27 October 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 of classic pop from Lebanese/American singer Michael Holbrook Penniman
6.1
Mika goes in joyful pursuit of big melodies and towering choruses. Read Review
He’s created the consummate pop album for 2009, seemingly on his own terms and devoid of tired formulas. Read Review
Print edition only
His songwriting craft and vocal dazzle may be flagrantly uncool, but they're also refreshingly unencumbered Read Review
Smart, thoughtful pop, flying in the face of his songs where pseudo-classical collides with West End musical foppery. Read Review
Contains far too much sugar to consume in one sitting Read Review
Unlikely to seduce the sceptical, and too equivocal for the evangelists, The Boy Who Knew Too Much is ultimately nowhere near as smart as it'd like to be. Read Review
At the core of these songs are gleaming melodies that rarely fail to hit the mark Read Review
He can’t rely on mere quirkiness to keep our attention. But he can still call on his sharp pop sensibility. Read Review
Even if people eventually grow tired of the jazz hands, he’ll be firing hits into the ether for as long as he cares to do so. Read Review
The Boy Who Knew Too Much's consistent hookiness means it can only be considered a success. Read Review
Mika is every bit as contrary and infuriating as he was two years ago. That lack of compromise could turn out to be one of his greatest strengths. Read Review
You only wish his maturing process would gather more speed. Read Review
Mika's faith in the campy excess of Freddie Mercury/Elton John-style pomp pop is bracing. But over the course of an album, the shtick's charm erodes. Read Review
There are enough irritations alongside the hooks to grate on even the most sainted of listeners Read Review
There's no denying Mika's technical prowess, but there's an increasing sense of it being frittered away on slim ideas tricked out with layers of interlocking vocals: froth and irritation in equal measure. Read Review
Mika: The Boy Who Knew Too Much
Michael Kiwanuka Fudge
A mostly brilliant effort from Michael Kiwanuka that serves as a showcase for his improvements in songwriting, as well as his ear for great melodies Spill Magazine
Tony Iommi From The Dark
From The Dark is a strong, latter career highlight that sees Iommi seamlessly pickup from where he left off over a decade ago in what hopefully ignites the start of a new era for Iommi Spill Magazine
A portrait of an artist in-progress — still learning, still adapting and still evolving rather than staying complacent and safe once set Exclaim
This LP seems to have more of a hazy, late night essence. There is still an underlying melancholia but there is something lighter and hopeful. The strings are euphoric, the extended codas are extravagant and kaleidoscopic, stretching out for ever and ever in a glorious wall of sound, as on ‘Just Another Moment’ God Is In The TV
Fontaines D.C. Dopamine Chamber
While there is no doubt Fontaines D.C. will rightly go down as one of the era’s greats, this LP shows them struggling to close the gap between ambition and lasting impact PopMatters
Wishy Natures Pill
Indianapolis indie poppers Wishy take their sound to a new level of craftsmanship and catchiness with Nature’s Pill. It’s one of the year’s best records PopMatters
Sheryl Crow Pick You Up
Sheryl Crow prioritizes compassion and connection in Pick You Up, her most political album to date PopMatters
Teaming with Norwegian vocalist Jørn Lande, the 78-year-old Black Sabbath guitarist gets back to heavy-metal basics on a proudly uncompromising new solo album Pitchfork
Doomheads may regret this new record isn't an experimental black mass of riffs. Fans of lacy-sleeved hard rock, however, will lean into the tuneful thunderstorm. Print edition only Uncut
The whole thing is biblically, sometimes exhaustingly epic, but a timely reminder of Iommi's pioneering musicianship. Print edition only Mojo
From The Dark is the sort of album where nothing is out of place - everything adds to its integrity, and to the brooding atmosphere of foreboding. Print edition only Record Collector
Considering that Tony Iommi is one of, if not the, most significant heavy metal figure in the current landscape, you’d be hard-pressed to find anyone who doesn’t believe From The Dark to be a deeply significant moment in his career Far Out
Iommi’s vision and intentions make for a seriously powerful set of tunes that will keep plenty of Metalheads more than happy The Arts Desk
This is a splendid album, brilliantly performed and recorded; it is forward-looking and completely able to hold its own in the contemporary metal world Louder Than War
A reaffirmation of the man’s elemental power and enduring importance Kerrang!
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