He’s unrivalled as a songwriter, but often derided as a singer—which makes this album so curious: the legend lending his craggy pipes to songs associated with Frank Sinatra, one of the greatest vocalists ever. Yet the results are surprisingly affecting, especially on his moving renditions of “What’ll I Do” and “Full Moon and Empty Arms.”
The lead singer from Grammy winners Carolina Chocolate Drops makes a stunning solo debut, giving new life to songs as old as blueswoman Geeshie Wiley’s “Last Kind Words” and gospel legend Sister Rosetta Tharpe’s “Up Above My Head.” Rhiannon also lends her soulful voice to country classics, covering Patsy Cline and Dolly Parton.
It’s been quite a ride for Osmond, from making his TV debut at age five to his current Las Vegas residency with sister Marie. To celebrate 50 years in show business, Osmond has recorded a series of personally meaningful songs. It opens with Stevie Wonder’s “My Cherie Amour,” the first record he ever bought, on which Stevie plays harmonica. He then performs a tender rendition of Elton John’s “Your Song,” which he heard Elton perform when he realized he was going marry his wife. The album closes with the Beatles’ “The Long and Winding Road,” which neatly summarizes the talented artist’s personal and professional journey.
Next month’s Grammy Awards will be wildly diverse, judging by these 21 tracks. From Ed Sheeran’s “Sing” and Pharrell Williams’ “Happy” to Sia’s “Chandelier” and Ariana Grande’s “Problem,” it’s an eclectic collection, topped off by Sam Smith’s “Stay With Me” and Taylor Swift’s “Shake It Off,” both strong Song of the Year contenders.
A concert to salute the Coen Brothers’ movie is now a documentary and a soundtrack, featuring classic Sixties songs performed by Elvis Costello and Joan Baez (“Which Side Are You On”), Conor Oberst (“Four Strong Winds”), Marcus Mumford (“The Auld Triangle”) and his actress-wife Carey Mulligan (“Didn’t Leave Nobody But the Baby”).
Henderson hails from the tiny English village of Tetney, “a place where you had to use your imagination to have fun.” That imagination shines through on the 19-year-old’s debut album, which features the hit single “Ghost, co-written with Adele songwriter Ryan Tedder. “I keep going to the river to pray, ’cause I need something that can wash all the pain,” she sings on the gospel-tinged track, conjuring up images of the Deep South. On the slow-burning “Glow,” Henderson draws pictures of golden sea treasures and shooting flames to express an undying love. But she also gets deeply personal on the touching ballad “Yours” and the r&b-inspired “Mirror Man,” dishing on a self-absorbed lover. Wit...
A contemporary of Joni Mitchell and Gordon Lightfoot, David emerged in the ’70s as one of Canada’s finest singer-songwriters, covered by stars like Anne Murray and Harry Belafonte. This collection of previously unreleased songs, featuring such standouts as “Rocking Chair World” and “Ballad of Jacob Marlowe,” reasserts the depth of his talent.
It doesn’t get much better than hearing Sam Smith’s falsetto on Whitney Houston’s “How Will I Know”—unless it’s Kylie Minogue’s cooing through Kim Carnes’ “Bette Davis Eyes.” From Ed Sheeran covering Bruce Springsteen and Kaiser Chiefs tackling the Clash to Dido doing Bronski Beat, everyone puts fresh spins on ’80s classics.
The Grammy-winning Queen of Hip-Hop Soul ventures to England for inspired collaborations with Britain’s rising young hitmakers. The transatlantic project pays big dividends, especially on “Therapy” featuring the gospel-blues vocals of Sam Smith, “Whole Damn Year” with pop songstress Emeli Sandé and “Right Now” with dance duo Disclosure. Highly therapeutic.
It’s hard to believe it’s only been a decade since the small-town Oklahoma girl auditioned for American Idol. But here’s the country superstar’s first retrospective, featuring many of her chart-topping hits, including “Cowboy Casanova,” and two new songs: the soaring “Something in the Water” and the poignant “Little Toy Guns.”
