Kadhja Bonet, Childqueen

Kadhja Bonet, Childqueen

The daughter of Lenny Kravitz and Lisa Bonet, Kadhja Bonet is a multi-instrumentalist with a tendency to obscure her jazz roots by dressing it up with sounds borrowed from other genres. Probably at least half a dozen genres suggest themselves as the music’s central framework — R&B, champer pop, folk and soul among them — each to be discarded after a song or two. At its heart, Childqueen is cosmic jazz; sunny, intricate, spacious and warm. Everything else is flavoring. Strings, woodwinds, electronic sounds, bass guitar and drums are all regular contributors, but Bonet’s prime instrument is, unmistakably, her voice, which floats and lilts and soars, often in three-part harmony with itself, warmly expanding into the benevolent ether of jazz that does not sound like jazz. Highlights: “Procession,” “Joy,” “Mother Maybe”

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Richard Thompson, 13 Rivers

Richard Thompson , 13 Rivers Richard Thompson — 13 Rivers Arguably the most consistently engaging artist of the last 50 years, Richard Thompson continues to write deep, dark folk-rock songs with an acerbic wit married to a soft, calm wisdom. This new album isn’t widely divergent from his established catalogue but miraculously Thompson, who was already a guitar hero in the 1970s, still manages to grow as a guitarist and sound fresh. Working highly intricate riffs into the undergirding of each song’s frame, he also solos on every song and as usual, his virtuosity remains connected to the music, always moving the songs forward rather than grandstanding. Plus, Thompson’s one of a kind voice only deepens in resonance over time. Highlights: “Trying,” “O Cinderella,” “Bones of Gilead”

Courntey Marie Andrews, May Your Kidness Remain

Courntey Marie Andrews, May Your Kidness Remain This young old soul sings simple songs of timeless wisdom that could have been delivered in any genre; Courtney Marie Andrews has chosen folk-country stylings with some indie pop flavorings. The Phoenix-born Andrews has a voice that rings out clear and sonorous and heartfelt, and leaves the twang to the guitars. The first two songs are sheer perfection and at least half the songs approach it; she’s at her strongest when she’s extolling the core virtues of her message — love, kindness and self-awareness. Highlight: “May Your Kindness Remain,” “Lift the Lonely from My Heart,” “This House”

Hop Along, Bark Your Head Off Dog

Hop Along, Bark Your Head Off, Dog This Philadelphia band’s complex, literate, off-kilter indie rock gets better with every listen. This could never be pop music, no matter who produced it or what instruments they used. It is too strange, singlar and too unrestrained. Singer Frances Quinlan’s melodic acrobatics are all over the map — “angular” doesn’t begin to cover it — and the rest of the band careens along wildly; the whole thing barely holds together, in the most wonderful way. The same guy who told Mozart he used “too many notes” would’ve said the same to Hop Along and he’d be similarly wrong. The string section, the backing vocals and the occasional synths are apparently new with this album and they offset the band’s punk-infused spirit perfectly. Highlights: “Prior Things,” “The Fox in Motion,” “What the Writer Meant”

Album Reviews by Stefan Wenger

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