Mary Lambert, Heart on My Sleeve (Oct. 14, Capitol Records, mary
lambertsings.com) Fourteen tracks go by quickly on this debut full-length from the newest inductee to the Seattle-darling club, but Lambert manages to squeeze in a lot more than just plucky, saccharine pop—there’s a positive message in tracks like the playful “Secrets,” released as a single in July (a version of which features rapper B.o.B), as well as much grittier tracks like “Ribcage,” featuring fellow singers K.Flay and Angel Haze. The album quickly changes course from lighthearted and upbeat, diving deep into the realm of past trauma and what it’s like to speak out about the most intimate details of your life (and what motivates one to do so). The songs on the aptly titled Heart on My Sleeve—co-written and arranged by her producers as well as fellow artist, MoZella—also include an unlikely cover (“Jessie’s Girl”)

and spoken word (Lambert is an award-winning slam poet). All tracks are tastefully produced by Eric Rosse (who produced her 2013 EP, Welcome to the Age of My Body) and Benny Cassette. Also noteworthy is that the “love” songs are sung from the point of view of a proud and outspoken lesbian, still best-known for singing the chorus on Macklemore and Ryan Lewis’ timely marriage-equality rap anthem, “Same Love.” So vocal and forthcoming about her sexuality—and many other personal details—it’s important and powerful that Lambert is celebrating it, as well as her voluptuous body and tumultuous past, through popular music. JESSIE MCKENNA

Michael Nicolella, Complete Bach Cello Suites (out now, Gale Recordings, nicolella.com/cds.htm) Of the six suites Johann Sebastian Bach composed for solo cello (in 1720 or thereabouts), he later arranged one to be also playable on the lute. Seattle’s Nicolella is not the first guitarist to take the bait and do the same for the other five, but I can’t imagine it being done more beautifully. On his recording of all six suites, years in the making, his playing is impeccable even in the face of head-spinning difficulties; and as the two-disc set’s engineer, he captures about as ravishing a guitar tone, both lush and crystalline, as I’ve ever heard on record. As Bach did in his reworking, Nicolella adds discreet accompanying voices to Bach’s one-note-at-a-time textures—and better still, knows just when not to add them: for example, in bravura scale passages, or in the pure cold water of the simple cascading arpeggios at the beginning of the fourth suite. (Some movements, in fact, like this one and the Prelude from the first suite—already very guitarish with its wide-spaced broken chords—sound better here, I think, than on cello.) On top of this, Nicolella improvises ornamentation (again, according to Bachian tradition), which adds further intensifying expressiveness and soulfulness. Every guitarist—whether your interest is baroque, bluegrass, blues, or Norwegian death metal—should hear these. GAVIN BORCHERT