17 April 2026
Here's how it works: The Recent Releases chart brings together critical reaction to new albums from more than 50 sources worldwide. It's updated daily. Albums qualify with 5 reviews, and drop out after 6 weeks into the longer timespan charts.
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Fifth album of rap and pop from the Trinidad-born MC from Queens, New York with guest appearances from J. Cole, Lil Wayne, Tate Kobang, Drake, Lourdiz, Lil Uzi Vert, Skillibeng, Skeng and Future
6.6
While similarities to her 2010 original may run only name-deep, this sample-heavy – and sometimes emotional – material certainly holds its own Read Review
Refusing to be hemmed in, it’s a record of real ambition, an example mirroring fan-pleasing tendencies with actual artistic growth Read Review
Stepping away from Barbie-Girl pop towards her strengths as a rapper, this is the sound of a more mature artist in fierce command of her talent Read Review
The sound of Nicki Minaj cracking her knuckles and getting her hands dirty again. It’s the purest distillation of her uniquely feminine bravado Read Review
Pink Friday 2 is a long album, and it’s going to get longer Read Review
Thirteen years after her landmark album Pink Friday, the pop-rap superstar aims to conjure and build on that moment with an ambitious 22-song statement that is a very mixed bag Read Review
The pop-rap phenomenon is back with her first album in five years Read Review
While some moments of interpolation are more inspired, the musician’s increasing reliance on recognisable samples can start to feel like cruise control Read Review
Unlike its predecessor, the album doesn’t leave much of an impression. Read Review
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Jessie Ware Superbloom
Self-effacing pop diva indulges in carnal pleasures Clash
Building on the sumptuous disco stylings of her last two albums, this time the mirrorball - and the horniness - giddy right up musicOMH
Angine de Poitrine Vol.II
The duo’s ability to match the experimentation with a sparkling energy and infectious drive suggests that Vol. II would impress even if its creators dressed in nothing more eye-catching than road-worn jeans and T-shirts The Line Of Best Fit
The third album in the singer’s disco trilogy feels like something brighter and more perennial Slant Magazine
Ware doesn’t just sound like a natural dancefloor maestro. She proves to be a force of nature Under The Radar
Tomora Come Closer
Neither a Chemical Brothers record with a guest vocal, nor an AURORA record with heavier production, Come Closer feels more like a shared space, with each artist’s approach left largely intact Spectrum Culture
Glittering, supersized dance juggernaut fuses the Chemical Brother’s propulsive electronica and the Norwegian’s icy, eerie singing and production The Irish Times
Overstimulating, eerie, weird and wild Dork
Occasionally uneven effort from art-pop star and dance maestro Hot Press
Tomora comes off as a good-natured side quest, freely venturing into unexpected territory and maintaining an adventurous spirit All Music
Raye This Music May Contain Hope
Grander, louder and packed with even more lyrics than her debut, Raye’s THIS MUSIC MAY CONTAIN HOPE. is perhaps the best and first must-listen in pop music this year Spectrum Culture
Following two irresistibly groovy records, Ware serves up another sleek, sexy helping of disco-pop. It's too bad the songs are less innovative than their predecessors Paste Magazine
A change-up might well be welcome for album number seven, but Ware’s latest disco-pop knees-up is a jubilant record from someone operating at the top of her game Far Out
Arlo Parks Ambiguous Desire
Overall, a brilliant effort from one of British music’s most gifted artists Hot Press
Across 13 delightful tracks, Superbloom sees Jessie Ware at her most radiant, and keeps up the incredible momentum she’s built with her previous disco-inflected output. A work that’s equal parts soul-stirring and head-spinning Hot Press
Since we've been around, that is. So, the highest-rated albums from the past twelve years or so. Rankings are calculated to two decimal places.
Kendrick Lamar To Pimp A Butterfly
Fiona Apple Fetch The Bolt Cutters
Rosalía Lux
Kendrick Lamar Damn.
D'Angelo And The Vanguard Black Messiah
Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds Ghosteen
Spiritbox Tsunami Sea
Self Esteem Prioritise Pleasure
Hayley Williams Ego Death At A Bachelorette Party
Bob Dylan Rough and Rowdy Ways