New batch of questions and answers.

New in Expert Witness:

• Ariana Grande: Sweetener (Republic) A-
• Amber Mark: Conexao EP (Virgin EMI) A-
• Diana Gordon: Pure (self-released) ***
• Ariana Grande: Thank U, Next (Republic) ***
• Robyn: Honey (Konichiwa/Interscope) ***

New in Expert Witness:

• Todd Snider: Cash Cabin Sessions, Vol. 3 (Aimless) A
• Leyla McCalla: Capitalist Blues (PIAS America) A-
• Our Native Daughters: Songs of Our Native Daughters (Smithsonian Folkways) **
• Leyla McCalla: A Day for the Hunter, a Day for the Prey (Jazz Village) *

New in Expert Witness:

• Malibu Ken: Malibu Ken (Rymesayers) A-
• Serengeti: Dennis 6e (People) A-
• MC Frontalot: Net Split (Level Up) **
• Serengeti: Jueles - Butterflies (Audio Recon/Deacon) *
• Serengeti: Music From the Graphic Novel Kenny Vs the Dark Web (Burnco) *

New questions and answers were posted Tuesday, March 5: Xgau Sez. New batches will appear every third Tuesday.

New in Expert Witness:

• Dua Saleh: Nūr (EP) (Against Giants) A-
• Dreezy: Big Dreez (Interscope) B+
• Bali Baby: Resurrection (Twin) B+

Two new pieces in Publishers Weekly, related to Robert Christgau's forthcoming (April 12) essay collection Book Reports: A Music Critic on His First Love, Which Was Reading (Duke University Press):

• Book Reports: A Music Critic on His First Love, Which Was Reading: unsigned book review.
• David Varno: Making the Grade: PW Talks with Robert Christgau: an interview with Christgau.

New in Expert Witness:

• Carsie Blanton: Buck Up (Carsie Blanton) A
• The Paranoid Style: Rock & Roll Just Can't Recall + 3 (Bar/None) A
• The Rails: There Are Other People in This World Not Just You (Thirty Tigers) ***
• Kate Vargas: For the Wolfish and Wandering (Kate Vargas) ***
• Caroline Rose: Loner (New West) **
• The Regrettes: Feel Your Feelings Fool! (Warner Bros.) **

New in Expert Witness:

• Harriet Tubman: The Terror End of Beauty (Sunnyside) A-
• Thiago Nassif: Três (Foom) A-
• Qais Essar: The Ghost You Love Most (self-released) ***
• The Hot 8 Brass Band: On the Spot (Tru Thoughts) ***
• RAM: August 1791 (Willibelle) **
• Nordub: Sly & Robbie Meet Nils Petter Molvaer Feat Eivind Aarset and Vladislav Delay (OKeh) **

New questions and answers were posted Tuesday, February 12: Xgau Sez. From this point, new batches will appear every third Tuesday.

New in Expert Witness:

• Alex Chilton: From Memphis to New Orleans (Bar/None) A-
• Alex Chilton: Ocean Club '77 (Norton) A-
• Big Star: Live on WLIR (Omnivore) B+
• Alex Chilton: Songs From Robin Hood Lane (Bar/None) *

The Village Voice released their 2018 Pazz & Jop package, including:

• Pazz & Jop: The Top 100 Albums of 2018
• Pazz & Jop: The Top 50 Singles of 2018
• Pazz & Jop Voters Ballots: 2018 Albums
• Pazz & Jop Voters Ballots: 2018 Singles
• Pazz & Jop Comments: Let Us Now Praise Kacey Musgraves
• Robert Christgau: The Dean's List: "Reports of the album's death has been greatly exaggerated"
• Carol Cooper: Welcome to the Cardi Party: "The 'secret' of her success is that she is able to simultaneously be and represent different things to different people"
• Sasha Geffen: Fighting a Sense of Stuckness: "Janelle Monáe, Car Seat Headrest, Boygenius, and the year in queer music"
• Jessica Hopper: So, Are Women Here Yet?: "Kacey Musgraves, Janelle Monáe, and the Year of the Woman . . . again"
• Joe Levy: Critical Democracy: Robert Christgau, Ann Powers, and Rob Harvilla on Pazz & Jop's Past and Present.
• Tirhakah Love: This Is Black Genius? "Donald Glover, Janelle Monáe and Kendrick Lamar make some kind of statement."

New in Expert Witness:

• Saba: Care for Me (Saba Pivot) A-
• The Coup: Sorry to Bother You: The Soundtrack (Interscope) A-
• Czarface: Czarface Meets Metal Face (Silver Age) ***
• G Herbo: Humble Beast (Machine) ***
• Saba: The Bucket List Project (Saba Pivot) **
• 1800 Seconds: Curated by Pusha T (Mass Appeal) *

New in Expert Witness:

• The Ex: 27 Passports (Ex) A-
• Idles: Joy as an Act of Resistance (Partisan) A-
• Marie Davidson: Working Class Woman (Ninja Tune) *
• Public Service Broadcasting: Every Valley (PIAS America) *

New questions and answers will be posted Tuesday, January 29: Xgau Sez.

The National Book Critics Circle Board of Directors has announced its finalists for 2018 awards. There are six categories, and Robert Christgau's Is It Still Good to Ya? Fifty Years of Rock Criticism, 1967-2017 has been selected as one of the five finalists in Criticism. The NBCC Awards have been awarded annually since 1975.

New questions and answers were posted Tuesday, January 15: Xgau Sez.

New in Expert Witness:

• The Delines: The Imperial (Decor/El Cortez) A-
• Kacey Musgraves: Golden Hour (MCA Nashville) B+
• Marianne Faithful: Negative Capability (Panta Rei/BMG) ***
• Brandi Carlile: By the Way, I Forgive You (ATO) **

Robert Christgau lists his favorite albums of 2018 in this year's annual Dean's List.

New questions and answers will be posted Tuesday, January 15: Xgau Sez.

New in Expert Witness:

• Mitski: Be the Cowboy (Dead Oceans) A-
• Soccer Mommy: Clean (Fat Possum) A-
• Adrianne Lenker: Abysskiss (Saddle Creek) *
• Nice as Fuck: Nice as Fuck (Loves Way) *

New questions and answers were posted Tuesday, January 1: Xgau Sez.

New in Expert Witness:

• Lupe Fiasco: Drogas Wave (1st & 15th) A-
• Meek Mill: Championships (Maybach Music Group) B+
• Lil Wayne: Tha Carter V (Young Money) ***
• Lupe Fiasco: Drogas Light (1st & 15th) **
• Vince Staples: FM! (Def Jam) *

New questions and answers were posted Tuesday, December 18: Xgau Sez.

New in Expert Witness:

• Cupcakke: Ephorize (Cupcakke) A-
• Leikeli47: Acrylic (Hardcover/RCA) A-
• Cupcakke: Queen Elizabitch (Cupcakke) B+
• Leikeli47: Wash and Set (Hardcover/RCA) B+
• Cupcakke: Eden (Cupcakke) ***

New questions and answers west will be posted on Tuesday, December 18: Xgau Sez.

New in Expert Witness:

• The Goon Sax: We're Not Talking (Wichita Recordings) A-
• Mad Crush: Mad Crush (Upon This Rock) B+
• Flasher: Constant Image (Domino) ***
• Weakened Friends: Common Blah (Don Giovanni) **

New questions and answers west posted on Tuesday, December 4: Xgau Sez.

Events, interviews, and reviews of Robert Christgau's recent book, Is It Still Good to Ya? Fifty Years of Rock Criticism 1967-2017:

• Is It Still Good to Ya?: Robert Christgau in Conversation with Eric Lott: Event, December 10, 2018, 6:30pm, William P. Kelly Skylight Room, The Graduate Center, CUNY, 365 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10016.
• Brad Wheeler: A rock critic's 10 steps for better ears.

Note: We are currently experiencing a problem with accented characters stored in the Consumer Guide database being presented as garbage.

New in Expert Witness:

• Sons of Kemet: Your Queen Is a Reptile (Impulse!) A-
• Doctor Nativo: Guatemaya (Stonetree) A-
• Celestial Blues (Ace) ***
• Sons of Kemet: Burn (Naim) **

New questions and answers on Tuesday, December 4: Xgau Sez.

New in Expert Witness:

• L7: Fast andFrightening (Easy Action) A-
• Joan Jett: Bad Reputation (Blackheart) A-
• The Beths: Future Me Hates Me (Carpark) ***
• Lala Lala: The Lamb (Hardly Art) *

New questions and answers last Tuesday: Xgau Sez.

Also note that the website now has a RSS 2.0 feed. It is (for now anyway) updated manually as new articles and/or significant revisions are made to the website.

New in Expert Witness:

• Homeboy Sandman & Edan: Humble Pi (Stones Throw) A-
• Open Mike Eagle: What Happens When I Try to Relax (Auto Reverse) A-
• Atmosphere: Mi Vida Local (Rhymesayers) **
• 2Mex: Lospital (Water the Plants) *
• Red Pill: Instinctive Drowning (Mello Music) *

New questions and answers will be published on Tuesday, November 20: Xgau Sez.

Christgau's new book, Is It Still Good to Ya? Fifty Years of Rock Criticism 1967-2017, was published October 26 by Duke University Press.

Website was updated on Thursday, including all Expert Witness reviews from January to last week.