Review: Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars go retro and romantic

POP/ROCK

Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars, “Die With a Smile”

Two superstars who have been relatively quiet on the music front in recent years team up for the first time on “Die With a Smile,” a romantic, lightly apocalyptic slow-dance that offers both the opportunity to belt to the rafters. Despite the music video’s George & Tammy cosplay, there’s not much of that ever-so-trendy twang to be heard on the actual track. Instead, “Die With a Smile” is a lush, soft-rock torch song accentuated by weightless, trebly guitar. “If the world was ending, I’d wanna be next to you,” they sing together on an anthemic chorus, striking the right balance between grit and polish — just two consummate professionals doing their thing.

LINDSAY ZOLADZ, New York Times

The Linda Lindas featuring Weird Al Yankovic, “Yo Me Estreso”

In a gleeful, unexpected swerve away from their usual punk-pop, the Linda Lindas — four teenagers from Los Angeles — deliver a plugged-in mariachi waltz in Spanish: “Yo Me Estreso” (“I Stress Myself Out”). Over a hard-hitting oompah — with accordion chords from none other than Weird Al — they sing about paralyzing anxiety that can lead to moments of clarity. Their guitar and drum attack and their vocal harmonies promise they can handle it.

JON PARELES, New York Times

Romance sounds like an elimination tournament in “Favorite,” with Anderson .Paak “crossing all the options off my list” and Chlöe (Bailey) “doing my damnedest to get next to you / I see ‘em clearly in the rear view.” They celebrate mutual success with a snappy, horn-driven, quick-tongued affirmation that “You’re the one I want the most.”

JON PARELES, New York Times

COUNTRY

Post Malone and Chris Stapleton, “California Sober”

Malone and Stapleton sound like they’re having a blast on the rollicking “California Sober,” one of many country duets featured on Posty’s new album “F-1 Trillion.” The twangy foot-stomper spins a classic country yarn: picking up a good-looking hitchhiker who drinks all your whiskey, picks your pockets and leaves you with a lingering kiss goodbye. “Damn bottle was dry,” Post Malone croons in a voice that blends well with Stapleton’s gravely drawl. “Kinda wanted to cry.”

R&B/HIP-HOP

Mary J. Blige featuring Fabolous, “Breathing”

“Breathing” flaunts its historical layers. Its horn-section hook comes from Screamin’ Jay Hawkins’ “I Put a Spell on You” via the Notorious B.I.G.’s “Kick in the Door.” But it’s chopped into a tricky, stumbling new beat that makes clear sentiments more complicated. First, Fabolous proffers Brooklyn bona fides and boasts about career longevity: “Me and Blige remain fly / They mad ‘cause they left us for dead but we ain’t died.” Then Blige announces that she’s finally found a love that’s “so much better for me” and has her “inhaling deeply,” and she underlines her joy with creamy backup vocals that revel in every crafty syncopation.

JON PARELES, New York Times

New releases

• Lainey Wilson, “Whirlwind”

• Thomas Rhett, “About a Woman”

• Bryce Dessner, “Solos”