwriting style, yet leaps through the stratosphere with starry patterns, decorative synths, and programmed beats. “When I write an album, I don’t tend to specifically set out to make sure all the songs blend well,” she tells American Songwriter. “I really like a lot of different music, and that gets reflected in what I make. This album has a lot of ups and downs, I’ll give you that.”

The new full-length from Lucy Dacus, Home Video. This new gift from Dacus, which features vocal contributions from boygenius bandmates Julien Baker and Phoebe Bridgers, was built on an interrogation of her coming-of-age years in Richmond, VA. Many songs start the way a memoir might—“In the summer of ’07 I was sure I’d go to heaven, but I was hedging my bets at VBS”—and all of them have the compassion, humor, and honesty of the best autobiographical writing. Most importantly and mysteriously, this album displays Dacus’s ability to use the personal as portal into the universal.

“Freedom Is Love” is the debut album from Kansas City’s newest soul juggernaut, The Freedom Affair. The album explores themes of love, heartache, empowerment, and togetherness through a varying landscape of hard-hitting funk, luscious soul, and everything in between. The Freedom Affair is a unique collective featuring 3 powerhouse female vocalists in front of a dynamic 6-piece band. On “Freedom Is Love”, each of the ladies get their time to shine individually, but the magic is on full display when all 3 come together in unison and harmony, symbolically embodying the messages that they sing about. The album was recorded and produced by Chris Hazelton, utilizing the best of vintage and new recording technologies to create an authentic experience, befitting of a soul record that would have been relevant 50 years ago as much as it will be 50 years from now.