GLOBAL
Rosalía, "LLYLM"
Just before the first chorus of Grammy winner Rosalía's airy new single, the Spanish phenom sings, "Lo diré en ingles y me entenderás" — I will say it in English and you will understand me. There's a brief moment of silence before Rosalía launches into a lilting, pop-radio-friendly hook, sung, yes, in English: "I don't need honesty, baby, lie like you love me." In the context of the song, it's a plea to an uncaring partner, but in the grander scheme of Rosalía's career, it's also a playful wink at the idea of an English-speaking crossover hit. The nimble "LLYLM" pivots restlessly between these two worlds, and finds Rosalía — for now at least — having it both ways.
LINDSAY ZOLADZ, New York Times
JAZZ
Cécile McLorin Salvant, "D'un Feu Secret"
One of her generation's finest jazz singers throws a high-concept curveball on her coming album, "Mélusine." It retells a European folk tale — about love, a curse, broken promises and reptilian transformations — in songs new and old. "D'un Feu Secret" ("Of a Secret Fire") is indeed old. It was composed in 1660 by Michel Lambert. "I could be cured If I stopped loving/But I prefer the disease," it vows. McLorin sings it like an early music performer, poised and delicate with feathery ornaments. But the accompaniment, from her longtime keyboardist and collaborator Sullivan Fortner, is on synthesizers, savoring the anachronism.
JON PARELES, New York Times
R&B
Chlöe, "Pray It Away"
Beyoncé protégée Chlöe — of the sisterly R&B duo Chloe x Halle — goes full church girl on the fiery first single from her upcoming debut album, "In Pieces." An unfaithful lover brings Chlöe to her knees and makes her wrestle with cravings for vengeance but, as she puts it in breathy vocals stacked to heaven, "I'ma just pray it away before I give him what he deserves first."
LINDSAY ZOLADZ, New York Times
New releases
- Paramore, "This Is Why"
- Tennis, "Pollen"
- Yo La Tengo, "This Stupid World"
- Kelela, "Raven"
