Review: Olivia Rodrigo gets breathless with ‘So American’

POP/ROCK

Olivia Rodrigo, “So American”

Rodrigo knows all too well how susceptible a young woman can be to physical attraction and a good line. With the speedy, pumping new wave rock and breathless vocals of “So American” — from the new extended version of her 2023 album, “Guts (Spilled)” — she sums up a guy with “hands that make hell seem cold” who “laughs at all my jokes and says I’m so American.” For three frantic minutes, self-consciousness is no match for pheromones.

JON PARELES, New York Times

Alicia Keys and Maleah Joi Moon, “Kaleidoscope“

In this new single from the just-opened Broadway musical “Hell’s Kitchen,” Keys duets with Moon, the actress who plays Keys’ autobiographical alter ego, Ali. “Light it up, put it in the air and let it go,” Keys sings, capturing the exuberance of youthful optimism. The track begins in the register of bright, minimalist pop, but midway through, Keys’ signature piano comes in and gives the arrangement the feel of a Broadway showstopper.

LINDSAY ZOLADZ, New York Times

Following her worldwide 2023 hit “Water,” South African songwriter Tyla has now released her self-titled debut album, merging African rhythms with English lyrics and R&B delivery. The album’s songs toggle between approach — like “Water” — and avoidance. In “Safer,” Tyla pulls away from temptation. The song harnesses the log-drum beat and sparse, subterranean bass lines of South African amapiano as Tyla worries that “This feels too good to be true” and decides, “As bad as I want you, I know that it’s danger.” Choral call-and-response vocals carry South African tradition into the electronic wilderness of 21st-century romance.

JON PARELES, New York Times

Gary Clark Jr. featuring Stevie Wonder, “What About the Children”

This song, which sounds like a late-breaking, guitar-forward sequel to Wonder’s “Living for the City,” appears on the Texas bluesman’s new album, “Jpeg Raw,” which pushes every boundary of the blues. Wonder, who co-wrote the song, sings and plays harmonica as he and Clark consider poor parents’ pressures and responsibilities. Clark’s guitar riffs and pokes and wails, and he and Wonder shout together about “all the broken dreams.”

JON PARELES, New York Times

Pop singer-songwriter Wolf’s colorful charisma courses through “Cinderella,” the fun first single from her forthcoming second album, “Big Ideas,” due July 12. Breezy, funky and prominently featuring a triangle, “Cinderella” is a showcase for Wolf’s personality, occasional insecurities (“Is there something wrong with the way I’m designed?”) and wacky wordplay. “Like Cinderella making babies on the company’s dime,” she sings, turning a nonsequitur into a catchy hook. “We’re making pennies out of paper, better find a new slime.”

LINDSAY ZOLADZ, New York Times

New releases

• Beyoncé, “Act II: Cowboy Carter”

• Sheryl Crow, “Evolution”