Bon Iver featuring Danielle Haim, ‘If Only I Could Wait’
Doubts and yearning — and electronics and distortion — threaten to overcome Justin Vernon, who performs as Bon Iver, in “If Only I Could Wait” from his coming album, “Sable, Fable.” He wonders, “Can I incur the weight? / Am I really this afraid now?” in one of his majestically hymn-like melodies — a melody that’s set atop edgy electronic drums and interrupted by stray guitar lines. Danielle Haim arrives with companionship and sympathy: “I know that it’s hard to keep holding, keep holding strong.” But their verses and vocal lines collide. By the time they find harmony, they conclude they’re “best alone,” more bereft than before. PARELES
Willie Nelson featuring Rodney Crowell, ‘Oh What a Beautiful World’
Willie Nelson’s 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: “Oh What a Beautiful World.” It’s an easygoing, well-traveled reflection on life’s ups and downs — “It’s a walk in the park, or a shot in the dark” — delivered with Nelson’s grizzled, kindly mixture of acceptance and tenacity. PARELES
Joy Oladokun, ‘All My Time’
Joy Oladakun reassures a distant lover that “Even when I’m miles away, my watch is set to wherever you are” and promises to share “this mortal roller-coaster ride / braiding your sweet dreams with mine.” The rhythm-guitar groove is muted but upbeat — a road song that’s cruising along — and as a watch ticks away the moments apart, her voice sounds more than eager for the reunion. PARELES
Matt Berninger, ‘Bonnet of Pins’
Matt Berninger doesn’t make a radical departure from the sound of his longtime band, the National, on “Bonnet of Pins” from his second solo album; it’s robust folk-rock with orchestral backup. Berninger’s producer and songwriting collaborator, Sean O’Brien, has also worked on the National’s albums. “Bonnet of Pins” sketches an awkward encounter with an ex; “I thought I’d find you much quicker than this,” she says, after finishing his drink. “You must’ve thought I didn’t exist — poor you, I do.” What happens next goes untold, but the guitar hook sounds confident. PARELES
Davido, ‘Be There Still’
The Nigerian songwriter Davido flaunts his success and digs in for more on “Be There Still.” He boasts, “12 years, I’m still on top” and predicts, “Fast forward, no rewind.” 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 — more proof of Davido’s ever-expanding outreach. PARELES
