Maeri Ferguson

Sun of Amen, the debut album from Alex Amen, is what happens when a young man in 2026 has spent his formative years worshipping a lovingly worn stack of his parents’ vinyl, modeling his sound after a different generation’s heroes. The clear-throated moan of early-career Harry Nilsson, the wistfulness of John Denver, the sneaky heartfelt melodies of Jim Croce, are all present in these songs. But Amen doesn’t don the mantle of past generations like some Bobby Dupea costume.

If you’re lucky, the closing of a chapter comes with the kind of clarity that lets you move forward with optimism. Kevin Morby’s eighth album, Little Wide Open, finds him in this spiritual space, at a bittersweet ending, on the cusp of something thrilling and new. Literally, it marks the end of his sojourn back home to the Midwest, now settled in Los Angeles and about to become a father, making peace with all the growing up it took to arrive here.