Very few artists have earned “longevity” as a synonym the way Sparks has. Ron and Russel Mael spend their 24th studio album making the very strong case for being the strongest American pop songwriters of their, or any, generation. Sharp humor permeates throughout; stadium-ready “All That” is three of a half minutes of sentimentality capped with “thanks for the loan.” “I’m Toast” is a hard rock play-by-play of a stroke in progress and “iPhone” successfully avoids rote technophobia with one of the catchiest choruses in their fifty-plus year history. The best pop album of 2020, yes I said it. 

– Alex Riggs