No, it’s not 1986. Bar and club maestros Huey Lewis and the News aren’t exactly kids anymore. They likely wear medic alert bracelets and are members of AARP. But Lewis’ trademark rasp is still strong on the band’s new album, “Weather,” (BMG) despite being diagnosed with Meniere’s Disease in 2018, which is an inner ear infection that prevents artists from performing on key. On “Weather,” the legendary pop balladeer still has the chops, backed by the likes of Johnny Colla on guitar and sax, Bill Gibson on drums and Sean Hopper on keyboards. The rest of the news is here too, adding some love and support to the 69-year-old Lewis. The album is has a familiar feel, like a summer afternoon. On the opener, “While We’re Young,” Lewis sings with a wink and a smirk, “We’ll take a nap in the afternoon/That’s just part of the fun/So much of you feels wasted on the young/Watch your tongue.” The album isn’t going to cure the pandemic, but with its sly, brassy feel and songs like “Pretty Girls Are Everywhere,” Lewis and the News are adding anything startling to their repertoire. But their age, they’ve fallen but they can get up.

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Fans of Tik-Tok’s often clever short video format will easily recognize Canadian singer the Weeknd’s “After Hours, (XO/Republic Records) and that album’s hit single, “Blinding Lights,” as part of a viewer dance routine challenge which has exploded on that video platform. The Weeknd’s alter ego, Abel Tesfaye creates a satisfying collision of new wave, dream pop and R&B. The album feels lovelorn, like a break-up carried out via text. On “Alone Again,” he sings, “Oh baby, won’t you remind me what I am? And break, break my little cold heart.” His voice lilts, like a Canuck version of Sam Smith, but the song never steamrolls; it’s a beautiful synthetic orchestration, and with his “whoa oh, oh’s” you can imagine a tear drop leaving his eye. “Faith” finds the auteur questioning his dwindling religious beliefs; yet the aforementioned “Blinding Lights,” is effervescent, with an upbeat Tesfaye pointing to a love that got away. “The city’s cold and empty / No one’s around to judge me / I can’t see clearly when you’re gone.” Those words are testimony about experiencing heartbreak while lamenting what could have been.

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He’s minus his R&B band the Night Sweats but Nathaniel Rateliff is up to pace on his solo outing, “And It’s Still Alright,” (Stax). Maybe it’s the cool comfort of a classic record label, but Rateliff and his bag of woes is tightly intact. The Denver singer/songwriter exudes heartbreak and loneliness on this effort, pushing his pain to the surface with each track. Americana music suits Rateliff, even if it’s turned on its ear with the radio-ready “Time Stands,” which is the kind of big ballad with a chorus so meaninglessly profound – “Time stands in a duel, and I stand with you” – that you can picture people singing it to each other without having a clue as to what they’re even saying, other than it feels so darned right. Better, though, are the moments where he does what his late friend and producer Richard Swift had suggested and tries to sound like the incomparable Harry Nilsson – on the opener, “What a Drag,” for example, which is a like a companion to the record which drags with intent. It’s a stripped-down folksy approach that works. The drums are minimal, the guitars somewhat soothing. It’s a slow jam session, highlighted with his riffs on “Expecting to Lose, “ a bluesy, bareboned song, where Rateliff goes off singing, “You came in the front to sneak back in the room,” all the while seeming happy about it.

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