The Lead Sheet ~ 5/19/2026

The Lead Sheet is your guide to this week’s new music - taking a look at newly released albums, who made them, and how listeners are responding.  

This week, rapper Drake stunned fans with a triple release of three new albums, Iceman, Maid of Honour, and Habibti.  The longest, Iceman, is eighteen tracks of primarily rap and hip-hop, and is centered around Drake’s recent feuds with Kendrick Lamar. Maid of Honour is a dance heavy album intended for clubs, and Habibti is steeped in R&B. The staggering, forty-three song release received extremely mixed reviews. To some dedicated Drake connoisseurs, the triple-record is a triumphant comeback, but to most, it’s a bloated disappointment. Listeners and critics note that quantity is exchanged for quality, with some tracks sounding rushed, under-edited, or repetitive. Of the three, Iceman seems to be fairing best, with a lead single titled “Make Them Cry” breaking single-day streaming records, (including Lamar’s previous best) on Spotify. Drake has not announced any touring plans for the new music, but will likely move in that direction later in 2026 or early 2027. 

Folk-rocker Kevin Morby released his eighth album, Little Wide Open to widespread positive reception, with several publications calling it a career best. Little Wide Open sees Morby take a more restrained approach to his typical maximalist sound, skewing towards Americana and traditional folk rock. Its roughly hour-long runtime is decorated with finger-picked acoustic guitar, rich piano chords and a medley of folk-leaning instruments like mandolin and banjo. The album paints an expansive picture of travel, in both physical and mental landscapes, and is perfect for upcoming summer road trips. Morby’s vocals are mature and emotionally charged, and critics praise the authenticity in his delivery, demonstrating a conversational, pared back performance. Morby staunchly opposed the use of auto-tune in post production, capturing the natural imperfections, wavers and cracks that come with the raw vocals. Kevin Morby is currently on tour supporting the album, and will continue through June in the U.S. and the U.K. in July. 

This week, Genesis Owusu released his third studio album, REDSTAR WU & THE WORLDWIDE SCOURGE on Friday. A fiercely political protest piece, Redstar Wu shares Owusu’s thoughts on several aspects of modern society and contemporary discourse. Owusu is known for defying genre, and the new work is no exception, dipping into neo-soul, Brit-rock, funk, punk, and pop. Tracks like “Death Cult Zombie” and “Most Normal American Voter” address the social division that results from algorithmic news, and the opportunistic grifts that capitalize on that schism. Despite the aggressive approach, Owusu’s voice is ultimately empathetic, and focuses on holding power accountable, rather than attacking a misled populace. Critical reception is excellent – many agree that Redstar Wu is Owusu’s most complete album yet, and showcases the artist’s intense rage with balanced, surgical precision.  Genesis Owusu is currently on “Redstar Wu’s Pirate Radio Tour” with legs in Australia and Europe for May and June, with North American dates to be announced later. 

Vampire Weekend founding member Rostam Batmanglij’s third solo album, American Stories dropped on May 15th, with more poignancy than originally intended; the album serves as a thesis on Rostam’s dual American and Iranian identities, and takes on new meaning in the context of war. Rostam created and developed the album well before the present conflict, and listeners are finding deeper meaning in the album’s themes of reconciliation. Rostam blends Americana and traditional Iranian instruments to create a new, unique pop sound that is greater than the sum of its parts, exploring microtonal musical structure found in Iranian folk music, as if to appeal to collaboration through song. American Stories is concise at just thirty minutes and nine tracks, and features guest artists Clairo, Amir Yaghmai, and Daniel Aged, whose steel guitar sections give the album a distinct western flavor. Rostam will tour American Stories in May and June in North America, and a European and UK leg in September. 

The All-American Rejects are staging an all American comeback! After a fourteen year gap since 2012’s Kids in the Street, the group has rekindled excitement by playing a series of free, intimate, “house party” shows in stripped down venues like backyards and front porches. These nostalgic performances were immediately embraced by older fans of the group, as well as younger generations experiencing a lost tradition. Their new record, Sandbox is their first independent release, and was a true DIY album, recorded in guitarist Nick Wheeler’s home studio. The new sound is more raw and less polished than their early radio-hit music. And fans are calling Sandbox a “no-skip” album. Thematically, Sandbox covers a range of topics, including aging, anti-corporatism, and war. The All-American Rejects continue to tour in an intimate pop-up style, but will also have some larger festival concerts scheduled for Europe in June, and the U.S. in August and September. 

Drake - ICEMAN, MAID OF HONOUR, HABIBTI. 

Released May 15, 2026

OVO, Republic Records

Kevin Morby - Little Wide Open

Released May 15, 2026

Dead Oceans 

Genesis Owusu - REDSTAR WU & THE WORLDWIDE SCOURGE

Released May 15, 2026

Ourness Records

Rostam - American Stories

Released May 15, 2026

Matsor

The All-American Rejects - Sandbox

Released May 15, 2026

Independent