Music reviews: Lorde, Barbra Streisand, and Karol G

'Virgin' by Lorde

★★★

"The Lorde of yore is back and better than ever," said Chris Kelly in The Washington Post. On her fourth album, the New Zealand–born former teen wunderkind who "changed the game for alternative pop" has moved past the "easy-listening psychedelia" of 2021's Solar Power and delivered an 11-song set that "percolates with subtle club beats" and "warm-blanket" synths, but leaves "plenty of white space" for her signature phrasings. It "plays like the counterpoint to Charli XCX's Brat": a study in the messiness of young adulthood that's less a party soundtrack than a "headphone masterpiece."

To my ears, Virgin is the 28-year-old's "most piecemeal work to date," said Jon Caramanica in The New York Times. It's the sound of one of our most thoughtful pop stars "futzing around with aftermarket Charli XCX-isms," finding something fresh only on two tracks. But even the weaker songs serve the album's themes, and "the fractured nature of the production mirrors the content," said Mark Richardson in The Wall Street Journal. "These songs are about looking back with regret and confronting ugly truths while embracing flaws."

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'The Secret of Life: Partners, Volume Two' by Barbra Streisand

★★★

Think of the latest duets album from Barbra Streisand as "a cozy, comforting hug," said Melissa Ruggieri in USA Today. Like 2014's Partners, it assembles a panel of A-listers, this time including Mariah Carey and Ariana Grande for a trio performance that, surprisingly, is "steeped in restraint." But while it's a shame that this "holy trinity of glorious sound" was wasted on a generic ballad, "highlights are many." Even the first-ever pairing of Streisand with Bob Dylan "doesn't disappoint," largely because for their cover of 1934's "The Very Thought of You," Streisand "coaxed Dylan to actually sing."

Some stars fare less well, said Helen Brown in The Telegraph (U.K.). "Neither Sting's 'Fragile' nor James Taylor's 'The Secret o' Life' gain much from being turned into two-handers." But Paul McCartney brings "easygoing affection" to a new spin on his 2011 tune "My Valentine," and Streisand adds maternal warmth to her duet with youthful crooner Laufey on "Letter to My 13 Year Old Self." In any case, "resistance is useless" against the pillowy softness of Streisand's voice. The album induces yawns, but "in the nicest possible way."

'Tropicoqueta' by Karol G

★★★★

Karol G's latest hit album is "a bright compendium of 20 songs, all pulling from different parts of Latin-pop history," said Julyssa Lopez in Rolling Stone. The Colombian star's career went "stratospheric" with 2023's chart-topping Mañana Será Bonito, and this follow-up is the 34-year-old's tribute to the music that shaped her: "baroque '80s ballads, soaring vallenatos, merengue from dance parties in family living rooms in Medellín." Keeping things "carefree and breezy," she "loads up the album with Easter eggs," including a sing-along with 1990s star Thalía and a duet with 65-year-old Marco Antonio Solís on "Coleccionando Heridas," a gorgeous ballad.

"Put some respect on Karol G's name," said Tatiana Lee Rodriguez in Pitchfork. After a decade of award-winning urbano recordings, she's playing stadium tours and "even has her own Bratz doll." With Tropicoqueta, she playfully reinterprets "tropical" music, a popular catchall style that emerged in the early 1960s. Weaving a 1984 George Michael melody into "Cuando Me Muera Te Olvido" keeps faith with the tradition. She's also "right at home" on the accordion-laced "No Puedo Vivir Sin Él."