New releases for 23 July 2021

This week’s six of the best starts with Gold-Diggers Sound, the new album from Leon Bridges. This R&B collection is birthed from extended late nights at the Los Angeles studio of the same name, and it celebrates Leon’s immersive experience of creating music in the same East Hollywood room where he lived, worked, and drank…

New releases for 16 July 2021

Our star picks for this week start with Stephen Fretwell, who returns after an absence of 13 years with his long-awaited third album, Busy Guy. Described by Fretwell as “a song cycle of sorts”, the album examines the seasons of a life, exploring fatherhood, grief and rebirth with Fretwell’s trademark eloquence and wit. Busy Guy…

Pre-sale of the week: Paul Weller – An Orchestrated Songbook, out 3 December

This extraordinary performance was a first for Paul Weller, performing with a full orchestra, and saw a quintessential selection of his vast catalogue exquisitely reworked and updated into 75 minutes of breath-taking music that was broadcast by the BBC. The set list includes classic tracks from The Jam, Style Council and Paul’s solo career. It…

New releases for 9 July 2021

We start our round-up of the best new releases with a look ahead to 16th July. Sob Rock is the eighth full-length studio album from John Mayer. Most of the album was recorded during the global pandemic of 2020–21, and was produced by Mayer with Don Was. John Mayer emerged in 2001 has sold over…

New releases for 2 July 2021

First of a strong list this week is Laura Mvula’s new album, Pink Noise, which explores a previously uncharted side of this critically acclaimed artist. As triumphant as ever, the album is a battle cry and stark reminder of her sheer talent. This is Laura in a new-found light – still reflecting her distinctive signature…

New releases for 25 June 2021

Our summer sizzlers for this week start with Rose City Band, aka celebrated guitarist Ripley Johnson. A prolific songwriter, Johnson started Rose City Band to have an outlet to explore songwriting styles apart from Wooden Shjips and Moon Duo, where he is often not the lead songwriter. Rose City Band allowed him to follow his…