1 JAY-Z (United Center) The superstar rapper tours his phenomenal new album “4:44”—not a response to wife Beyoncé’s “Lemonade,” but an equally powerful personal testament. December 5
2 ELLIOT MOSS (SPACE) The twenty-one-year-old prodigy has built a dazzling repertoire of tunes that manage to be both compellingly minimalist and gorgeously textured. December 2
3 BEBEL GILBERTO (City Winery) The beguiling, second-generation bossa nova virtuoso has recontextualized the enduring genre for postmillennial audiences. December 19 and 20
4 KAIJU DAIKO & CHIKOTO TAIKU (Old Town School of Folk Music) Hard to think of a better antidote to saccharine holiday music than the lean, muscular, percussive repertoire of these Japanese folk ensembles. December 13
5 ANGEL OLSEN (Riviera Theatre) The singer-songwriter’s impressive range incorporates everything from whispery soprano and country swagger to audacious post-punk. December 9
Robert Rodi is an author, spoken-word performer and musician who has served as Newcity’s Music Editor since 2014. He’s written more than a dozen books, including the travel memoir “Seven Seasons In Siena,” and his literary and music criticism has appeared in the Los Angeles Times, the Chicago Tribune, Salon, The Huffington Post and many other national and regional publications. Contact: robert@newcity.com
