In many ways, an artist's sophomore album is more important than their debut. The first time around, they just need to prove they can get the public's attention. The stakes are higher after that. Now they need to keep the listener fully engaged. That's a feat Camila Cabello achieves with Romance. Out December 6, the LP arrives nearly two years after the 22-year-old made her solo debut. Her second effort...

The holidays are fast approaching (no joke), and that means we've been treated to an influx of seasonal fare every New Music Friday. That holds true today (December 6) with the arrival of Taylor Swift's festive bop "Christmas Tree Farm." The 29-year-old has been hard at work since dropping Lover earlier this year. In the last few weeks she's unveiled two remixes of the album's loved-up title track....

Halsey's Manic is shaping up to be one of the strongest albums arriving in 2020. Seriously. "Graveyard" remains one of my favorite singles of the year, and then there's the rest of the tracklist to consider. Announced earlier this week, it features an impressive lineup of collaborators (including Alanis Morissette) and some very revealing song titles. Based on what we've seen thus far, I'd say high...

Niall Horan dabbled in early '00s Brit-pop on "Nice To Meet Ya," but he returns to the stripped-back sound palette of Flicker on the followup. "Put A Little Love On Me" is the Irish star's best ballad since "This Town." Co-written with Jamie Scott, Daniel Bryer and Mike Needle, the second taste of NH2 finds Niall in the grips of loneliness. "Are you all dressed up but with nowhere to go? Are your tears...

The Aeronauts isn't the best film Amazon Studios has released this year (Les Misérables takes that honor). In fact, it's not even the best film Tom Harper has directed this year (see Wild Rose). It is, however, the most accessible and easiest to watch. This is a good, old-fashioned popcorn movie camouflaged in period garb. There is a dearth of well-made entertainment for adults and The Aeronauts,...

Every year, a new batch of hopefuls rolls out their attempt at crafting the next holiday anthem. While no one has come close to matching the longevity and annual success of Mariah Carey's all-conquering "All I Want For Christmas Is You," there have been a couple of valiant efforts. Kelly Clarkson's "Underneath The Tree" remains a firm favorite, while Gwen Stefani and Blake Shelton's "You Make It Feel...

Sasha Sloan released two of the best EPs of 2018 (Sad Girl and Loser), so it shouldn't be too surprising that the just-released Self Portrait is an early frontrunner for the best Extended Play of 2019. A brutally honest collection of songs that dives deep into traditionally uncommercial topics like religion, loss and mental illness, Self Portrait finds the renowned songwriter coming into her own as...

The boys of One Direction have been busy since going on hiatus in early 2016. In the years that followed, ZAYN, Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Louis Tomlinson and Liam Payne have all embarked on solo careers. And the superstars have all explored a variety of different sounds in the process. By early 2020, each member will have dropped at least one album. Which means that it's the perfect time to look back...

At 22, Becky G has already reinvented herself several times over. After breaking onto the scene as a teen rapper ("Can't Get Enough" is still a bop), the breakout star segued into pop. She promptly landed a hit with "Shower," but experienced diminishing returns with certified bops "Can't Stop Dancin'" and "Break A Sweat." The stars finally aligned when the Inglewood native embraced her Latin roots...

Céline Dion has been slowly chipping away at her 12th English-language album since at least 2016. That year is significant as it marked the passing of her late husband, René Angélil, after a long battle with cancer. The songs that arrived immediately thereafter ("The Show Must Go On" and "Recovering") directly referenced that event, and the music she has been working on ever since is indelibly shaped...

Taylor Swift belatedly lays out the mission statement for Lover on its final track. As "Daylight," a thoughtful and lushly composed love song, closes, the 29-year-old delivers a spoken outro. "I wanna be defined by the things that I love not the things I hate," she muses. "I just think that you are what you love." That's abundantly evident from one listen to the 18-song collection. Released on August...

Turning around a speedy review of a Lana Del Rey record is a thankless task. While the album is increasingly treated as a relic from the past, Lana still views it as an art form, cramming in layers of melodies and ideas that slowly seep out over time. It took me months to get a handle on Honeymoon, while Ultraviolence continues to unfold five years later. Until Friday (August 30), I considered those...