FALL MUSIC PREVIEW
From country to dance, 10 must-hear albums
MILEY CYRUS Younger Now (Sept. 29)
“Change is a thing you can count on,” Cyrus sings, a noticeable twang in her voice, on her forthcoming album’s country-pop title track. Cyrus has done a lot of changing in the years since her hip-hop experimentations on 2013’s Bangerz and her gonzo experimentations on 2015’s Dead Petz, presenting a wholesome new image as her Younger Now era beckons, as heard on lead single Malibu. Cyrus gifted the MTV Video Music Awards with one of its only enjoyable performances, a reminder that her natural talent, when paired with the right material, makes for excellent pop music. – Maeve McDermott
DEMI LOVATO Tell Me You Love Me (Sept. 29)
While pop peers such as Miley Cyrus and Taylor Swift have cycled through a lifetime of personas in their short careers, Demi Lovato hasn’t strayed from the big-voice pop songs, often with empowering messages, that she’s made her signature over the years. Lovato favors tracks that pair high drama with bombastic vocals, as heard on her two recent singles, the despondent Tell Me You Love Me and its euphoric counterpart Sorry Not Sorry. – M.M.
ST. VINCENT Masseduction (Oct. 13)
Annie Clark, better known as art-rock queen St. Vincent, recently had her first brush with tabloid fame thanks to her year-and-ahalf-long relationship with supermodel/actress Cara Delevingne (who lends vocals to Pills, a new song off St. Vincent’s fifth solo album). But it’s Clark’s spellbinding guitar prowess and singular lyrics — evidenced on bluntly melancholic first single New York — that make each of her records a treat worth savoring. – Patrick Ryan
SHANIA TWAIN Now (Sept. 29)
Twain’s last release was Up! way back in 2002. After 15 years away from the studio, the best selling female artist in the history of country music is readying her comeback album, with singles like Life’s About to Get Good seeing the singer move on from the broken relationships of her past while pushing her sound beyond the country-pop envelope. – M.M.
KELELA Take Me Apart (Oct. 6)
One of the year’s most-anticipated debut albums comes from Kelela, an R&B darling whose previous releases have been devoured by critics. Among the many figures singing her praises is Solange, who helped jumpstart Kelela’s rise by booking her as a tour opener, later featuring her on her 2016 album A Seat at the Table. Now, it’s Kelela’s turn to step into the spotlight, and her stripped-down single LMK is a promising preview of her new album’s future-pop inspirations. – M.M.
BECK Colors (Oct. 13)
More than two years after revealing first single Dreams, a funky left turn from his 2014 Grammy-winning Morning Phase, Beck is finally ready to unspoolColors. Judging by its kaleidoscopic teaser tracks — Wow, a sugar rush of wallowing synths and slacker rap, and Dear Life, a deceptively chirpy meditation on excess — this is the rock chameleon’s boldest step into experimental pop since 2006’s The Information. – P. R.
TAYLOR SWIFT Reputation (Nov. 10)
It’s been three years since Taylor Swift released 1989, completing her transition from country-music success to full-blown pop superstardom. And as acerbic new single Look What You Made Me Do and its legacy-torching music video suggest, Swift is attempting to transition into something more villainous with her sixth studio album. Reputation likely will be 2017’s most buzzed-about release, and with months to go until its’ due, fans should expect more surprises from a singer who, headlines and spectacles aside, has a once-in-ageneration gift for songwriting, if she chooses to use it. – M.M.
EMINEM TBD release
The Detroit MC has been dropping hints about new music since October on Twitter and Instagram, with collaborator 2 Chainz also sharing details in July about Em’s The Marshall Mathers LP 2 follow-up. While it’s unclear how the rapper’s shockvalue misogyny and disturbingly violent lyrics will play in today’s politically correct climate, another release from one of hip-hop’s most volatile talents always demands our attention. – P.R.
MIGUEL TBD release
A plethora of R&B offerings is coming down the pike, with new releases expected from chanteuses Jessie Ware and Tinashe. Among the most compelling is Miguel, whose 2015 outing Wildheart was a carnal, psychedelic masterstroke. After teasing a Spanish-language album in an interview with Latina earlier this year, his just-released single Sky Walker featuring rapper Travis Scott (also due for an album this fall) promises a return to more accessible, party-ready music that is as at home on the dance floor as it is in the bedroom. – P.R.
SAM SMITH TBD release
The blue-eyed British crooner has all but fallen off the map since his cringe-worthy gaffe at the 2016 Academy Awards, where he mistakenly claimed to be the first openly gay Oscar winner while accepting best original song for 007 theme Writing’s on the Wall. The Grammy-winning breakout appears to be readying for a comeback: teasing a video shoot on Instagram last month, which could spell his first full-length effort since 2014’s winningly soppy In the Lonely Hour. – P.R.