MUSIC REVIEWS

Taylor Swift, “folklore” (Republic Records)

In the years since Taylor Swift released her killer pop album “1989” in 2014, the singer has amped the produc- tion of her music, adding sounds including electronica, synth pop, R&B, dubstep, dance and even trap to her songs. Not everyone was ready for the rap style of “…Ready for It?” though it worked.

But while pop star Taylor, with all the bops and beats, is enjoyable and entertaining, her new singer-songwriter album is a welcomed return. In a time of madness, “folklore” feels like a moment to escape.

Her eighth record has a calmness and coolness reminiscent of the 2008 masterpiece “Fearless” and 2010’s charming “Speak Now,” as poetic lines about life are brought to life thanks to Swift’s sharp songwriting, with the light but piercing production doing its job by lifting the lyrics.

Swift is a grand storyteller, and “folklore” explores a lot. On some songs, she’s singing about life before she moved to Nashville as a teen to embark on her musical career. On other tracks, she’s telling the stories of others — doing it so well and vividly that you can paint the picture as the tracks play.

Frequent collaborator and one of contemporary music’s best producers, Jack Antonoff, assists on most of the album, while The National’s Aaron Dessner should be saluted for his massive contributions to the project. And epic vocals from Bon Iver match well with Swift’s soft tone on “exile.”

The 16 tracks weave into each other nicely, blending to make this folk-pop-country-Americana-guitar rock-singer-songwriter album work. Whatever the genre, “folklore” is firstclass. — Mesfin Fekadu, Associated Press

Juice WRLD “Legends Never Die” (Grade A/Interscope)

One of the spookiest things about Jarad Higgins’ gut-wrenching brand of emo-rap was how trapped this young man seemed to feel: More than a year before he died this past December, he had rapped the lines: “What’s the 27 Club? We ain’t making it past 21.”

Considering his song “All Girls Are the Same,” Higgins’ on-record frustrations were that of someone who still had a lot of life left to experience. So it’s no surprise that Juice WRLD’s first posthumous album is his best. An exceptional melodist who embraced a generous helping of Sting’s “Shape of My Heart” on “Lucid Dreams,” his greatest hit, he was granted access to experts as varied as Rick Rubin, Skrillex, and the unsettling Dr. Luke when he suddenly passed, and was maturing into a songwriter who understood his gifts.

“Legends Never Die” has no scores to settle with women, and the bluesy “Stay High” and “Can’t Die” set up “Man of the Year” with a big, what-could’ve-been pop-punk finish. Legends debuted at the top spot on Billboard’s 200 albums; here’s hoping it helps its many, many fans keep going. — Dan Weiss, Philadelphia Inquirer

The Psychedelic Furs, “Made of Rain” (Cooking Vinyl)

There’s a comforting familiarity to “Made of Rain,” the Psychedelic Furs’ excellent new release and their first studio album in 29 years.

The British band made a splash in the mid’80s with alternative radio hits like “Pretty In Pink,” “Love My Way” and “Heartbreak Beat” before disbanding for nearly a decade. After some side projects, they returned to the concert circuit in 2000 and issued a 2001 live album with a new studio track.

Until now, 1991’s “World Outside” was the last in a series of studio efforts with many more peaks than valleys, so getting back to recording after such a long a break could have presented the Furs with numerous risks and obstacles, especially how or if to update their sound for this new phase.

Fortunately, and, considering their catalog, even expectedly, “Made of Rain” is immediately recognizable as the work of the Butler brothers’ band, with Richard singing as good as ever and Tim’s bass underpinning their intense melodicism and packed arrangements.

While master guitarist John Ashton from the band’s classic era is not back, Rich Good has over a decade’s worth of experience in the Furs and his layers of strums are a big part of the sonic continuity, as are Mars Williams’ saxophone, Amanda Kramer’s keyboards and Paul Garisto’s drumming.

Songs like the intense “The Boy Who Invented Rock & Roll,” the dramatically alienated “No-One” and the desperate but romantic “Hide the Medicine” are all worthy of inclusion on the Furs’ next greatest hits selection.

The Butlers’ David Bowie influence is still in happy evidence, too, like on “Wrong Train” and its modern inconveniences, while the inconclusive finality of “Turn Your Back On Me” echoes Bowie’s “The Next Day” 2013 comeback.

Once live concerts return, it’s possible fans will want to hear the ‘80s songs first, but those from “Made of Rain” will fit right in on any of the Psychedelic Furs’ setlists. — Pablo Gorondi, Associated Press

Alanis Morissette, “Such Pretty Forks

in the Road” (Epiphany Music)

The piano is back. The voice is back. The angst is back.

A genre onto herself, Alanis Morissette comes out in force with her ninth studio album “Such Pretty Forks In the Road,” where she untangles some of the thornier moments of her life since we’ve last heard from her in 2012. Postpartum depression, check. Management embezzlement, check. Music industry fatigue, check. Joy of motherhood, check.

Morissette’s creative companion, the piano, takes us on a journey that’s sometimes dramatic, sometimes somber, sometimes playful, sometimes wistful. But it’s the electric guitar riffs that add a sheen of nostalgia; “Ablaze” and “Sandbox Love” have that sound that perfectly encapsulates a CW show from the mid-aughts.

“Smiling” puts the rictus on the church organ and pulls off a ballad with a twist of register that rocks your rocks off. “Reasons I Drink” has that Billy Joel lilt but more acerbic lyrics about surviving in the music industry for so long, while the harried and troubled piano on “Reckoning” channels empowering anger.

Despite its unassuming musicality, the 11-track “Such Pretty Forks In the Road” dazzles with its simple comfort charms. — Cristina Jaleru, Associated Press