Killswitch Engage
Incarnate
Metal

Killswitch Engage still shouts out some encouragement. But more than a few tracks suggest a repudiation, or at least dilution, …

Kendrick Lamar
untitled unmastered.
Rap/Hip-Hop

Dizzying mixture of cultural, racial and spiritual insights jarringly juxtaposed against prurient portraits of unexpurgated rage, violence and sexuality.

Macklemore & Ryan Lewis
This Unruly Mess I’ve Made
Rap/Hip-Hop

The second effort from Seattle rapper Macklemore is, indeed, provocatively messy—in both good and grating ways.

The 1975
I Like It When You Sleep, for You Are So Beautiful Yet So Unaware of It
Alternative, Pop, Rock

The sophomore album from this rising British alt-pop band is as brutally honest as it is brutally hopeless.

Kanye West
The Life of Pablo
Rap/Hip-Hop

The profound and the profane pound away at each other on The Life of Pablo.

Sia
This Is Acting
Alternative, EDM/Electronica/Techno, Pop, R&B

The latest effort from Australia’s most famous wig-wearer zigzags maddeningly between self-respect and self-objectification.

Tori Kelly
Unbreakable Smile
Pop, R&B

A small handful of suggestive lyrics curl down the edges of this Smile a bit. But Tori Kelly’s effervescent winsomeness …

Rihanna
Anti
Alternative, Pop, R&B, Rap/Hip-Hop, Rock

Rihanna may be living life completely on her own terms, but beneath all the carnal bravado, it’s pretty clear she’s …

Lecrae
Church Clothes 3
Christian/Gospel, Rap/Hip-Hop

Lecrae’s third “mixtape” delivers another hard-hitting dose of faith-filled yet pull-no-punches commentary on contemporary culture.

Panic! at the Disco
Death of a Bachelor
Alternative, Jazz/Swing/Blues, Pop, Rock

Panic! at the Disco’s sole remaining band member says marriage has made him a changed man. It’s a claim this …

David Bowie
Blackstar
Alternative, Jazz/Swing/Blues, Rock

David Bowie’s final album, released just three days before his death from cancer, strives to turn even that final event …

Rachel Platten
Wildfire
Pop

Rachel Platten’s 2015 hit “Fight Song” was one of Plugged In’s favorite tunes last year—which raises the stakes for the …

Prince
HITnRUN: Phase One/Phase Two
EDM/Electronica/Techno, Pop, Punk, R&B, Rap/Hip-Hop, Rock

Prince’s final two albums find him as enchanted with sensuality as he was when his controversial career began nearly four …

Troye Sivan
Blue Neighbourhood
Alternative, EDM/Electronica/Techno, Pop

The lyrics dispel any ambiguity about who it is Troye Sivan finds affection for.

Coldplay
A Head Full of Dreams
Alternative, Pop, Rock

One reviewer wrote, “A Head Full Of Dreams comes off like that one friend of yours who’s so positive you …