Critic's Pick: Son Little

I heard Son Little’s 2022 album Like Neptune as a sparely arranged and delivered neo-soul album that gave the California-born and New York-raised singer room to stretch out. Like Neptune came across as a little downbeat even when it rocked out, and “No Friend of Mine” registered as an excellent song about how the people closest to you can end up betraying your trust. The production on Little Neptune folded in electric guitars, keyboards and backing vocals that didn’t overpower the songs. Little’s 2026 album Cityfolk continues in the vein of Little Neptune, but Alabama Shakes keyboardist Ben Tanner co-produced it with an ear for structures that are more minimalist — and more keyboard-driven — than on the previous album. Little’s overriding theme on Cityfolk might be how the demands of the city are balanced by its pleasures, and Tanner’s production gives the music a modernist edge that works perfectly. Cityfolk isn’t all about production, since Little proves himself an excellent songwriter on “In Orbit” and “Whip the Wind,” which you could imagine being performed as conventional neo-soul. The album isn’t retro, and that counts for a lot these days. Tonina opens Saturday at The Blue Room.

8 p.m. at The Blue Room at Third Man Records

623 Seventh Ave. S.