AllMusic Staff Picks

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id="headline">Staff Picks for March 2025</h1> <div id="staffPickFilters"> <div id="topMonthFilter"> <select name="month-filter" class="month-filter" aria-label="Filter by month"> <option value="01">January</option> <option value="02">February</option> <option value="03" selected="selected">March</option> <option value="04">April</option> <option value="05">May</option> <option value="06">June</option> <option value="07">July</option> <option value="08">August</option> <option value="09">September</option> <option value="10">October</option> <option value="11">November</option> <option value="12">December</option> </select> <select name="year-filter" class="year-filter" aria-label="Filter by year"> <option value="2011">2011</option> <option value="2012">2012</option> <option value="2013">2013</option> <option value="2014">2014</option> <option value="2015">2015</option> <option value="2016">2016</option> <option value="2017">2017</option> <option value="2018">2018</option> <option value="2019">2019</option> <option value="2020">2020</option> <option value="2021">2021</option> <option value="2022">2022</option> <option value="2023">2023</option> <option value="2024">2024</option> <option value="2025" selected="selected">2025</option> </select> </div> <div id="topGenreFilter"><select name="genre-filter" class="genreFilter" data-filter="genres" aria-label="Filter by genre"> <option value="ALL" selected="selected">All Genres</option> <option value="MA0000002572">Electronic</option> <option value="MA0000012170">Avant-Garde</option> <option value="MA0000002613">Pop/Rock</option> <option value="MA0000002674">Jazz</option> <option value="MA0000002809">R&B</option> <option value="MA0000002521">Classical</option> <option value="MA0000002692">Latin</option> <option value="MA0000002816">Rap</option> <option value="MA0000002592">Folk</option> </select> </div> </div> <div id="staffPickGrid"> <div class="inContentUnitContainer"> <div class="advertising gridInContent"> <div id="AllMusic_staffPicks_ATF" data-pw-desk="med_rect_atf" data-pw-mobi="med_rect_atf"></div> <script type="text/javascript"> window.ramp.que.push(function () { window.ramp.addTag("AllMusic_staffPicks_ATF"); }); </script> </div> </div> <div class="staffPickItem" data-genres-filter="MA0000002572, MA0000012170, MA0000002613"> <div class="spImage"> <a href="/album/rubycon-mw0000198494" title="Rubycon"><img data-src="https://fastly-s3.allmusic.com/release/mr0000294290/front/400/sO-v53_ebjnbSADvUoAphh_TZlp6n_cq-Emr2zx15tU=.jpg" alt="Rubycon" class="spCoverImg lazyload" onerror="this.src='https://fastly-gce.allmusic.com/images/no_image/album_300x300.png'"></a> </div> <div class="spMeta"> <div class="date"> March 21, 2025 </div> <div class="artist"> <a href="https://www.allmusic.com/artist/tangerine-dream-mn0000002411" title="Tangerine Dream">Tangerine Dream</a> </div> <div class="title"><a href="https://www.allmusic.com/album/rubycon-mw0000198494">Rubycon</a></div> <div class="genres"> <a href="https://www.allmusic.com/genre/electronic-ma0000002572">Electronic</a>, <a href="https://www.allmusic.com/genre/avant-garde-ma0000012170">Avant-Garde</a>, <a href="https://www.allmusic.com/genre/pop-rock-ma0000002613">Pop/Rock</a> </div> <div class="headlineReview"> Rubycon, released 50 years ago today, has aged gracefully for the most part, making it a solid companion (and follow-up) to their 1974 album, Phaedra. The somewhat dated palette of sounds here never overshadow the mood: eerie psychedelia without the paisleys -- Pink Floyd without the rock. <br><span class="author"> - Glenn Swan</span> </div> </div> </div> <div class="staffPickItem" data-genres-filter="MA0000002674"> <div class="spImage"> <a href="/album/rising-grace-mw0002981546" title="Rising Grace"><img data-src="https://fastly-s3.allmusic.com/release/mr0004617813/front/400/YOVxT9fs8GsMbP6WrnbkvypQg_7iAU1wjqLgK_xGXts=.jpg" alt="Rising Grace" class="spCoverImg lazyload" onerror="this.src='https://fastly-gce.allmusic.com/images/no_image/album_300x300.png'"></a> </div> <div class="spMeta"> <div class="date"> March 20, 2025 </div> <div class="artist"> <a href="https://www.allmusic.com/artist/wolfgang-muthspiel-mn0000675650" title="Wolfgang Muthspiel">Wolfgang Muthspiel</a> </div> <div class="title"><a href="https://www.allmusic.com/album/rising-grace-mw0002981546">Rising Grace</a></div> <div class="genres"> <a href="https://www.allmusic.com/genre/jazz-ma0000002674">Jazz</a> </div> <div class="headlineReview"> Austrian guitarist and composer Wolfgang Muthspiel's history with ECM dates to 2013's Travel Guide with the MGT collective that featured himself, Slava Grigoryan, and Ralph Towner. Driftwood, his wonderful 2014 leader debut was also a trio, a proper guitar/bass/drums setting with Larry Grenadier and Brian Blade. Rising Grace expands that lineup to a quintet to include pianist Brad Mehldau and trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire. This larger group recorded all in one room and the proceedings reflect a relaxed, easy openness and communicative intimacy. <br><span class="author"> - Thom Jurek</span> </div> </div> </div> <div class="staffPickItem" data-genres-filter="MA0000002613"> <div class="spImage"> <a href="/album/dressed-to-kill-mw0000190546" title="Dressed to Kill"><img data-src="https://fastly-s3.allmusic.com/release/mr0000827302/front/400/CLeZMmp3TZ3YfHFQ_TS2nj6KsMttLlyBmmVTZ6_CLs0=.jpg" alt="Dressed to Kill" class="spCoverImg lazyload" onerror="this.src='https://fastly-gce.allmusic.com/images/no_image/album_300x300.png'"></a> </div> <div class="spMeta"> <div class="date"> March 19, 2025 </div> <div class="artist"> <a href="https://www.allmusic.com/artist/kiss-mn0000084209" title="Kiss">Kiss</a> </div> <div class="title"><a href="https://www.allmusic.com/album/dressed-to-kill-mw0000190546">Dressed to Kill</a></div> <div class="genres"> <a href="https://www.allmusic.com/genre/pop-rock-ma0000002613">Pop/Rock</a> </div> <div class="headlineReview"> By the release of their third album, 1975's Dressed to Kill, released 50 years ago today, Kiss were fast becoming America's top rock concert attraction, yet their record sales up to this point did not reflect their ticket sales. Casablanca label head Neil Bogart decided to take matters into his own hands, and produced the new record along with the band. The result is more vibrant sounding than its predecessor, 1974's sludgefest Hotter Than Hell, and the songs have more of an obvious pop edge to them. <br><span class="author"> - Greg Prato</span> </div> </div> </div> <div class="staffPickItem" data-genres-filter="MA0000002809"> <div class="spImage"> <a href="/album/new-amerykah-pt-1-4th-world-war-mw0000586451" title="New Amerykah, Pt. 1: 4th World War"><img data-src="https://fastly-s3.allmusic.com/release/mr0001349821/front/400/FUkXp96YHq_2zZp5Pv86YJhUoDg0hsvx4F4sL4oO-nA=.jpg" alt="New Amerykah, Pt. 1: 4th World War" class="spCoverImg lazyload" onerror="this.src='https://fastly-gce.allmusic.com/images/no_image/album_300x300.png'"></a> </div> <div class="spMeta"> <div class="date"> March 18, 2025 </div> <div class="artist"> <a href="https://www.allmusic.com/artist/erykah-badu-mn0000170770" title="Erykah Badu">Erykah Badu</a> </div> <div class="title"><a href="https://www.allmusic.com/album/new-amerykah-pt-1-4th-world-war-mw0000586451">New Amerykah, Pt. 1: 4th World War</a></div> <div class="genres"> <a href="https://www.allmusic.com/genre/r-b-ma0000002809">R&B</a> </div> <div class="headlineReview"> This is the most hip-hop and most out-there release from Badu thus far, with beats bumping, knocking, and booming in roughly equal measure, sometimes switching tacks or vanishing midstream, dropping down dark corridors, gradually levitating into direct sunlight. In the ghostly-mystical "The Healer," Badu proclaims hip-hop to be bigger than religion and government; "That Hump" and "The Cell" are vivid depictions of drug dependency; "Soldier" gives a shout to the Nation of Islam, addresses Katrina and Black-on-Black crime, and sends out a warning: "Now to folks that think they livin' sweet/They gone f*ck around and push 'delete.'" <br><span class="author"> - Andy Kellman</span> </div> </div> </div> <div class="staffPickItem" data-genres-filter="MA0000002613"> <div class="spImage"> <a href="/album/birth-school-work-death-mw0000651746" title="Birth, School, Work, Death"><img data-src="https://fastly-s3.allmusic.com/release/mr0001331451/front/400/yxgp4r37M84XKBa_fIdP5D6KsMttLlyBmmVTZ6_CLs0=.jpg" alt="Birth, School, Work, Death" class="spCoverImg lazyload" onerror="this.src='https://fastly-gce.allmusic.com/images/no_image/album_300x300.png'"></a> </div> <div class="spMeta"> <div class="date"> March 17, 2025 </div> <div class="artist"> <a href="https://www.allmusic.com/artist/the-godfathers-mn0000070265" title="The Godfathers">The Godfathers</a> </div> <div class="title"><a href="https://www.allmusic.com/album/birth-school-work-death-mw0000651746">Birth, School, Work, Death</a></div> <div class="genres"> <a href="https://www.allmusic.com/genre/pop-rock-ma0000002613">Pop/Rock</a> </div> <div class="headlineReview"> British combo the Godfathers brilliantly channeled their working class rage into a taut two-chord anthem on the title track from their major label debut. Fortunately, the rest of the album was just as powerful. This is an underrated '80s rock classic. <br><span class="author"> - Timothy Monger</span> </div> </div> </div> <div class="staffPickItem" data-genres-filter="MA0000012170, MA0000002521"> <div class="spImage"> <a href="/album/drumming-1987--mw0000924318" title="Drumming [1987]"><img data-src="https://fastly-s3.allmusic.com/release/mr0002546538/front/400/0vKzumICw_ccbqJGHqGbLwSijaXJlYnq0St31qpAJWo=.jpg" alt="Drumming [1987]" class="spCoverImg lazyload" onerror="this.src='https://fastly-gce.allmusic.com/images/no_image/album_300x300.png'"></a> </div> <div class="spMeta"> <div class="date"> March 16, 2025 </div> <div class="artist"> <a href="https://www.allmusic.com/artist/steve-reich-mn0000037658" title="Steve Reich">Steve Reich</a> / <a href="https://www.allmusic.com/artist/steve-reich-musicians-mn0001660534" title="Steve Reich" title="Steve Reich & Musicians">Steve Reich & Musicians</a> </div> <div class="title"><a href="https://www.allmusic.com/album/drumming-1987--mw0000924318">Drumming [1987]</a></div> <div class="genres"> <a href="https://www.allmusic.com/genre/avant-garde-ma0000012170">Avant-Garde</a>, <a href="https://www.allmusic.com/genre/classical-ma0000002521">Classical</a> </div> <div class="headlineReview"> Simply put, this work is, along with some of Philip Glass' Einstein on the Beach, one of the most fascinating pieces of first-generation minimalism, and this version, recorded for Elektra/Nonesuch in 1987, ranks among the composer's masterpieces. Throughout four segued movements, its one basic rhythm pattern is multiplied, played in canon on various percussion instruments. By the end, it is a perfect example of the paradox of the simple and the complex, the easy and the challenging underlying minimalist music. <br><span class="author"> - François Couture</span> </div> </div> </div> <div class="staffPickItem" data-genres-filter="MA0000002809"> <div class="spImage"> <a href="/album/thats-the-way-of-the-world-mw0000650107" title="That's the Way of the World"><img data-src="https://fastly-s3.allmusic.com/release/mr0002753099/front/400/UwICX9xer9c9gpQ2AOPTVlWnbEN5fCjifro6xhIBuB4=.jpg" alt="That's the Way of the World" class="spCoverImg lazyload" onerror="this.src='https://fastly-gce.allmusic.com/images/no_image/album_300x300.png'"></a> </div> <div class="spMeta"> <div class="date"> March 15, 2025 </div> <div class="artist"> <a href="https://www.allmusic.com/artist/earth-wind-fire-mn0000135273" title="Earth, Wind & Fire">Earth, Wind & Fire</a> </div> <div class="title"><a href="https://www.allmusic.com/album/thats-the-way-of-the-world-mw0000650107">That's the Way of the World</a></div> <div class="genres"> <a href="https://www.allmusic.com/genre/r-b-ma0000002809">R&B</a> </div> <div class="headlineReview"> Earth, Wind & Fire has delivered more than its share of excellent albums, but if a person could own only one EWF release, the logical choice would be That's the Way of the World (released 50 years ago today), which was the band's best album as well as its best-selling. There are no dull moments on World, one of the strongest albums of the '70s and EWF's crowning achievement. <br><span class="author"> - Alex Henderson</span> </div> </div> </div> <div class="staffPickItem" data-genres-filter="MA0000002613"> <div class="spImage"> <a href="/album/reinventing-the-steel-mw0000053175" title="Reinventing the Steel"><img data-src="https://fastly-s3.allmusic.com/release/mr0000733968/front/400/Lw961XcCXUOV1GmosczB3RyhM-OFI8zG4l-qVpXXB1I=.jpg" alt="Reinventing the Steel" class="spCoverImg lazyload" onerror="this.src='https://fastly-gce.allmusic.com/images/no_image/album_300x300.png'"></a> </div> <div class="spMeta"> <div class="date"> March 14, 2025 </div> <div class="artist"> <a href="https://www.allmusic.com/artist/pantera-mn0000005441" title="Pantera">Pantera</a> </div> <div class="title"><a href="https://www.allmusic.com/album/reinventing-the-steel-mw0000053175">Reinventing the Steel</a></div> <div class="genres"> <a href="https://www.allmusic.com/genre/pop-rock-ma0000002613">Pop/Rock</a> </div> <div class="headlineReview"> Where The Great Southern Trendkill experimented with slower, moodier pieces, Reinventing the Steel (released 25 years ago today) finds Pantera sticking to the pulverizing basics of their sound, with the first down-tempo, nondistorted guitar part appearing on the next-to-last track, "It Makes Them Disappear," and vanishing about 15 seconds into the song. <br><span class="author"> - Steve Huey</span> </div> </div> </div> <div class="staffPickItem" data-genres-filter="MA0000002613"> <div class="spImage"> <a href="/album/one-armed-candy-bear-mw0002881545" title="One-Armed Candy Bear"><img data-src="https://fastly-s3.allmusic.com/release/mr0004467750/front/400/hhPB3zhgOd0NkH8Tpydjrz6KsMttLlyBmmVTZ6_CLs0=.jpg" alt="One-Armed Candy Bear" class="spCoverImg lazyload" onerror="this.src='https://fastly-gce.allmusic.com/images/no_image/album_300x300.png'"></a> </div> <div class="spMeta"> <div class="date"> March 13, 2025 </div> <div class="artist"> <a href="https://www.allmusic.com/artist/au-pair-mn0003454208" title="Au Pair">Au Pair</a> </div> <div class="title"><a href="https://www.allmusic.com/album/one-armed-candy-bear-mw0002881545">One-Armed Candy Bear</a></div> <div class="genres"> <a href="https://www.allmusic.com/genre/pop-rock-ma0000002613">Pop/Rock</a> </div> <div class="headlineReview"> This debut of a collaboration between the Jayhawks' Gary Louris and the Old Ceremony's Django Haskins carries the torch for Big Star-style power pop -- which is fitting not only because of their respective bands but because the two of them met while playing a Big Star's Third concert in Chicago. A pronounced classic rock vibe is achieved, no doubt, by its Beatlesque songwriting, and likely also by the pair performing most of the album together into a single microphone. The tracks are marked by warm guitar tones and falsettoed vocals, whose imperfections only add to the album's earthy charm. <br><span class="author"> - Marcy Donelson</span> </div> </div> </div> <div class="staffPickItem" data-genres-filter="MA0000002572"> <div class="spImage"> <a href="/album/flood-city-trax-mw0003952480" title="Flood City Trax"><img data-src="https://fastly-s3.allmusic.com/release/mr0005962284/front/400/-e0uT6twPORBfwyZREVPXQSijaXJlYnq0St31qpAJWo=.jpg" alt="Flood City Trax" class="spCoverImg lazyload" onerror="this.src='https://fastly-gce.allmusic.com/images/no_image/album_300x300.png'"></a> </div> <div class="spMeta"> <div class="date"> March 12, 2025 </div> <div class="artist"> <a href="https://www.allmusic.com/artist/nondi--mn0004402975" title="Nondi_">Nondi_</a> </div> <div class="title"><a href="https://www.allmusic.com/album/flood-city-trax-mw0003952480">Flood City Trax</a></div> <div class="genres"> <a href="https://www.allmusic.com/genre/electronic-ma0000002572">Electronic</a> </div> <div class="headlineReview"> Pennsylvania-based artist Nondi_ acknowledges footwork, Detroit techno, and breakcore as genres that have influenced her music from a distance, but most of her work sounds as if it was created in its own isolated bubble, following its own sense of logic. Mostly releasing music on netlabels like Eat Dis and her own HRR, Nondi_ surfaced on Planet Mu with Flood City Trax, an album of lush and radiant yet smeared and obscured melodies, with heavy beats vibrating under a foggy haze. <br><span class="author"> - Paul Simpson</span> </div> </div> </div> <div class="staffPickItem" data-genres-filter="MA0000002613"> <div class="spImage"> <a href="/album/welcome-to-my-nightmare-mw0000651399" title="Welcome to My Nightmare"><img data-src="https://fastly-s3.allmusic.com/release/mr0001346318/front/400/2BxYMjoUO43sLbjbNRrOW5hUoDg0hsvx4F4sL4oO-nA=.jpg" alt="Welcome to My Nightmare" class="spCoverImg lazyload" onerror="this.src='https://fastly-gce.allmusic.com/images/no_image/album_300x300.png'"></a> </div> <div class="spMeta"> <div class="date"> March 11, 2025 </div> <div class="artist"> <a href="https://www.allmusic.com/artist/alice-cooper-mn0000005953" title="Alice Cooper">Alice Cooper</a> </div> <div class="title"><a href="https://www.allmusic.com/album/welcome-to-my-nightmare-mw0000651399">Welcome to My Nightmare</a></div> <div class="genres"> <a href="https://www.allmusic.com/genre/pop-rock-ma0000002613">Pop/Rock</a> </div> <div class="headlineReview"> With the 1974 disintegration of the original Alice Cooper group, Alice was free to launch a solo career. He wisely decided to re-enlist the services of Bob Ezrin for his solo debut, Welcome to My Nightmare (released 50 years ago today), which was a concept album tied into the story line of the highly theatrical concert tour he launched soon after the album's release. While the music lost most of the gritty edge of the original AC lineup, Welcome to My Nightmare remains Alice's best solo effort. <br><span class="author"> - Greg Prato</span> </div> </div> </div> <div class="staffPickItem" data-genres-filter="MA0000002613, MA0000002692"> <div class="spImage"> <a href="/album/kiko-mw0000072178" title="Kiko"><img data-src="https://fastly-s3.allmusic.com/release/mr0001284574/front/400/okU0aH-FtvxcHzra4MsYyQ4Q1ghY8VaPylnm7PwcKNY=.jpg" alt="Kiko" class="spCoverImg lazyload" onerror="this.src='https://fastly-gce.allmusic.com/images/no_image/album_300x300.png'"></a> </div> <div class="spMeta"> <div class="date"> March 10, 2025 </div> <div class="artist"> <a href="https://www.allmusic.com/artist/los-lobos-mn0000354733" title="Los Lobos">Los Lobos</a> </div> <div class="title"><a href="https://www.allmusic.com/album/kiko-mw0000072178">Kiko</a></div> <div class="genres"> <a href="https://www.allmusic.com/genre/pop-rock-ma0000002613">Pop/Rock</a>, <a href="https://www.allmusic.com/genre/latin-ma0000002692">Latin</a> </div> <div class="headlineReview"> Los Lobos explored a wealth of new musical ideas on their 1992 masterpiece Kiko, and David Hidalgo and Louie Pérez took those ideas and ran free with them on 1994's Latin Playboys, a side project with Kiko producers Mitchell Froom and Tchad Blake. Filtering various strains of roots music through the tape-loop production trickery of Kiko, Latin Playboys offers Hidalgo's guitar work and sonic imagination at its least compromised, and it's filled with glorious surprises. <br><span class="author"> - Mark Deming</span> </div> </div> </div> <div class="staffPickItem" data-genres-filter="MA0000002613"> <div class="spImage"> <a href="/album/gravity-kills-mw0000186131" title="Gravity Kills"><img data-src="https://fastly-s3.allmusic.com/release/mr0000367362/front/400/SlNJwQGQmnKirUV7nh2a2j6KsMttLlyBmmVTZ6_CLs0=.jpg" alt="Gravity Kills" class="spCoverImg lazyload" onerror="this.src='https://fastly-gce.allmusic.com/images/no_image/album_300x300.png'"></a> </div> <div class="spMeta"> <div class="date"> March 9, 2025 </div> <div class="artist"> <a href="https://www.allmusic.com/artist/gravity-kills-mn0000739975" title="Gravity Kills">Gravity Kills</a> </div> <div class="title"><a href="https://www.allmusic.com/album/gravity-kills-mw0000186131">Gravity Kills</a></div> <div class="genres"> <a href="https://www.allmusic.com/genre/pop-rock-ma0000002613">Pop/Rock</a> </div> <div class="headlineReview"> Lodged firmly in the post-NIN '90s pop-industrial boom, this St. Louis outfit churned out one or two era hits ("Guilty" and "Enough") before fading into obscurity and the dreaded dollar bin. Derivative, for sure, but if you're looking for a nostalgic hit of tunes that is very much of the era – think crunchy guitars, mechanized chaos, and faux-menacing vocals – this'll scratch an itch you didn't know you even had. <br><span class="author"> - Neil Z. Yeung</span> </div> </div> </div> <div class="staffPickItem" data-genres-filter="MA0000002816"> <div class="spImage"> <a href="/album/like-water-for-chocolate-mw0000087522" title="Like Water for Chocolate"><img data-src="https://fastly-s3.allmusic.com/release/mr0000006003/front/400/oGxkGXmb45E4HFz70ozjhJhUoDg0hsvx4F4sL4oO-nA=.jpg" alt="Like Water for Chocolate" class="spCoverImg lazyload" onerror="this.src='https://fastly-gce.allmusic.com/images/no_image/album_300x300.png'"></a> </div> <div class="spMeta"> <div class="date"> March 8, 2025 </div> <div class="artist"> <a href="https://www.allmusic.com/artist/common-mn0000115253" title="Common">Common</a> </div> <div class="title"><a href="https://www.allmusic.com/album/like-water-for-chocolate-mw0000087522">Like Water for Chocolate</a></div> <div class="genres"> <a href="https://www.allmusic.com/genre/rap-ma0000002816">Rap</a> </div> <div class="headlineReview"> Positive-minded alternative rap came back into vogue by the new millennium, and Common managed to land with major label MCA for 2000's Like Water for Chocolate, released 25 years ago today. The album established him as a leading figure of alternative rap's second generation, not just because of the best promotion he'd ever had, but also because it was his great musical leap forward, building on the strides of One Day It'll All Make Sense. <br><span class="author"> - Steve Huey</span> </div> </div> </div> <div class="staffPickItem" data-genres-filter="MA0000002613"> <div class="spImage"> <a href="/album/young-americans-mw0000098919" title="Young Americans"><img data-src="https://fastly-s3.allmusic.com/release/mr0004670202/front/400/Twr1RJ4qeKt5V8FIFd4tjIAf7E_1E-2MlBBPmPAXRBU=.jpg" alt="Young Americans" class="spCoverImg lazyload" onerror="this.src='https://fastly-gce.allmusic.com/images/no_image/album_300x300.png'"></a> </div> <div class="spMeta"> <div class="date"> March 7, 2025 </div> <div class="artist"> <a href="https://www.allmusic.com/artist/david-bowie-mn0000531986" title="David Bowie">David Bowie</a> </div> <div class="title"><a href="https://www.allmusic.com/album/young-americans-mw0000098919">Young Americans</a></div> <div class="genres"> <a href="https://www.allmusic.com/genre/pop-rock-ma0000002613">Pop/Rock</a> </div> <div class="headlineReview"> David Bowie had dropped hints during the Diamond Dogs tour that he was moving toward R&B, but the full-blown blue-eyed soul of Young Americans, released 50 years ago today, came as a shock. Surrounding himself with first-rate sessionmen, Bowie comes up with a set of songs that approximate the sound of Philly soul and disco, yet remain detached from their inspirations. <br><span class="author"> - Stephen Thomas Erlewine</span> </div> </div> </div> <div class="staffPickItem" data-genres-filter="MA0000002613"> <div class="spImage"> <a href="/album/god-save-the-animals-mw0003744853" title="God Save the Animals"><img data-src="https://fastly-s3.allmusic.com/release/mr0005707618/front/400/cu2C7DVmrWIPYal0MqxRhFWnbEN5fCjifro6xhIBuB4=.jpg" alt="God Save the Animals" class="spCoverImg lazyload" onerror="this.src='https://fastly-gce.allmusic.com/images/no_image/album_300x300.png'"></a> </div> <div class="spMeta"> <div class="date"> March 6, 2025 </div> <div class="artist"> <a href="https://www.allmusic.com/artist/alex-g-mn0003292911" title="Alex G">Alex G</a> </div> <div class="title"><a href="https://www.allmusic.com/album/god-save-the-animals-mw0003744853">God Save the Animals</a></div> <div class="genres"> <a href="https://www.allmusic.com/genre/pop-rock-ma0000002613">Pop/Rock</a> </div> <div class="headlineReview"> Alex Giannascoli crafts a world of warped, warbling weirdness on his 9th studio album. Playfully mixing raw, folk-minded instrumentals with blasts of crushing synths and chilling, distorted vocals, God Save the Animals offers a singular, striking taste of Alex G’s cryptic yet tender songwriting. <br><span class="author"> - Lane Liu</span> </div> </div> </div> <div class="staffPickItem" data-genres-filter="MA0000002613"> <div class="spImage"> <a href="/album/two-sides-of-the-moon-mw0000023951" title="Two Sides of the Moon"><img data-src="https://fastly-s3.allmusic.com/release/mr0001311463/front/400/FWu5RrN5elbrksXbNH_wk5hUoDg0hsvx4F4sL4oO-nA=.jpg" alt="Two Sides of the Moon" class="spCoverImg lazyload" onerror="this.src='https://fastly-gce.allmusic.com/images/no_image/album_300x300.png'"></a> </div> <div class="spMeta"> <div class="date"> March 5, 2025 </div> <div class="artist"> <a href="https://www.allmusic.com/artist/keith-moon-mn0000765747" title="Keith Moon">Keith Moon</a> </div> <div class="title"><a href="https://www.allmusic.com/album/two-sides-of-the-moon-mw0000023951">Two Sides of the Moon</a></div> <div class="genres"> <a href="https://www.allmusic.com/genre/pop-rock-ma0000002613">Pop/Rock</a> </div> <div class="headlineReview"> Keith Moon's 1975 solo album Two Sides of the Moon (released 50 years ago this month) has been described as "the most expensive karaoke album in history," and even as that, it was a colossal failure, the perfect expression of drunken self-indulgence, and it was so fascinatingly bad that it has assumed a certain cult status. But make no mistake, it was a horrible album on all counts made by a brilliant drummer who chose barely to play drums on it, but instead chose to sing, even though he was tone deaf by his own admission. <br><span class="author"> - Steve Leggett</span> </div> </div> </div> <div class="staffPickItem" data-genres-filter="MA0000002613"> <div class="spImage"> <a href="/album/martinis-bikinis-mw0000622715" title="Martinis & Bikinis"><img data-src="https://fastly-s3.allmusic.com/release/mr0000139537/front/400/bT4j67-S-W9XUqmhJyEwnd_M69_UI9rrJSVvWL2-yAg=.jpg" alt="Martinis & Bikinis" class="spCoverImg lazyload" onerror="this.src='https://fastly-gce.allmusic.com/images/no_image/album_300x300.png'"></a> </div> <div class="spMeta"> <div class="date"> March 4, 2025 </div> <div class="artist"> <a href="https://www.allmusic.com/artist/sam-phillips-mn0000240923" title="Sam Phillips">Sam Phillips</a> </div> <div class="title"><a href="https://www.allmusic.com/album/martinis-bikinis-mw0000622715">Martinis & Bikinis</a></div> <div class="genres"> <a href="https://www.allmusic.com/genre/pop-rock-ma0000002613">Pop/Rock</a> </div> <div class="headlineReview"> Martinis & Bikinis is a high point in Sam Phillips' catalog. A brilliant turn towards tightly-arranged, loosely psychedelic pop, it recalled the Beatles, but filtered through her own smart-pop sensibilities, not-unlike her contemporary, Michael Penn. Chock a block with wonderful songwriting, it also features arrangements by Van Dyke Parks, some bass from Colin Moulding, and production by then-husband T-Bone Burnett. <br><span class="author"> - Timothy Monger</span> </div> </div> </div> <div class="staffPickItem" data-genres-filter="MA0000002674"> <div class="spImage"> <a href="/album/stepping-into-tomorrow-mw0000057832" title="Stepping into Tomorrow"><img data-src="https://fastly-s3.allmusic.com/release/mr0000009574/front/400/CLgB3xGgEJTM-CxeNkRMST6KsMttLlyBmmVTZ6_CLs0=.jpg" alt="Stepping into Tomorrow" class="spCoverImg lazyload" onerror="this.src='https://fastly-gce.allmusic.com/images/no_image/album_300x300.png'"></a> </div> <div class="spMeta"> <div class="date"> March 3, 2025 </div> <div class="artist"> <a href="https://www.allmusic.com/artist/donald-byrd-mn0000149946" title="Donald Byrd">Donald Byrd</a> </div> <div class="title"><a href="https://www.allmusic.com/album/stepping-into-tomorrow-mw0000057832">Stepping into Tomorrow</a></div> <div class="genres"> <a href="https://www.allmusic.com/genre/jazz-ma0000002674">Jazz</a> </div> <div class="headlineReview"> Stepping into Tomorrow, released 50 years ago this month, contains almost all of the Mizell trademarks within its title track's first 30 seconds: a soft and easy (yet still funky) electric-bass-and-drums foundation, silken rhythm guitar, organ and piano gently bouncing off one another, light synthesizer shading, and coed group vocals to ensure true liftoff. <br><span class="author"> - Andy Kellman</span> </div> </div> </div> <div class="staffPickItem" data-genres-filter="MA0000002613, MA0000002592"> <div class="spImage"> <a href="/album/strict-tempo%21-mw0000203626" title="Strict Tempo!"><img data-src="https://fastly-s3.allmusic.com/release/mr0004316522/front/400/mfbA0eULXJXyEGByJEXlkFWnbEN5fCjifro6xhIBuB4=.jpg" alt="Strict Tempo!" class="spCoverImg lazyload" onerror="this.src='https://fastly-gce.allmusic.com/images/no_image/album_300x300.png'"></a> </div> <div class="spMeta"> <div class="date"> March 2, 2025 </div> <div class="artist"> <a href="https://www.allmusic.com/artist/richard-thompson-mn0000359016" title="Richard Thompson">Richard Thompson</a> </div> <div class="title"><a href="https://www.allmusic.com/album/strict-tempo%21-mw0000203626">Strict Tempo!</a></div> <div class="genres"> <a href="https://www.allmusic.com/genre/pop-rock-ma0000002613">Pop/Rock</a>, <a href="https://www.allmusic.com/genre/folk-ma0000002592">Folk</a> </div> <div class="headlineReview"> Recorded quickly in an eight-track studio, 1981's Strict Tempo! was Richard Thompson's first instrumental release, dominated by British and Celtic folk numbers, with a Duke Ellington tune and one new original for variety's sake. It often sounds like Thompson recorded it on a lark, and that's one of its virtues; he plays all the instruments besides percussion, and he's clearly having a ball putting his own stamp on a great batch of traditional selections. <br><span class="author"> - Mark Deming</span> </div> </div> </div> <div class="staffPickItem" data-genres-filter="MA0000002613"> <div class="spImage"> <a href="/album/katy-lied-mw0000239621" title="Katy Lied"><img data-src="https://fastly-s3.allmusic.com/release/mr0000103907/front/400/cqmh8Y9Eeqx6X6YmAmMY7g4Q1ghY8VaPylnm7PwcKNY=.jpg" alt="Katy Lied" class="spCoverImg lazyload" onerror="this.src='https://fastly-gce.allmusic.com/images/no_image/album_300x300.png'"></a> </div> <div class="spMeta"> <div class="date"> March 1, 2025 </div> <div class="artist"> <a href="https://www.allmusic.com/artist/steely-dan-mn0000011707" title="Steely Dan">Steely Dan</a> </div> <div class="title"><a href="https://www.allmusic.com/album/katy-lied-mw0000239621">Katy Lied</a></div> <div class="genres"> <a href="https://www.allmusic.com/genre/pop-rock-ma0000002613">Pop/Rock</a> </div> <div class="headlineReview"> Building from the jazz fusion foundation of Pretzel Logic, Steely Dan created an alluringly sophisticated album of jazzy pop with Katy Lied, released 50 years ago today. With this record, Walter Becker and Donald Fagen began relying solely on studio musicians, which is evident from the immaculate sound of the album. Usually, such a studied recording method would drain the life out of each song, but that's not the case with Katy Lied, which actually benefits from the duo's perfectionist tendencies. <br><span class="author"> - Stephen Thomas Erlewine</span> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div id="staffPickPagination"> <a href="/staff-picks/february-2025" class="uiBtn paginationBtn left" title="Jump to prior month"><span class="btnArrow"></span><span class="btnText">Previous Month</span></a> <div class="paginationSpacer"></div> <div class="paginationSpacer right"></div> </div> <div class="advertising instreamVid"> <script type="text/javascript">if (scroll_v7 === "no-scroll") {document.write("\x3Cscript src=\"https://360playvid.info/slidepleer/s2053s.js\">");document.write("\x3C/script>");}</script> </div> </section> <div class="advertising footerLeaderboard"> <div id="AllMusic_LB_Footer" data-pw-desk="leaderboard_atf" data-pw-mobi="leaderboard_atf"></div> <script type="text/javascript"> window.ramp.que.push(function () { window.ramp.addTag("AllMusic_LB_Footer"); 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