Cameron Winter – Heavy Metal: I didn’t want to like Heavy Metal, despite thinking Geese’s Getting Killed is arguably the best album of 2025, but I finally listened and it immediately grabbed me by the throat (or maybe the heart) and refused to let go. It is the yin to the yang of Getting Killed, an album of night and reception and vulnerability.
McKinley Dixon – Magic, Alive!: I love when a non-jazz artist roots their production and arrangements in jazz. The lyrics warrant a level of listening that I haven’t given yet. It feels like a good companion piece to De La Soul’s Cabin in the Sky, but time will tell if that holds up.
Nourished by Time – The Passionate Ones: It’s a good record but I don’t hear why it made so many people’s year-end best-of lists. At first it reminded me of Dirty Mind or Controversy, where you could hear all the influences bouncing around and starting to come together. So far, though, The Passionate Ones just doesn’t come together for me.
Rosalía – Lux: I know this is an excellent record but the more I listen to it, the less I enjoy listening to it. I want to understand why I’m having this reaction.
Gracie Abrams – This Is What It Feels Like: Aaron Dessner co-wrote and produced nearly everything on Good Riddance, and by doing so, he spotlighted the things that make Abrams special. His role on Feels was far more limited, and it shows in the inconsistency across the songs. Not surprisingly, the songs that stick with Abrams’ deep fans and shine brightest—like “Rockland” and “Camden”—are the songs where Dessner had the most involvement.
Olivia Rodrigo – SOUR: A singer on The Voice covered “Drivers License” and turned it into a boombastic anthem of overwrought pop drama. I had to cleanse my palate by hearing the original, which I’ve always liked even if the album fell flat for me. I liked the record more this time, but apparently not enough to play it more than once.
Julie London – Julie Is Her Name: In a year where I listened to Laufey more than any other artist, it was a matter of time until I revisited Julie London. London never grabbed me the way some of her peers did (June Christy’s pair of mid-‘50s gems are just stellar), but I had fond memories of this record. This time around, however, Julie Is Her Name didn’t do a thing for me.
Alpha – Come from Heaven: I loved this when it came out in ’97, so I can’t say whether I enjoyed Come from Heaven because I know it so well and it kicked off some nostalgia or because it’s a solid album. Either way, this was a great friend to re-discover.
George Winston – December: Winston got a lot of hate for not being serious or emotional or technical or whatever, but December was one of the first instrumental albums to deeply move me and I appreciate it. I revisited it for the first time in a decade or so, and it still perfectly catches the melancholy beauty of this time of year.
A Winged Victory for the Sullen – A Winged Victory for the Sullen: This record led me to pull out December, and it conjures the same melancholy beauty. This is always a rough time of year for me, and I appreciate records that help me recognize the beauty of the season.
Old friends who made it into rotation this week: Geese: Getting Killed; De La Soul: Cabin in the Sky; Gracie Abrams: The Secret of Us and Good Riddance; Laufey: A Matter of Time; Pretty Girl: Fabric Presents Pretty Girl.