Louder: Black Liberation Jazz, and Unheard Aretha Franklin

Plus: Bob Dylan, Phoebe Bridgers, Khruangbin and More

View in browser|nytimes.com Continue reading the main story June 19, 2020 By Caryn Ganz Pop Music Editor My colleagues have published important and wonderful Juneteenth packages, including self-portraits by black photographers reflecting on America and an entire section by Veronica Chambers with reported stories, personal reflections, poetry and powerful archival photos. Two playlists we published this week could soundtrack your reading: essential black liberation jazz by Marcus J. Moore, who focuses on lesser-known tracks from the late 1960s and ’70s; and our new-music Playlist, which leads off with Aretha Franklin blowing us away as usual, this time on a previously unreleased version of “Never Gonna Break My Faith.” Today is release day for Bob Dylan’s “Rough and Rowdy Ways,” his first album of all-new material since 2012, which Jon Pareles has named a Critic’s Pick. (In case you missed it last week: here’s our Q. and A. that covers the album and … a lot more.) Also a Critic’s Pick: Phoebe Bridgers’s “Punisher.” Lindsay Zoladz, who reviewed this one, is not a dad. But she sure likes dad rock. Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT PLAYLISTS Paul Hosefros/The New York Times   Playlist 15 Essential Black Liberation Jazz Tracks As black Americans fought for equal rights in the 1960s, music reflected their calls to action. In jazz, that meant sounds that were spiritual, boundary-pushing and celebrated blackness. By Marcus J. Moore Jose Luis Magana/Associated Press   The Playlist Aretha Franklin’s Unstoppable Faith, and 9 More New Songs Hear tracks by Noname, Anderson .Paak, H.E.R. and others. By Jon Pareles, Jon Caramanica and Giovanni Russonello NEW ALBUMS critic’s pick Bob Dylan Still Bristles on ‘Rough and Rowdy Ways’ His first album of original songs since 2012 is a death-haunted, cantankerous collection with a late-night sense of seclusion. By Jon Pareles critic’s pick Phoebe Bridgers Wants to Believe On her second album, “Punisher,” the singer and songwriter showcases her greatest talent: weaving tiny, specific details into big-tent tapestries of feeling. By Lindsay Zoladz DAD ROCK Photo Illustration by Stephanie Gonot for The New York Times   Critic’s Notebook I’m Not a Dad, but I Rock Like One A millennial woman had a realization last summer: Decades after enduring her father’s music on car rides as a child, she entered a Steely Dan phase. By Lindsay Zoladz Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT PODCASTS The Long, Complicated History of ‘Urban’ Music As the music industry reckons with racial inequality, one of the first old structures to fall has been a term that dates back to the 1970s. Special Episode: The Song That Found Me In a time of need, a Times critic is moored by Patti LaBelle — in song, then on the phone. FEATURES Cary Fagan   ‘Was It a Lost Psych-Funk Classic?’ It’s Khruangbin, Right Now The Houston trio’s third album adds a new chapter to the band’s improbable story. By Marcus J. Moore the new vanguard Music From a Distance? Eivind Opsvik Has Been Making It for Years The Norwegian bassist’s group, Overseas, is releasing a live album featuring a decade’s worth of his immersive compositions. By Giovanni Russonello OBITUARIES Vera Lynn, Singer Whose Wartime Ballads Lifted Britain, Dies at 103 Known as the “Forces’ Sweetheart,” Ms. Lynn performed sentimental songs that captured the affection of troops abroad and Britons at home. By Lawrence Van Gelder Rupert Hine, Synth-Pop Music Producer, Dies at 72 He was behind Tina Turner’s “Better Be Good to Me” and hits by the Fixx and Howard Jones. He also made a dozen albums of his own songs. By Jon Pareles Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT FILM REVIEW ‘My Darling Vivian’ Review: The Forgotten Wife of Johnny Cash The singer-songwriter’s romance with June Carter is well-known, but this new documentary shines the spotlight on Cash’s first wife, Vivian Liberto. By Kristen Yoonsoo Kim NEWS Confederate Symbols Are Coming Down. Should Dolly Parton Go Up Instead? A petition is calling for Tennessee to replace statues and memorials of Confederate generals with the trailblazing performer. By Maria Cramer the charts Lil Baby Returns to Top Chart With ‘My Turn’ #BlackoutTuesday and a delay of some of that week's new releases helped pave the way for a No. 1 with the equivalent of just 65,000 sales in the United States. By Ben Sisario Make a friend’s day: Forward this email! Get this from a friend? Sign up here. Follow us on Twitter @nytimesmusic. Send your feedback on Louder at theplaylist@nytimes.com. Check out our full range of newsletters. 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