14 albums by Greater Boston musicians to listen to this spring

Who gets to make an album? That might seem like a dated question in an era where hits can be made on a phone in a musician’s bedroom. But for many, recording is still a prohibitively expensive process involving paying for professional studios, producers, engineers, mixers, graphic designers and collaborating musicians.

One local arts organization helping to solve this quandary is Club Passim, with its Iguana Music Fund, which provides grants to help area artists further their careers. While not limited to recording expenses, many of the recipients have used the grants to make albums. This spring finds a bounty of music from Iguana grantees, including the albums in this guide by Grace Givertz, Levyosn, Caio e Jess, and Dom the Composer. The venue will celebrate these and other projects April 13 with a showcase of Iguana Fund recipients who have music coming out this year.

Regardless of how they financed their new projects, the local artists in this guide, whose recordings range from Latin jazz to children’s music to hard-hitting R&B, proved that they have plenty of both resourcefulness and creativity.

As Black country and string band music has experienced a renaissance, the exceptionally talented singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Grace Givertz has often represented Boston with appearances at such key events as Black Opry performances and the upcoming Fort Worth African American Roots Music Festival. Her second album shows her versatility with the big immersive sound of the title track, an ode to late-night cinema, and the soaring rocker “Black Belt,” which features Rat Tally. For her collaborators, Givertz exclusively featured people of color, LGBTQ+, and/or disabled musicians. In keeping with the movie theme, the album cover was shot in front of Arlington’s historic Capitol Theatre, where the album’s release party will take place.

Grace Givertz celebrates the release March 13 at the Capitol Theatre in Arlington and also appears at The Town and The City Festival in Lowell April 30-May 2.

With just their banjos, their harmonies, and the occasional bird whistle, the Boston duo Sweet Petunia has taken its Appalachian-inspired sound to indie festivals and basement parties where much louder sounds are usually heard. Mairead Guy and Maddy Simpson offer far more than an appealing vocal blend. They originally bonded over their love for Gillian Welch and David Rawlings, but the brutal honesty and occasional wry humor in their lyrics and their way of making old-time music relevant to the present day bring to mind another great duo, Hazel and Alice. The album opens with a medley of the “Kennedy Rag” and the old-timey original “Clementine,” but also contains the atmospheric “In David’s Living Room.” Among their fans is Ani DiFranco, who is releasing their debut LP on her Righteous Babe label and inviting Sweet Petunia to open a run of shows later this spring, letting the rest of the country discover one of Boston’s most arresting acoustic outfits.

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The electro-indie rock duo of Jac-Lyn Gibson (vocals, visuals and storytelling) and Scott Lerner (guitar, bass, synth, drum programming and engineering) manage to capture everything that made synth-pop so addictively danceable without ever losing a strong human element, a most refreshing approach in an age of AI-saturation. Their sophomore album includes the single “Comets,” which is inspired by the feminist telling of the story of Madame Clicquot, who rescued her family’s wine business and became the "Grande Dame of Champagne.” It’s a song worthy of a Veuve Clicquot toast.

The one-of-a-kind Moroccan and dub-tinged groove outfit Club d’Elf suffered a heavy blow in 2024 when longtime member Brahim Fribgane died. But bassist/sintir player/leader Mike Rivard and his cohorts have carried on and — inspired by Fribgane’s spirit and legacy — the group continues to expand their musical horizons with this live-in-the-studio record. Everything from New Orleans brass to deep psychedelic trance is in the mix for yet another deep and revealing Club d’Elf record.

Club d’Elf celebrates the release of “Loon and Thrush” April 12 at The Sinclair.

Vasilis Kostas has spent his musical career redefining the sound of the stringed laouto from his native Epirus, Greece. But while he can display dazzling virtuosity, the Boston-based Kostas is also a deeply moving and effective composer, and it’s this side of him that takes center stage on his upcoming album “Léna.” The record is a valentine to his late mother, Léna, who was also the namesake of his young daughter, and explores his family, heritage and life both before and after he moved to Boston. His collaborators include lyra player Sokratis Sinopoulos, vocalist Aimilia Chalkia, bassist lan Ashby and percussionist George Lernis. Two of the pieces include sweeping string arrangements.

Vasilis Kostas celebrates the album release April 26 at FPAC Arts Space in Boston, and May 2 at Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church in Brockton, presented as part of the Boston Byzantine Music Festival.

The Brazilian composer Hermeto Pascoal occupied a unique space in 20th century music, creating sounds that were rooted in his homeland while also encompassing classical, jazz and psychedelic elements. Pascoal, who died last year, is the subject of a tribute by the all-star Boston jazz trio TRIAD+ (pianist Maxim Lubarsky, bassist Oscar Stagnaro and drummer Mark Walker), who were joined by saxophonist Edmar Colón when they recorded the album live at the GBH studios. They reflect the playful essence of Pascoal’s music while using it as a launchpoint for their own improvisational prowess.

TRIAD+ celebrates the album release April 3 at Scullers Jazz Club.

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Jamaica Plain-based children's musician Evan Haller performs his joyful, uplifting and sometimes very silly tunes at schools, hospitals, libraries and anywhere else where there are kids who could use a song. (His performing name comes from his work teaching music at the Blissful Monkey yoga studio in JP.) He’s also got a fun YouTube channel where his songs about nature, science, math and movement come to life. For his sixth album, he celebrates “Dancing Around” with a song that features Boston master Fabio Pirozzolo on the riq, an Arabic/Turkish tambourine, creates an ear-piercing falsetto with “Super High Song,” and pens an indie rock ode to a treat in “Chocolate Frosted Donut.”

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For decades, Boston’s dive bars have been the launching pads for some of the world’s most beloved garage rock outfits. The latest example is The Chelsea Curve, the thrilling power pop trio of bassist and vocalist Linda Pardee, guitarist and vocalist Tim Gillis, and drummer Bruce Caporal. Since forming in 2019, the band has been found everywhere from Boston Calling to the U.K. scooter rallies that inspire much of the band’s mod ethos and the title of their next LP. But even if the music has a classic feel, the lyrics couldn’t be more urgent in a song like “Rally Round,” about the need to find community during a time of tumult. The record will be released on Rum Bar Records, a label that has brought many Boston bands to an international audience.

The powerful and poppy North Shore rock quartet Cape Crush is on a roll: Guitarist and lead singer Ali Lipman, guitarist James Christopher, bassist Jake Letizia and drummer Mike O’Toole recently released the single “Calm & Delivered,” the title track to their May album. The follow-up single, “Place Memory,” retains the big sound and memorable hooks that have become the band’s trademark. The song was inspired by a Dear Sugar column that Lipman read where someone questioning their future was told that the path not taken will always be in view. It’s the kind of explosion of passion, thought and energy that is present on all 10 of the tracks on “Calm & Delivered.”

The traditional Puerto Rican rhythms of plena and bomba got a lot of attention when they were featured in Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl halftime show in February. But Boston composer and alto saxophonist Jonathan Suazo shows that those sounds can also be used as the heart of a profound and stimulating recording of Afro-Caribbean jazz originals. For the follow-up to his breakthrough 2023 recording “Ricano,” Suazo gathers a core band of drummer Francisco Alcalá, bassist Ian Ashby and pianist and recent Grammy nominee Zaccai Curtis. Guests include cuatro whiz and Suazo’s wife, Fabiola Méndez (speaking of Bad Bunny), the great Venezuela-born pianist Benito Gonzalez, and singer Jeremy Bosch, who penned lyrics for a vocal version of Suazo’s “La Magia,” a song also presented in instrumental form. The album is being released on Miel Music, the label curated by MIT professor (and fellow Puerto Rican-raised alto player) Miguel Zenón.

Jonathan Suazo will preview “Ricano Vol. 2 - Fruto de mi Corazón” on March 28 at the Roxbury Community College Media Arts Center in a Vivo Arts/Ágora Cultural Architects co-presentation.

The duo of American vocalist Jessica Curran and Brazilian guitarist Caio Afiune has been making waves around Boston with their beautifully dreamy mix of modern pop, South American folk, and neo-soul. Now, with the help of longtime Snarky Puppy producer Nic Hard, they’ve greatly expanded their sonic palette with this eight-song collection. Caio e Jess explain that the title for their own musical convergence is inspired by the Encontro das Águas (“Meeting of the Waters”) in Northern Brazil, where waters from different places merge into one.

The Boston Jewish music ensemble Levyosn takes the old-world sound of Yiddish song and gives it a gorgeous, fresh coat of inspiration. Founders singer-songwriter Adah Hetko and violinist/vocalist Lysander Jaffe are joined by core members Lexi Ugelow (voice/piano/guitar) and Raffi Boden (cello/voice), among other guests, for a dozen original and traditional pieces that range from harmony-driven tender Yiddish ballads to a chamber music-style hora. Tying all of the pieces together is the theme of exploring the beauty and healing power of the natural world, something that Jewish communities have celebrated for centuries. The recording will be released on Borsht Beat, a label that is home to many of today’s most innovative Jewish musical artists. The record is slated for a May release with the exact date to be announced.

Levyosn celebrates the album release June 4 at Club Passim.

After releasing her debut last year, the unstoppable Boston soul siren Debo Ray is now following that up with a four-song concept EP that details her phoenix-like rise after grappling with life issues that made her question her self-worth. The tracks, which are being released in order of the project’s narrative, begin with “Going Down,” a pensive alt-R&B tune about an emotionally unfulfilling relationship. By the final song, “I’m Fire Now,” Ray realizes the importance and validity of her voice. Whether heard collectively or on their own, these are mighty powerful songs.

Debo Ray celebrates the release of “Echoes & Embers” at the Fallout Shelter in Norwood May 23.

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Boston singer-songwriter Dom the Composer pens extraordinary soul songs that manage to capture the range and depth of the human experience in just a few verses. After releasing a series of singles over the past few years, he’s now putting out his debut album, which he describes as an examination of how mental health can “affect our creative process and everyday life, making us question whether we’re on the right track or if we are being authentically ourselves.” With his universally relatable lyrics and soulful voice and keyboard playing, Dom fulfills his mission, which he says is to “empower listeners to embrace their true selves.” The record is slated for a May or June release, with the exact date to be announced.

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