First Aid Kit, “Palomino.” Swedish sister duo First Aid Kit spent the last two years getting back to its musical roots. The first album Johanna and Klara Söderberg produced in their home country since their debut, Palomino is an 11-track offering that’s largely breezy folk-pop. Palomino First Aid Kit Columbia,…

Carly Rae Jepsen, “The Loneliest Time.” Breaking the pop mold is never easy, especially when your first big hit has the success of “Call Me Maybe.” However, The Loneliest Time gives Carly Rae Jepsen space to experiment with fluidity as she shifts between dance pop and synth-pop. Jepsen mostly…

Meghan Trainor, “Takin’ It Back.” It’s been a couple of busy years for Meghan Trainor. She hosted a reality TV cooking show, launched a podcast and had her first child since 2020. On her fifth album, Takin’ It Back, Trainor largely sticks to what she knows. Through this 15-track offering, she…

Ashe, “Rae.” You may be familiar with Ashe from “Moral of the Story,” featured in 2020 Netflix film “To All The Boys: P.S. I Still Love You.” Or, perhaps you found singer-songwriter Ashlyn Rae Willson when Finneas O’Connell was producing her early EPs. Rae, her sophomore album, is full of experimentation…

Noah Cyrus, “The Hardest Part.” Noah Cyrus worked most of her teen years to set her career apart from her famous family and has generally managed to do so. A sister prone to making headlines and recent parental drama made it difficult to forge her own path. But with two…

Dierks Bentley performs at Concord Pavilion in Concord, Calif. on July 28, 2022. Sean Liming/STAFF. CONCORD, Calif.  — It was a gorgeous summer night at the Concord Pavilion as Dierks Bentley rolled through town on his Beers On Me Tour. Sunshine, 80 degrees and a light breeze set the…

Luke Combs, “Growin’ Up.” The last five years have likely passed in the blink of an eye for country star Luke Combs. Growin’ Up Luke Combs Columbia Nashville, June 24 9/10 From releasing his first studio album in 2017 to headlining BottleRock Napa and selling out arenas, Combs has…

Father John Misty, “Chloe and the Next 20th Century.” One could be forgiven for thinking Josh Tillman had become disenchanted with recording his own material. Tillman, who has recorded and performed as Father John Misty since 2012, hasn’t released an album of original material in four years. His last, 2020’s Anthem, was…

Wallows, ‘Tell Me That It’s Over.’ While it’s been three years since Wallows released their debut album, it doesn’t feel like they’ve been away for long. A number of successful singles and an EP in the later stages of 2020 helped keep the band in the alt-rock conversation. Looking…

From bassist Kevin Ray leaving the band due to “actions out of alignment with the band’s values” to a pandemic recording pause, the last two years have been difficult for Walk the Moon. Remaining members Nicholas Petricca, Sean Waugaman and Eli Maiman have now found the light at the end of…