Good Grief [2 LP], Sara Bareilles, Vinyl

Sara Bareilles returns with Good Grief, her seventh studio album and her first since 2019’s Amidst the Chaos. As the title implies, the 14-track collection is deeply informed by loss. It comes in different varieties, some belonging to Bareilles, some borrowed in service of beautiful storytelling. Sometimes the loss is more one of equilibrium or the inability to search for silver linings in storm clouds. But as the title also implies Good Grief has, even at its darkest depth, a glimmering golden lifeline that runs through the album pointing toward hope on the surface. “My deepest hope,” Sara says, “is that Good Grief just provides some kind of comfort or catharsis for somebody. It feels like it's really close to me and my hope is that people feel closer to themselves listening to this record.”