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Doubts and yearning \u2014 and electronics and distortion \u2014 threaten to overcome Justin Vernon, who performs as Bon Iver, in \u201cIf Only I Could Wait\u201d from his coming album, \u201cSable, Fable.\u201d He wonders, \u201cCan I incur the weight? \/ Am I really this afraid now?\u201d in one of his majestically hymn-like melodies \u2014 a melody that\u2019s set atop edgy electronic drums and interrupted by stray guitar lines. Danielle Haim arrives with companionship and sympathy: \u201cI know that it\u2019s hard to keep holding, keep holding strong.\u201d But their verses and vocal lines collide. By the time they find harmony, they conclude they\u2019re \u201cbest alone,\u201d more bereft than before. PARELES<\/p>\n
Willie Nelson\u2019s next album, due April 25, is filled with songs from the catalog of Rodney Crowell, who joins him for a duet on the title track: \u201cOh What a Beautiful World.\u201d It\u2019s an easygoing, well-traveled reflection on life\u2019s ups and downs \u2014 \u201cIt\u2019s a walk in the park, or a shot in the dark\u201d \u2014 delivered with Nelson\u2019s grizzled, kindly mixture of acceptance and tenacity. PARELES<\/p>\n
Joy Oladakun reassures a distant lover that \u201cEven when I\u2019m miles away, my watch is set to wherever you are\u201d and promises to share \u201cthis mortal roller-coaster ride \/ braiding your sweet dreams with mine.\u201d The rhythm-guitar groove is muted but upbeat \u2014 a road song that\u2019s cruising along \u2014 and as a watch ticks away the moments apart, her voice sounds more than eager for the reunion. PARELES<\/p>\n
Matt Berninger doesn\u2019t make a radical departure from the sound of his longtime band, the National, on \u201cBonnet of Pins\u201d from his second solo album; it\u2019s robust folk-rock with orchestral backup. Berninger\u2019s producer and songwriting collaborator, Sean O\u2019Brien, has also worked on the National\u2019s albums. \u201cBonnet of Pins\u201d sketches an awkward encounter with an ex; \u201cI thought I\u2019d find you much quicker than this,\u201d she says, after finishing his drink. \u201cYou must\u2019ve thought I didn\u2019t exist \u2014 poor you, I do.\u201d What happens next goes untold, but the guitar hook sounds confident. PARELES<\/p>\n
The Nigerian songwriter Davido flaunts his success and digs in for more on \u201cBe There Still.\u201d He boasts, \u201c12 years, I\u2019m still on top\u201d and predicts, \u201cFast forward, no rewind.\u201d The production (by Marvey Muzique and Black Culture from Nigeria, and DJ Maphorisa from South Africa) fuses South African amapiano, Nigerian Afrobeats and tendrils of Congolese guitar \u2014 more proof of Davido\u2019s ever-expanding outreach. PARELES<\/p>\n<\/div>\n