29 January 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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Second album from the Blackpool-born singer-songwriter produced by Flood (U2, Nine Inch Nails)
5.8
This artist can conjure something uplifting from pain and regret. Not recommended for light-hearted dinner party background music Read Review
Her talent and pain are equally raw and equally audible Read Review
Francis is a trick-free troubadour and for all The Remedy’s lack of variety, there may not be a more personal album in 2012 Read Review
Solid singer-songwriter fare with more longing than your teenage years Read Review
The hiccup in her muscular voice - equal parts Skin and Tracy Chapman - is as much irritating trope as hallmark. Print edition only
Alternatively tender and bold and imbued with righteous soul. Print edition only
Thanks both to a smooth, understated production and Karima's wonderfully emotive vocals, it certainly isn't a struggle but with a distinct lack of variation, you'd have to be in a very specific mindset to fully enjoy it Read Review
Genuinely moving, but a change of pace wouldn't have gone amiss. Print edition only
It’s tough to call The Remedy a misstep because it is firmly standing on ground that superior artists, and Francis herself, have already covered. Hopefully now that she has gotten this one off of her chest, she’ll try something a little bolder next time Read Review
It's satisfying enough, and the lyrics hint at some intriguing darkness. It just needs a little more bite Read Review
Karima clearly has the talent, we just can’t wait until her songs are as exciting to listen to as her singing Read Review
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Karima Francis: The Remedy
Ari Lennox Vacancy
Neo-soul elegance and late-night vibes define the R&B star’s most inviting record to date NME
Lennox’s music often nods to the past, but her new album feels more in tune with the zeitgeist Slant Magazine
The singer’s first album for Interscope is honey-sweet, grown-up R&B that’s looking for a little something missing Pitchfork
Lennox balances jazz-soaked tradition with flashes of unruly humour and a surefire viral hit The Guardian
Jenny on Holiday Quicksand Heart
Feels more like a steady progression than a revolutionary rebrand No Ripcord
Megadeth Megadeth
Megadeth's self-titled swan song is weighted down by its own sense of importance No Ripcord
The Cribs Selling A Vibe
They're truly at their best when their tuneful choruses come paired with a raw, stripped-down treatment No Ripcord
Westside Cowboy So Much Country ‘Till We Get There
Island imprint Adventure Recordings appears to be giving Westside Cowboy a hefty push, and the early signs are that they have the chops to make the most of it No Ripcord
Cast Yeah Yeah Yeah
This is Cast sounding comfortable, confident, and settled. The songs are strong, the production is polished without being overworked, and the band sound like they know exactly who they are at this stage XS Noize
With as many albums in this century as in the last, ‘Yeah Yeah Yeah’ finds Cast building on the momentum of the previous two years with both confidence and quality. Refusing to trade solely on nostalgia, it’s a beefed-up version of their best selves. Long may their positivity last Clash
The Liverpudlians’ eighth album is the sound of a band determined to prove they’re more than a Britpop legacy act musicOMH
Power's voice is improving with age, especially confident and commanding on the closing, psych-baroque "Birds Heading South". Print edition only NME
The excellent PP Arnold featuring lead single Poison Vine is a good indicator of the move towards a very Stones-y type of uplifting soulful rock and blues; the swelling gospel rock of Don't Look Away is the most stirring thing they've done yet. Print edition only Record Collector
Instead of going out with a nuclear bang, Megadeth serves lean sides that won’t clog the final tour’s setlists Beats Per Minute
Louis Tomlinson How Did I Get Here?
The songs on the former One Direction member’s over-referential, sometimes uneven third album don’t shrink down for anyone, and he sells his disappointment and anxiety with nuance, refusing to bemoan his own celebrity Paste Magazine
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