POP/ROCK
Lorde, 'Solar Power' (Universal)
About the last thing to be expected from a songwriter as moody and intense as Lorde was a carefree ditty about fun in the summer sun. "Solar Power," the title song from an impending album, is just that, riding three chords and brisk acoustic rhythm guitar (and glancing back at George Michael's "Freedom! '90") to celebrate hitting the beach, getting sun-tanned cheeks and tossing away her "cellular device": "Can you reach me? No! You can't," she sings, and giggles. She has an offhand but attention-getting boast — "I'm kind of like a prettier Jesus" — and an invitation completely free of ambivalence: "Come on and let the bliss begin."
jon pareles, New York Times
John Mayer, 'Last Train Home' (Columbia)
Is it summer 2021 or summer 1988? Pop-rock survivor Mayer, the Dead & Company guitar star, channels Bruce Hornsby on this synth-heavy light-rock throwback, which seems custom built for cracking a cold one after mowing the lawn or taking the dog for a walk. We can't all be late-night partyers or cutting-edge cool kids, and "Last Train Home" is the sound of enjoying the sunshine at your own leisurely pace. If uncool is the new cool, Mayer's got the summer on lock.
adam graham, Detroit News
Julian Lage, 'Squint' (Blue Note)
The gangly, big-boned drum style on this track might be recognizable — particularly to fans of the Bad Plus — as the sound of Dave King when he's having fun. The Minneapolis drummer is heard here in a newish trio, led by the virtuoso guitarist Lage, and featuring Jorge Roeder on bass.
"Squint," the title track from Lage's Blue Note debut, begins with the guitarist alone, causally demonstrating why he's one of the most dazzling improvisers around; then King comes in and things cohere into that lumbering swing feel, held together by Roeder's steady gait on the bass.
giovanni RUSSONELLO New York Times
New Releases
• H.E.R., "Back of My Mind"
• Amy Helm, "What the Flood Leaves Behind"
• Angelique Kidjo, "Mother Nature"
• Amythyst Kiah, "Wary + Strange"