Album review overview: Madison Beer, Lucinda Williams and more

Dozens of new albums arrive at Maxazine’s editorial staff every week. There are too many to listen to, let alone review them. It ensures that too many albums are left behind. And that’s a shame. That is why today we post an overview of albums that arrive at the editors in short reviews.

Photo (c) Jorge Fakhouri Filho

The James Hunter Six – Off The Fence

James Hunter can count ‘’the gumpiest man in rock’’ Van Morrison among his fans. That alone is quite an achievement. Now, on his new full-length album, Van The Man even joins in on a track, the cheerfully bluesy “Ain’t That A Trip”. Thirty years ago, Hunter already tried to make this collaboration happen, but back then Van Morrison could not find a song he wanted to sing. With this “Off The Fence”, Hunter also switches labels. This is his first release on Easy Eye Sound, the label run by Black Keys member Dan Auerbach. His interest was sparked by “Reet Petite”, which ignited a love for R&B and soul. By now, James Hunter is a respected musician who has even been cited as the UK’s best soul singer. With forty years of music behind him, we know what to expect from a James Hunter Six album: a smooth, high-quality record, ideal for spinning on vinyl. It brings a bit of warmth to these colder months. (Rik Moors) (7/10) (Easy Eye Sound)

Sister May – Vll

Sister May is a Belgian industrial/alternative band operating somewhere between post-metal, darkwave and acts like Nine Inch Nails, Killing Joke and A Perfect Circle. “Vll” is a concept album built around the number 7. The band uses the number as a symbol for completion, crisis, rebirth and recurring cycles. Each track tells its own story and leaves ample room for the listener’s interpretation. “Vll” is a worthy successor to the debut album “Undecided Behaviour”, released in 2023. Sister May and label Lay Bare Recordings have spared no expense or effort to put this album on the map. This is evident not only in the release of “Shadows”, the album’s first single, which is supported by an artistic video featuring no characters or band members, with the story told through light, shadow and movement. The Belgian five-piece also launched the new album on 24-01 at Trax in Roeselare. By the time this review appears, that launch has already taken place. The album was then presented live, accompanied by light, visuals and soundscapes. (Ad Keepers) (8/10) (Lay Bare Recordings)

Dimitri Nassar – Dear Cleveland

It feels as if you are sitting in the hall, in the Treelawn Music Hall. That is how beautiful, warm and full “Dear Cleveland” sounds, by pianist and composer Dimitri Nassar. You can hear that Nassar is at home here, in Cleveland, where friends patiently wait for that first note, that first chord, until everything starts moving. Then it swings, surges, bubbles and sparkles, guided by Nassar’s rich piano playing. No overly complex melodies or rhythms, but an honest groove, set in motion by a rhythm section that is more precise than a Swiss clock. Everything sounds familiar. No abstract finger exercises or flirtations with the current surge of avant-garde jazz. Instead, these are pieces emotionally charged by Nassar’s playing. Tracks like the opening “Reflections”, “Maiden Voyage” (with one of the most beautiful piano intros ever), and “The Gifted People” (with its delightful swing) are all beautifully executed compositions. Atmospheric, warm and narrative. The closing track “I Love Music” is therefore an accurate choice. Nassar delivers the proof on “Dear Cleveland”. (Jeroen Mulder) (8/10) (Crescent Piano)

Madison Beer – locket

After years of artistic searching, Madison Beer finally finds her sound on “locket”, her third studio album and her most emotionally and sonically coherent work to date. Produced by Beer herself alongside Leroy Clampitt and others, the album blends dark synth-pop, dance-pop and R&B into a compact collection of eleven tracks that feels like a well-kept secret. The Grammy-nominated single “Make You Mine” and the pulsating “yes baby” show Beer at her most confident, while ballads like “angel wings” and “you’re still everything” highlight her vocal abilities with lush harmonies and an intimacy that was missing from earlier albums. The title track functions as a metaphor for preserving memories, a theme that runs like a red thread throughout the album. Tracks such as “bittersweet” expertly balance hook-driven pop with emotional transparency, with Beer’s lyrics about heartbreak and self-reflection never feeling forced. The production is polished without becoming sterile, with experimental touches in the outro of “nothing at all” showing that Beer is willing to take risks. Where “Silence Between Songs” played it safe, “locket” dares to experiment within Beer’s comfort zone, resulting in an album that is both accessible and artistically ambitious without ever losing focus. (William Brown) (8/10) (Epic Records)

Lucinda Williams – World’s Gone Wrong

The ever-fearless Lucinda Williams returns with “World’s Gone Wrong”, a raw, bluegrass-tinged record that combines her trademark storytelling with an urgency befitting its title. Recorded with a smaller ensemble than her previous works, the album radiates an intimacy that perfectly complements Williams’ weathered voice. The title track, a cover of an obscure Bob Dylan song, gains new meaning in Williams’ hands, her weary yet determined vocals adding extra weight to the lyrics about societal breakdown. Original compositions such as “Broken Compass” and “Dust To Dust” present Williams as a chronicler of lives shaped by circumstance, never lapsing into sentimentality yet always showing compassion for her characters. The production is deliberately restrained, with acoustic guitars, steel guitar and subtle keyboards giving Williams’ voice the space to shine without being smothered by overproduction. Guest appearances are limited but effective, with longtime collaborators like Bill Frisell on guitar creating moments of transcendent beauty. The tempo ranges from slow, meditative ballads to uptempo tracks that recall Williams’ classic work from the 1990s, without ever sounding like a nostalgia act. At seventy years old, Williams proves that her ability to tell the truth through music remains undiminished, resulting in an album that feels both timeless and urgently relevant in these chaotic times. (Anton Dupont) (7/10) (Highway 20 Records)