Jonathan Reid Gealt
“Thirteen Stories Down”
(Sh-K-Boom Records)

“Thirteen Stories Down” is the debut album of musical theater composer Jonathan Reid Gealt, a graduate of the Boston Conservatory. The album features some of Broadway’s biggest stars right now such as Kate Baldwin, Natalie Weiss and Tituss Burgess performing Gealt’s music. “Thirteen Stories Down” has an eclectic sound, spanning the genres of pop, singer-songwriter and musical theater, and is definitely an album that can appeal to a wide audience. Standout tracks include the ballad “Quiet,” and the powerful yet uplifting duet “Lessons Learned.” The album is proof as to why Gealt is being hailed as one of the greatest up-and-coming modern composers.

By Max Schwager

Cage the Elephant
“Thank You Happy Birthday”
(RCA/JIVE)

Cage the Elephant, a rock quintet based out of Bowling Green, Ky., recently released its sophomore album, “Thank You Happy Birthday.” The album is reminiscent of the band’s first self-titled release, keeping the high-energy racket and balancing it with brilliant instrumentals and songwriting. The band fills each song with as much clanging and crashing as it can while keeping the poppy psychedelic melodies in check. The songs “Shake Me Down” and “Indy Kidz” are especially good, with the latter having some of the most interesting and hilarious lyrics to date. The record works better when listened to cohesively and will certainly be a hit with previous fans. Cage the Elephant doesn’t up the antics much on this album, but with such natural talent, it doesn’t need to.

By Kelly Danver