​Carly Rae Jepsen, “The Loneliest Time” (Interscope Records)

Dating in the 21st century might be a lonely time, but Carly Rae Jepsen has found a way to make an album around those experiences that’s as bright and hopeful as it is grounded. From the euphoric “Sideways” to the heartbreak of “Go Find Yourself or Whatever,” on her sixth studio album, “The Loneliest Time,” the 36-year-old makes one thing clear: It’s rough out there in the dating world.

While the themes of “The Loneliest Time” are timeless, there’s a specificity to the experiences that reflect the modern age. Jepsen’s second single from the album, “Beach House,” is the best example of this. The kitschy song mirrors the experience of endless scrolling on dating apps. After describing a myriad of bad dating experiences and pleading with men to not view dating as hunting season, male vocals join in with tongue-in-cheek promises that get more preposterous as they go, from “I’m probably gonna never call you” to “I’m probably gonna harvest your organs.” It’s a sure-to-be camp classic from the Canadian pop icon.

Despite what are certainly lows described on “Beach House,” Jepsen’s optimism on “Surrender My Heart” shows she hasn’t given up on love quite yet. A highlight of the album, the synth bop opener finds her embracing vulnerability.

Throughout the LP are disco and ‘80s influences, heard most strongly on the title track and “Far Away.” The pop anthems for which Jepsen is known are not in short supply, with softer tracks like “Bends” and “Go Find Yourself or Whatever” sprinkled in between. “Go Find Yourself or Whatever” is endearing in its empathy, opening with an acoustic guitar and building to include an electric guitar, mandolin and sitar.

“The Loneliest Time” is a collection of songs that encompass the highs and lows of searching for love, a journey full of second chances, mistakes and elation. It can be lonely at times, but as she articulates on the opener, her past experiences haven’t stopped her from opening her heart: “I wanna be brave enough for everything.”

Harry Styles, “Harry’s House” (Columbia Records)

If the 13 tracks of Harry Styles’ third LP are the walls in which he lives, “Harry’s House” is a place of self-expression, happiness and healing. From the jubilant, funky “Cinema,” to the meandering cruiser “Keep Driving,” Styles shows a breadth of style that matches the album’s emotional range.

Styles set the tone for the album with his single “As It Was.” The up-tempo track sounds carefree at first listen, but the lyrics reveal a heavier premise. It’s a song that thematically explores the fear and pain associated with accepting that you must let something, or someone, go. It’s a single that teases Styles’ comfort with vulnerability — something that he displays countless times on the record.

Similarly, “Grapejuice” is deceivingly upbeat with synthesized horns and even a subtle, cheerful whistle at the end of the second verse. The song chronicles a relationship’s end (“There’s never been someone who’s so perfect for me/ But I got over it”) and how just as a hangover feels harder with age, it is harder, too, to hide from your emotions the older you get (“I pay for it more than I did back then”). Even when teasing out uncomfortable moments, the musical composition suggests there’s freedom in fully embracing each feeling.

In opener “Music For a Sushi Restaurant,” Styles’ feelings are more straightforward as he shares his love for another. The track has funk influences, complete with scatting by Styles, a vibrant trumpet and a groovy bass. Lyrically, it mirrors “Keep Driving” with its stream-of-consciousness style and psychedelic nods (“If the stars were edible/ And our hearts were never full/Could we live with just a taste?”). His joy also feels tangible in “Late Night Talking,” “Cinema” and “Daydreaming,” which features John Mayer on guitar.

In “Harry’s House,” Styles proves his talent for storytelling — whether it’s his own stories of pain or joy or putting himself in the shoes of another. Perhaps the most heartbreaking track is “Matilda” — a song that made several of his friends cry on first listen, according to his interview with Zane Lowe. While nodding to the 1988 Roald Dahl novel by the same name, the song centers on a friend he’s only recently realized didn’t receive the love from her family she deserved. The use of guitar harmonics on the stripped-down track bring intimacy to a song that is both cutting and hopeful as he encourages her to move forward without the guilt of leaving behind those who hurt her.

Likewise, “Boyfriends” finds him empathizing with the women in his life who have been underappreciated by men: “They think you’re so easy/ They take you for granted.”

Throughout the record, Styles is confident, but not cocky, bringing self-awareness and ease into each song. “Harry’s House” finds him at his best — free, observant and content.

“Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You,” Big Thief (4AD)

Brooklyn-based indie rock band Big Thief seems to draw from a bottomless well of creativity. After releasing two records in 2019, the band’s fifth LP, “Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You,” is a sprawling 20-track double album.

While quantity does not always equal quality, in Big Thief’s case, the band never compromises the excellence of their songwriting. Instead of churning out carbon copies of the same song, they use each album as a playground for exploration — and it pays off.

In “Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You,” the group of four — Adrianne Lenker, Buck Meek, Max Oleartchik, and James Krivchenia — recorded in four different studios with four different engineers and drummer Krivchenia as producer. The effect is a collection of songs that feel dynamic with unexpected turns throughout the track list. The soft love song “12,000 Lines” is followed by the buzzing “Simulation Swarm.”

In “Sparrow,” Lenker’s writing is unmatched. It takes a special talent to bring new life to a story told a million times. The song, reminiscent of Johnny Cash’s “Hurt” with its Biblical references and Lenker’s tenor, tells the story of Adam and Eve in a poignant way, tinged with a feminist edge in its examination of blame, shame and entrapment.

The reward of experimentation shows in songs like the hypnotic “Blurred View” and the mesmerizing “Little Things,” with Lenker’s vocals echoing over chugging, bright guitars. They also explore more bluegrass influences. While “Red Moon” melds well with the album, “Spud Infinity” is perhaps too on the nose, with the jaw harp almost satirizing the genre.

As with all Big Thief records, Lenker’s voice and songwriting shines in the album’s quieter moments. Opener “Change” — unknowingly recorded while the band was rehearsing the song in the studio — is a striking analysis of change. Whether change is viewed through the lens of the end of a relationship or the end of a life, Lenker is able to find the beauty and necessity at the heart: “Would you walk forever in the light/ To never learn the secret of the quiet night?”

It’s the perfect opener for an album not afraid of change as Big Thief weaves through genres and themes on “Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You.”

​“30,” Adele (Columbia Records)
Coming out of a divorce, one might expect Adele to write an album of heartbreak ballads. But, to expect anything short of the full spectrum of emotions from “30” would do the Grammy winner a disservice.

As one of the greatest voices of our time, it is no surprise that some of Adele’s shining moments on the album are on tracks bare enough that the strength of her vocals stand on their own. What is maybe more surprising is the delightfulness of the songs that are a departure from her normal style.

Adele’s opener is unlike any she’s written before. “Strangers By Nature” whisks the listener into a black-and-white Audrey Hepburn-era film — whimsical and at times ominous. The album is given theatrical bookends with closer “Love Is a Game” mimicking some of these dramatic tones. It is a triumphant conclusion with harmonies in the chorus which give a nod to ’60s groups like the Supremes.

In between, there are songs about heartbreak and also love songs — to her son, to new loves (or, at least, those she’d like trying to love) and to herself.

Adele stretches herself on “30,” dipping into genres and tones that show her ability to deviate from more somber chart toppers like “Hello” and “Someone Like You.” There’s the bubble gum pop “Cry Your Heart Out,” dance anthem “Oh My God” and the Western-tinged “Can I Get It” — a song that is so divergent from typical Adele that it calls to mind Beyoncé’s “Daddy Lessons.” In “My Little Love” and “All Night Parking,” Adele brings R&B to the record.

While there are jubilant moments on the album, Adele’s diary style songwriting ensures that pain is also present on the 12-track “30.” “My Little Love” is a movingly personal track which includes voice recordings of Adele comforting her young son and even crying as she describes her loneliness.

The pain is also tangible on “To Be Loved.” Its sparse production serves Adele beautifully. There is nothing to smooth out the emotion as her voice teeters on cracking.

The second half of the LP is much quieter than the first, filled with ballads more typical of the British singer. “Woman Like Me” shows her quiet confidence — she alludes to feelings of guilt and uncertainty in “My Little Love” and “I Drink Wine,” but in this song, she reasserts her own self-worth.

“Complacency is the worst trait to have, are you crazy?” she croons, “You ain’t ever had, ain’t ever had a woman like me.”

If “30” is in fact a snapshot of the person Adele is at this moment in time, it is clear that the six years since “25” have led to growth and a more realized version of herself. There are traces of her younger self, but a renewed self-awareness.
​
“All I do is bleed into someone else,” she sings on “To Be Loved.” “I’ll be the one to catch myself this time.”

Lolo Jones doesn’t kick off her book, “Over It,” with her biggest accomplishment.

She could have described how it felt to be one of a few athletes to qualify for both the winter and summer Olympics. She could have written about winning gold at the bobsled World Championships earlier this year.

Instead, she opens with what she calls the “most painful race” of her career — the 100-meter hurdles at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Jones was favored to win, but she clipped the second-to-last hurdle and finished in seventh place.

“I was one hurdle away from winning an Olympic gold medal,” Jones said. “It was a huge failure, but I pivoted.”

Jones went on to qualify for two more Olympic competitions. She ran in the 100-meter hurdles again in 2012, and in 2014 she competed on the U.S. bobsled team.
While she has yet to win Olympic gold, she hopes her book will be an inspiration to others to persevere in the face of adversity.

An avid reader, she’s read self-help books by people who’ve triumphed in their chosen field. But she wanted to know: “Where is the book about someone who’s still in the battle, who’s still frustrated, who doesn’t know if it will work out?”

With “Over It,” Jones said she wants to demonstrate “that you can actually turn the bad into good.”

“I used that failure to pivot into some of my biggest wins,” Jones said. “Had that not happened, I wouldn’t have been one of the 10 Americans in the history of the Olympics to go on to compete in the summer and winter games.”

Though Jones is deeply competitive — the lack of competition during the pandemic led her to join MTV’s reality show “The Challenge” — she says she wasn’t always that way. She developed that mentality on the track, where she realized “how fun it was to just kind of push yourself and see if you can improve.”

At 38, she hasn’t given up on her dreams, but her goals have shifted again. The pandemic led Jones to set the Tokyo Games aside and focus on training for next year’s winter Olympics in Beijing.

“It completely shut me down and changed my whole course,” Jones said. “I was training for my last summer Olympics; I was planning on being currently retired.”

Instead, Jones returned to bobsled, a move she was not anticipating.

“All my plans were being ripped away,” she said. “And I think that happened to a lot of people.”

Jones worked her way back into shape after years off from the sport. Eventually, she became the brakewoman for Kaillie Humphries and won gold at this year’s World Championships.

“I tried to win a world championship in bobsled even at my prime, and I was never able to do it,” she said. “So, to be able to do it at the end of my career was something that was quite special.”

It was the motivation she needed to focus on returning to Beijing — the site of her crushing loss 13 years ago.

In the meantime, she’ll be cheering for U.S. athletes in Tokyo.
​
“Obviously, Simone Biles is the GOAT,” Jones said. “I can’t wait to see how it all unfolds for her in Tokyo.”

When Muhammad Ali died five years ago, his name was known worldwide. But it was home, to Louisville, Kentucky, where he returned.

From his death on June 3, 2016, to his funeral a week later, the Bluegrass community that raised him joined visitors from around the globe to celebrate the life and legacy of “The Greatest.” That week is the focus of the new documentary, “City of Ali.”

Running at just under an hour and a half, “City of Ali” shows the way Ali’s hometown united during his death. As the funeral procession snaked its way through the city to the cemetery, the streets were lined with admirers throwing flowers onto his hearse and shouting his name.

“He was always so excited to go back to Louisville and to see his people, because that’s where it all started,” recalled Ali’s daughter, Rasheda Ali. “He loved Louisville and Louisville loved him back.”

Rasheda Ali, who participated in the documentary, says learning of the events surrounding that week was special to her because it was during her “darkest hour.”
“Everything around this moment was just a big blur for me and my family,” she said in a Zoom interview with The Associated Press.

Ali may have been known to float like a butterfly and sting like a bee, but there was much more to the man. Ali used his words as effectively as he used his fists, refusing to be silenced by those who did not like what he had to say.

“My dad stood for inclusion, my dad stood for racial equality, for peace and love,” said Rasheda Ali. “Muhammad, he did not change his conviction. He stayed true to who he was.”

As one of the highest profile conscientious objectors and someone who spoke out against racial inequality, Ali remains a symbol of resistance and strength to many in Louisville.

“I definitely don’t think you can be Black in America and not be inspired by Muhammad Ali,” said Phelix Crittenden, a community organizer for Blacks Organizing Strategic Success (BOSS).

Crittenden said meeting Ali, though briefly, left an impact.

“He told my parents to watch out for me because I was going to be somebody,” Crittenden said. “I would hope that I’m proving him right and serving him justice by getting into this realm of uplifting marginalized voices.”

Though he was admired by so many, Louisville-based politician Charles Booker says Ali’s relationship with the city was nuanced.

“He would not back away from the tough conversations and I don’t believe the city always embraced him because he was going to call things out,” Booker said. “Louisville has been, and still is, one of the more segregated cities in the country, and the structural challenges that we face that led him to be such a big and critical mouthpiece for a lot of folks that don’t get heard, we’re still battling those things.”

Just last summer, Louisville made headlines after the killing of Breonna Taylor. Protests within the city and nationwide called for an investigation into the officers involved in the shooting.

“I definitely feel that people are starting to wake up,” said Crittenden, who was involved in the protests.

Crittenden feels optimistic, despite the fact that some of the same protests that were happening the year Ali died are still occurring.

“As a trans person, my life is always in danger,” Crittenden said. “I feel I was fortunate enough to be able to navigate that place where I can turn my anger into activism.”

Booker echoed Crittenden’s optimism, emphasizing the way the Louisville community has come together.

“I’m very hopeful,” Booker said. “We’re seeing folks from all corners, all walks of life, that are taking to the streets to call for justice, not only for Breonna Taylor, but for all of us.”

Taylor, a Black medical worker, was shot and killed in her apartment during a raid by Louisville police in March 2020.

Rasheda Ali sees her father’s footprints in everything — from Black Lives Matter to Colin Kaepernick.

“We have an obligation as a people to continue his legacy because we want all of the sacrifices that he made to not be in vain,” she said.

Keeping his legacy alive is the goal of the Muhammad Ali Center. The Louisville museum and multicultural center educates people about Ali and teaches the core principles he lived by — confidence, conviction, dedication, respect, giving and spirituality.

To celebrate his life on the anniversary of his passing, the center, which also participated in the documentary, is holding an Ali Festival through June 13, with screenings of “City of Ali” taking place daily.

“The film reminded all of us of the importance of unity,” said Laura Douglas, the museum’s interim president and CEO. “It reminded us that it was something that was achievable, that we had done it before, and it caused us to think about replicating it again.”
​
“City of Ali” is also available for streaming through Abramorama’s Watch Now @ Home Cinema Release.

“Gold-Diggers Sound” is an apropos name for the third studio album of an artist who struck it rich six years ago with his debut LP.

Leon Bridges’ music quickly earned him recognition. “Coming Home” was nominated for Best R&B album at the 2015 Grammys. Three years later, his sophomore album’s “Bet Ain’t Worth the Hand” landed him his first Grammy win.

The fame that came next was an adjustment for Bridges. He lost his anonymity and felt isolated — an experience he details in the song “Blue Mesas.”

“When you take an insecure person and put them in a limelight, it’s a little hard to deal with that sometimes, you know?” he said in an interview this week.

The story behind the album’s name, though, is literal — Gold-Diggers is the name of the hotel where Bridges wrote and recorded his new material.

“I have been working and kind of digging and searching for the right sound over the course of two years,” Bridges said.

He wanted an R&B album “grounded with organic elements” and Gold-Diggers was “the perfect place to house all of this music.”

Bridges held a Grammys party there in 2019 and after connecting with the space, decided he wanted the album experience to be immersive — he started a residency at the hotel, brought in collaborators and got to work.

As the musicians would jam and improvise, he sang melodies and phrases over top, gradually shaping each song.

For some, he had a specific artist in mind, like Sade when he was writing “Magnolias.” But for most, he says he was just “doing me.”

“I didn’t necessarily have an idea of what the concept would be on some of them,” said Bridges.

But he knew he didn’t want to replicate the sound of his last two albums. He says it was a conscious decision to stay unpredictable. He calls growth and change inevitable.

“With each album, I want to continue reinventing myself as an artist,” he said.
In “Coming Home,” the influences of gospel music are pervasive. In “Good Thing,” Bridges leans on a more retro sound. 

“When I first came in the game with ‘Coming Home,’ I was immediately pigeonholed and placed in a box,” says Bridges.

The shift away from spiritual tracks correlated with his relationship with religion. While songs like “River” from his first album are rooted in Christian symbolism, songs from “Gold-Diggers Sound,” like “Sho Nuff” are playfully sensual.

“I was apprehensive at that time, writing those songs out of fear of not being accepted,” said Bridges. “Currently, like, I don’t really know what my relationship with God is anymore and I think there’s still some of those gospel undertones in the music, but it’s more so liberating to just make the music that I want.”

Breaking out of the box is something he knows may have alienated some fans. But for any of the fans he lost, there were plenty he gained.

“Throughout my career, I’ve always been scrutinized for my music being essentially whitewashed,” he said. “But I can see via social media that there’s more Black people engaging in and supporting the music.”

Bridges says it was initially “off putting” for him to hear criticism of his music, but he doesn’t think about it anymore. Rap and hip-hop culture are so inundated in the mainstream that even a Young Thug concert can have predominately white fans, he points out.

He believes artists like Lil Nas X and Lizzo are redefining the boundaries of Black art that is accepted within the Black community.

“You know, guys like Daniel Caesar, he was kind of on the forefront of that, and it’s really beautiful to see artists who don’t really fit the mold of what’s popular being embraced,” he said.

As for Bridges, he’s content in the direction he’s heading and looking forward to the part of the process he enjoys the most — performing.
​
“Writing is such a tedious and challenging thing,” he said. “The last step of getting on the stage and witnessing this, like, collective effervescence in the crowd and putting out the energy and then getting it back, it’s a beautiful thing.”

“The Slow Rush,” Tame Impala (Interscope Records)

Time can be a comfort or curse. It can heal, but it can also compress, building up a pressure that begs for release.

“The Slow Rush” seems to be just that — a discharge of the creative pressure that was mounting after years of fans questioning, “What will Tame Impala do next?”

The success of the psychedelic rock band’s 2015 “Currents” allowed them to become one of the defining rock groups of the last decade. And with this album, they’ve delivered once again.

“The Slow Rush” can be viewed as an analysis of time, wrapped up in a wall of electronics, synthesizers and funk influence that cushion even the most brazen of questions. Beliefs, grudges, insecurities — how do they transform? How does one press on past the comforts of being lost in yesterday?

The album is not only tied by themes of time, but also an overarching feel that singer, writer and producer Kevin Parker is trying to prove something. Whether he’s trying to convince someone else or himself is not always clear.

“Tell everyone I’ll be alright,” he sings on “On Track,” “Because strictly speaking, I’m still on track.”

In “Breathe Deeper” this defensive tone is taken once again — “If you think I couldn’t hold my own, believe me, I can.” These lines are moderated by an upbeat psych-synth sound that masks the melancholy. But song after song the sense of insecurity reappears in the lines sung by Parker.

One of the most brilliant songs on the album is “Posthumous Forgiveness.” Parker fully confronts the complexity of coping with his father’s death, cycling through blame, anger, despair and longing over the course of the 6-minute track.

The song is effectively split in two with the first part processing his rage as minor chords on synth are played underneath — “To save all of us, you told us both to trust/But now I know you only saved yourself.”

The song builds, like mounting indignation, only to release. A certain somberness is traded for a more hopeful feel as he recounts moments he wishes he could share with his father—“Wanna tell you ’bout my life/Wanna play you all my songs.”

The attention to detail on “Posthumous Forgiveness” is mirrored throughout “The Slow Rush.” Parker’s meticulous tendencies pay off, allowing him to create a thoughtful masterpiece.
​
“One more year,” Parker sings on the opening track. And 12 songs, representative of 12 months, later he concludes: “Whatever I’ve done/I did it for love.”

NEW YORK (AP) — Against images of snakes and urban landscapes projected onto walls, along with audio of a man advising to take creative risks, models for Rag & Bone walked in long layers paired with scrunched knee-high boots in a collection true to the brand’s American workwear roots at New York Fashion Week.

Silhouettes were both highlighted and dwarfed Friday, from a thin black dress with sheer cutouts to billowing coats and oversize tunics. Large tasseled safety pins were fastened to lapels or used to secure wraps and jackets. There was a touch of plaid, including a wrap dress in black, gray and white with high matching boots, along with a bit of camo, mixed at times with a white and red floral print for men in loose trousers and women in an airy dress worn over generous black pants.

There was an abundance of functional outerwear that could jump off the runway into fall and winter.

Matthew Rhys and his partner, Keri Russell, were among the front row guests of the brand’s founder, Marcus Wainwright. Their kids go to school together in New York. Rhys told The Associated Press he’s usually not a fan of fashion shows but finds Wainwright’s approach an exception.
​
“It combines so many mediums and makes it an event as opposed to a show,” he said. “Sometimes you forget you’re looking at the clothes and you’re swept away by another experience because he’s kind of hell bent on it being an incredible experience.”

Wainwright dressed the couple for the 2017 Met Gala, putting Rhys, a Welshman, in a kilt. Glen Powell, who stars in the upcoming “Top Gun: Maverick,” was also in attendance and praised his co-star Tom Cruise.

“Tom (Cruise) is the man,” he said. “It’s hard to say enough nice things about him. He’s, you know, he’s a friend. He’s a mentor. He’s a cheerleader. He’s the best boss I’ve ever had.”

Powell also had only nice things to say about another co-star, Zoey Deutch. The two, who starred in the Netflix rom-com “Set It Up,” will be reuniting in the new film, “Most Dangerous Game.”

“I think we are in the final stages of figuring out the exact time that we’re shooting this, and it’s going to be very soon,” he said. “Getting to be back in the trenches with Zoey is gonna make me so happy. She’s the greatest.”

The show, according to the company’s written notes, was a celebration of the character of New York City. It was staged at Skylight on Vesey, a former stock exchange trading floor in lower Manhattan.

The Fall/Winter 2020 collection remained true to the brand’s DNA of American workwear, British inspired tailoring, military and sport, the notes said. The company called the collection an “effortless mix of contrasting masculine and feminine silhouettes” and the brand’s signature uptown meets downtown vibe.
​
There were some new twists. Robe-style coats and fitted leather jackets and blazers were juxtaposed against jewel-tone slip dresses and knife pleat skirts. Deconstructed Fair Isle sweaters and structured cable knits were paired with classic menswear fabrics in outerwear and shirting. The brand relied on Japanese wool jersey separates, faux fur coats and bombers, and a reversible faux Mongolian shearling parka to elevate the mix of textures.

NEW YORK (AP) — Julianne Moore is accustomed to working with her husband, director Bart Freundlich, on set, but it was a real family affair when their daughter joined them for their latest collaboration.

Liv Freundlich, 17, was a production assistant on “After the Wedding,” which was released earlier this month.

“We loved having her around more than she loved being around,” laughed Freundlich. “The best part of it was just getting to be with each other constantly.”

The film, written and directed by Freundlich, is a remake of director Susanne Bier’s hit Dutch movie of the same name. To put his own stamp on it, Freundlich swapped the gender of the two leads to women, using Moore and Michelle Williams. Billy Crudup plays a role that was portrayed by a woman in the original.

In the movie, Williams plays Isabel, an orphanage volunteer living in India who comes to the United States to ask Moore’s character, Theresa, to fund her organization. She ends up attending a wedding for Theresa’s daughter and meets Theresa’s husband, played by Crudup, whom she has a history with.

Moore also served as a producer. Freundlich said it helps to be married collaborators because they don’t compartmentalize their home life and work life. Moore joked it “might’ve been more fun for him.”

“I’m usually used to going home and dropping it,” said Moore. “It’s sort of a relief for me to get in my car and be like, ‘Phew, that’s the end of my day and I’ll think about tomorrow later,’ but for a director it’s constant. The amount of work that they have to do is really extraordinary. So, we would talk about it in the car on the way home, we would talk about it before we would go to bed, we would talk about it first thing in the morning. But, like I said it was a shared passion, too, so that was wonderful.”
​
This is the fourth time the couple has worked together.