Norah Jones – Little Broken Hearts
The difference between this and the cafe music that first made Jones a household name is large, but the transition is anything but jarring. There are a handful of different types of pop covered on Little Broken Hearts, the studied, tried and true compositions of two incredibly smart musicians. Jones has a mastery of her own voice and delivery, fitting it with each new musical twist, and Burton knows just which buttons to push on the pop machine. Her narration in these tracks is always direct, describing specific moments in time and specific relationship details. That said, the emotional depth is in the instrumentals (from the haunting acoustics that open “Take it Back” to the finely wrought, western-tinged wave it rides to its conclusion). Read the full review on Consequence of Sound

George Harrison – Early Takes
What distinguishes these recordings, and what elevates them above the customary completist-exploiting studio sweepings that often make up the contents of similar releases, is that despite its meagre playing time at only just over half an hour, Early Takes is packed not only with the intimacy of casual home-studio sessions amongst friends, but also with some musical gems which stand alone as finished works in their own right. In the case of ‘My Sweet Lord’, arguably better than the polished and released version. Read the full review on Trebuchet Magazine

Santigold – Master of my Make-believe
It turns out that the album’s content is as patchwork as its artwork. The cover finds Santigold playing multiple characters: a formulaic Don, a Napoleon-esque conquerer immortalized on canvas, and a pair of scepter-wielding female bodyguards, and the music therein is likewise schizophrenic. Noisy and buzzing one moment, quiet and minimalist the next, Master of My Make-Believe spans pop, rock, indie, rap, and worldbeat in an exhilirating, if dizzying, tour of its ringmaster’s ecclecticism. The songs are untethered to any thematic or conceptual whole, allowing the always-playful Santigold to do what she does best: experiment. Read the full review on Slant Magazine