1) Lucinda Williams, “… Sings The Beatles from Abbey Road” / One of our great living vocalists, her natural instrument a container for heartbreak and resilience, takes on a dozen Beatles songs that both honor the source and sound distinctly her own. The whole thing works, but Williams especially nails tracks such as “Don’t Let Me Down,” “Rain” and “I’ve Got a Feeling.”
2) Josh Radnor, “Eulogy, Vol. II” / The actor, filmmaker and songwriter follows last year’s debut record with another peerlessly candid and kind-hearted set of acoustic cuts that range from protest songs to romantic rhapsodies.
3) Fake Fruit, “Mucho Mistrust” / The latest from this Bay Area band crackles, uniting the guitar bite of indie rock (as well as jazz and punk digressions) with wonderfully wry and poetic lyrics.
4) Billy-Ray Belcourt, “Coexistence” / Belcourt’s stories always quietly stun—with their meditative sensuality and sharp insight into overlapping identities. These beautiful works of fiction add to the true-as-love legend he’s already building.
5) Fady Joudah, “[…]” / Against the great suffering of the Palestinian soul, Joudah’s latest poems show us all that can be beautiful, gloriously stubborn and grieving about living a human life.