Ken Tucker

X's first album 35 years takes its place alongside the best work they've ever done. The music on Alphabetland is the sound of X snatching back its past in order to fuel the music of its future.

The pop singer's smart and snappy second album is a '70s and '80s disco throwback. The record immediately stands out from nearly all current popular music for its sheer, bursting joyfulness.

The Grammy-winning singer-songwriter, who died April 7, took a journeyman's pride in unifying metaphor and metrical precision. Prine's eccentric music served him — and us — well for five decades.