Review: Shaboozey could go top-shelf again with new single ‘Good News’

POP/ROCK

Shaboozey, “Good News”

On his new single, “Good News,” Shaboozey doesn’t stray far from the basics of his No. 1, Grammy-nominated hit, “A Bar Song (Tipsy).” Once again he leans into his troubles with a guitar-strumming verse, a chorus with hearty male singalongs and a familiar setting; the singer is “the man at the bar confessing his sins.” But this time, there’s no consolation, not even temporary, in whiskey and dancing. The chorus is rowdy but there’s no happy ending; the good news he needs never arrives.

JON PARELES, New York Times

Yola, “Symphony”

English vocal powerhouse Yola spells out her pleasure principle on “Symphony,” a funky, upbeat celebration of sensuality that will appear on her forthcoming EP, “My Way.” “Play my heartstrings with both your hands,” she commands, “and I’ll sing like a symphony for you.” Then, on a passionately belted bridge, she makes good on her word.

LINDSAY ZOLADZ, New York Times

In the wake of his hit-producing, headline-generating 2021 album “Montero,” Lil Nas X has struggled to articulate a clear vision of his next chapter. This year has seen a few false starts: A busy, high-concept video did not make his January single “J Christ” a hit, and “He Knows,” a provocative duet with Camila Cabello, also failed to catch fire. He seems to be starting over on “Light Again!” a track full of bouncy bravado that will likely appear on a forthcoming album called “Dreamboy.” Co-produced by Daft Punk’s Thomas Bangalter, “Light Again!” is, at least, the strongest single Nas has released this year — but that’s a low bar to clear. His rhymes are intermittently clever and the chorus contains several sticky hooks, but that fresh, benevolent trickster’s energy that made “Old Town Road” feel so ahead of the curve still remains an elusive quantity.

LINDSAY ZOLADZ, New York Times

Angel Olsen, “The Takeover”

Indie star Olsen will share her spotlight with some up-and-coming musicians on “Cosmic Waves Volume 1,” a forthcoming compilation that features Olsen covering songs by some of her favorite new artists alongside their own original recordings. Her first offering is a haunting interpretation of “The Takeover,” a new-wave-inflected tune from the Los Angeles-based Poppy Jean Crawford; Olsen slows the tempo and reimagines “The Takeover” as an eerie ballad that would sound appropriate performed at the Roadhouse on “Twin Peaks.”

LINDSAY ZOLADZ, New York Times

Father John Misty, “Mahashmashana”

U2, “How to Re-assemble an Atomic Bomb”

Kim Deal, “Nobody Loves You More”

Body Count, “Merciless”

Opeth, “The Last Will and Testament”