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 The latest posthumous album from the groundbreaking artist feels like one of his truest, 19 “demos” that reveal his elegant songwriting, his disregard for genre, and his boundless mind.

Iowa Dream is the latest posthumous Russell release, and it feels in some ways like one of the truest. Unlike the understated beats and pop deconstructions of Calling Out of Context, or the plainspoken country-pop of Love Is Overtaking Me, the 19 tracks of Iowa Dream are presented as demos. But like those warm records, Iowa Dream finds Russell in his singularly comforting singer-songwriter mode: a collection of teardrop piano ballads, sunstruck acoustic songs, and delightfully bewildering studio excursions. As ever, it’s Russell’s voice—clear, graceful, often conversational, with a kind of humility—that makes his music feel like a potential source of enlightenment, no matter the style. He sounds like someone you might know, a friend speaking to you, which is perhaps why so many listeners seem to think they do, sure their personal Russell connection is special. Russell’s vocal turns on “Follow You” are almost painfully gorgeous, as if embodying the “place in the sun [...] a sailboat on the sea” he sings of. – Pitchfork