What happens when artists, at different points in their careers, decide to strip away a layer or two of insulation and see what's left standing? Joe Jackson pares his music back to its working frame. Thundercat, long defined by excess and virtuosity, folds that impulse inward, trading volatility for atmosphere. And the archival returns from John Lee Hooker and Lightnin' Hopkins remind you that reduction isn't a modern tactic; it's a foundational one.

© Arkansas Online