Benjamin Booker/ ‘Witness’/ ATO Records

Booker has created his most ambitious work, delving deep into his passion for eccentric soul, R&B and blues. It draws on William Onyeabor's '70s African psych-rock, Freddie Gibbs and Pusha T while never straying too far from the garage-punk intensity that made Booker's self-titled 2014 debut a creative breakthrough. These 10 new tracks were written by Booker, produced by Sam Cohen (Kevin Morby) and mixed by Shawn Everett (Alabama Shakes).

Contact: Amy Bailey

Blackbird Presents/ ‘Mavis Staples: I’ll Take You There’/ Blackbird Presents

The historic night that brought together some of the biggest names in music to honor the Rock & Roll Hall of Famer and American icon is now a live concert film and album. This unforgettable, all-star concert features over 20 performances by artists spanning multiple generations and genres, including Win Butler and Régine Chassagne of Arcade Fire, Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy, Bonnie Raitt, Emmylou Harris, Michael McDonald, Grace Potter and more, plus special appearances by Staples herself.

Contact: Spencer Foster

Chuck Berry/ ‘CHUCK’/ Dualtone

This final album, the first recordings in nearly four decades from the late rock ‘n’ roll legend, consists of 10 new tracks, eight of them songs written by Berry. The album features three generations of Berry guitarists, making this truly a family affair.

Contact: James Rainis

Peppina/ ‘Spark’/ Honey Rose Records

An impressed Joseph Gordon-Levitt invited the Helsinki teenager to fly to LA to perform on his hitRECord TV special – and the Finnish multi-instrumentalist hasn’t looked back since. Her debut album was produced by Charles Newman (The Magnetic Fields) and is filled with indie-pop optimism and Regina Spektor-like cinematic arrangements.

Contact: Brooke Yen

Smithsonian Folkways Recordings

Ella Jenkins/ ‘Camp Songs with Ella Jenkins and Friends’/ Smithsonian Folkways

The First Lady of Children’s Music celebrates 60 years as a Smithsonian Folkways artist with a 25-track collection of camp-song classics, featuring a group of children, parents and teachers from the Old Town School of Folk Music in Chicago and Tony and Kate Seeger from Camp Killooleet.

Contact: Andrea Evenson

Floating Points/ ‘Reflections - Mojave Desert’/ Luaka Bop

The forthcoming short film and soundtrack – the first in a planned series of environmental recordings to be filmed at different locations around the world – is a thrilling sonic exploration under the endless Mojave Desert sky. When Sam Shepherd, one of London’s most sought-after DJs and producers, traveled to the desert with his band to rehearse between US tours, he was struck by the distinct sonic tapestry of the rock formations and valleys, so he set up a recording operation to harness the soaring and vast sound of the desert landscape.

Contact: Max Lefkowitz