Ten Albums We Couldn’t Stop Playing This Month

Our music critics listened to more than 200 new albums this month. These ten were the ones we kept returning to. Some came from artists we have followed for years. Others arrived with no fanfare at all, recorded in kitchens, basements and small clubs, and then quietly took over our headphones, car stereos and late-night playlists. What they share is a sense of people playing together, in real rooms, with nothing to hide behind.

A note on how we chose: every album on this list was released in the last five weeks, and each one was nominated by at least two of our four critics. We left off a few big releases that are already everywhere, in favor of records we think deserve a wider audience. As always, the order is loose. The first two were unanimous favorites, and the rest are grouped by mood rather than ranked.

1. A quiet debut from Nashville

Eleven songs recorded in a living room, mostly in single takes. It sounds like a friend playing for you after dinner. The songwriter behind this album, Clara Whitfield, spent a decade writing songs for other artists before deciding to record her own. You can hear that experience in every line. The lyrics are plain and specific: a borrowed truck, a porch light left on, a phone call that came too late.

The production is almost nothing. An acoustic guitar, a little piano, a touch of fiddle on two tracks and, if you listen closely, the creak of a wooden floor. It is the kind of record that feels better the quieter the room. Start with the third track, a short song about a grandmother’s recipe box that made two of our critics stop what they were doing.

2. A jazz trio that swings hard

Piano, upright bass and drums, recorded live at a Detroit club on a snowy Tuesday night. The Eastside Trio has been a fixture of the city’s jazz scene for years, but this is the first time they have captured their live show on record, and it was worth the wait.

The set mixes original tunes with a few old standards, and the band plays them with real joy. You can hear the audience laughing, clapping in the middle of solos and calling out encouragement. The bassist’s long solo on the fifth track is a highlight, as is the closing number, which builds from a quiet ballad into a full-tilt celebration. If you have ever wondered why people still go out to hear live jazz on a weeknight, play this album.

Great albums still sound like a room full of people. These ten do.

Music critic Ben Harper

3 through 6: Records for the road

This month brought an unusual number of albums made for long drives, and the year’s best road-trip record is among them. Here are four we kept on repeat:

• 3. The year’s best road-trip record. A rock band from Tulsa delivers twelve songs of open highways, big choruses and guitars that sound like sunlight on a windshield. Roll the windows down for the title track.
• 4. A desert soul album. A singer from Tucson blends classic soul with dusty Western guitars. It is warm, a little lonely and perfect for driving at dusk.
• 5. A bluegrass reunion. Four old friends from Kentucky who played together in their twenties reunite for a record of fast picking and close harmonies. The fun is contagious.
• 6. A synth-pop love letter to the coast. A duo from San Diego made an album that sounds like late-night drives on the Pacific Coast Highway. Bright, catchy and surprisingly tender.

All four are best enjoyed in a car, preferably on a two-lane road with no particular place to be. Our critic who logged 600 miles over a long weekend said the bluegrass record made the miles fly by.

7 through 10: Late-night listening

The final four records on our list are quieter, best heard with headphones or on a good stereo after the house has gone still.

7. A cello and piano duet album

Two classical musicians from Boston recorded a set of short pieces, some old, some new, in a single afternoon in an empty church. The sound of the room is part of the music. It is calm without being sleepy, and it rewards careful listening.

8. A gospel choir’s Christmas-free winter record

A community choir from Atlanta released an album of winter songs that skips the holiday standards entirely. The arrangements are inventive, and the lead vocals on the second track gave us chills.

9. A lo-fi bedroom pop debut

A college student from Minneapolis recorded this album on a laptop in her dorm room. It is hazy, homemade and full of small, clever melodies. Some songs are under two minutes long, and every one of them sticks.

10. A blues guitarist’s comeback

After nearly ten years away from recording, a veteran blues player from Memphis returns with a stripped-down album of electric guitar, voice and a little harmonica. His playing is slower and more patient than it used to be, and better for it.

Albums that nearly made it

Narrowing 200 albums down to ten is never easy, and a few records came painfully close. A brass band from New Orleans released a joyful, sweaty live album that missed the cut only because we featured them last spring. A country singer from Austin put out a fine collection of honky-tonk covers that we expect to revisit. And a hip-hop producer from Chicago released an instrumental record full of warm samples and soft drums that has become our office’s favorite background music for long editing sessions. All three are worth your time if you enjoy the records above.

We also noticed a few trends this month. Live recordings are having a moment, as artists and listeners alike seem hungry for music that captures a real performance. Short albums are back, too. Several records on our list run under 35 minutes, and none of them overstay their welcome.

How to listen

All ten albums are available on major streaming services, and most are also available on vinyl or CD from the artists’ websites and local record stores. If you can, support these musicians directly. Independent artists earn much more from a record sale or a concert ticket than from streaming.

A few listening suggestions from our critics:

1. Listen to each album from start to finish at least once. Many were designed as complete experiences, not playlists.
2. Try the quieter records on good headphones. The small details, like breathing and room sound, matter.
3. Check whether any of these artists are touring near you this fall. Several are playing small clubs.
4. Visit your local record store and ask the staff what they are excited about this month.

Key takeaway: If you only have time for one album, start with the Nashville debut. If you have a long drive coming up, put the Tulsa road-trip record on first.

See you next month

We publish this list every month, and our critics are already deep into next month’s stack. If you have heard something great that we missed, send it our way. We read every suggestion, and some of our favorite discoveries have come from readers. Until then, turn something up, close your eyes and let a room full of people play for you.