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...

Last night (November 12), Julia Michaels brought The Inner Monologue Tour to the iconic Fonda Theatre in Los Angeles, California and delivered an utterly euphoric set that covered hits ("Issues," "Uh Huh" and "I Miss You"), fan favorites ("Happy," "Worst In Me" and "Pink") and even a cover of CeeLo Green's "Fuck You." Which she performed in the middle of the standing, general admission section. It...

Britney Spears blessed us with eight excellent albums (and the alright but less spectacular Britney Jean) over the years. With such a flawless discography, it is basically impossible to pick favorites. Forcing someone to do so is downright cruel, actually. But it's widely acknowledged that one of her best is In The Zone. One-third of many fans Holy Trinity (mine also includes Blackout and Glory), B's...

Films about addiction and childhood trauma are staples of the awards season, but few have explored those issues with as much candor and whimsy as Alma Har'el's Honey Boy. Based on a screenplay by Shia LaBeouf, the coming of age saga documents the actor's tumultuous upbringing and its emotional aftermath. Some critics have described the film as an act of art (or drama) therapy, but that comes with an...

Bruce Springsteen has left his mark on the big screen in 2019. Blinded By The Light, a coming of age story inspired by The Boss' music, opened to overwhelmingly positive reviews in August, while Western Stars is in theaters now. The rock legend's directorial debut (he shared the task with long-time collaborator Thom Zimny) falls somewhere between concert film and visual poem. Both aspects are enjoyable,...

Mariah Carey is a living legend every day of the year. Obviously. But something special happens as winter sets in. That's when the Lamb Whisperer comes into her full powers and emerges as the Queen of Christmas. Since the release of Merry Christmas in 1994, Mimi has claimed a strong hold on the holiday season. And she's not letting go anytime soon. As the clock struck midnight on Halloween this year,...

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...

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...

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...

Melanie Martinez's K-12 arrives today (September 6) after a four-year gestation period. That might sound unnecessarily long, but it makes a lot more sense when you understand the scope of the project. This isn't just an album or even a visual album. The 24-year-old has written, directed and starred in a feature length movie musical that brings the music, and all of its (timely and varied) themes, to...

Bong Joon Ho's Parasite has surfed a wave of critical acclaim since winning the Palme d'Or at Cannes over frontrunners like Once Upon A Time... In Hollywood and Pain & Glory. In the process, it has broken new ground for both Asian cinema and genre films. Not that Parasite neatly fits into the latter box unlike The Host or Snowpiercer. And therein lies its language barrier-busting appeal. At its core,...

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...