Metallica’s ‘72 Seasons’ and 2 other new albums to put on the radar

Here are three upcoming releases worth checking out — highlighted, of course, by the new album from Metallica. All of them hit stores on April 14.

“72 Seasons”

Mighty Metallica, the top-selling Bay Area act of all time, is back with its eagerly anticipated 11th studio album. The title of the album is a reference to the “first 18 years of our lives that form our true or false selves,” vocalist James Hetfield said on the band’s website. (We’ve done the math — and, yup, it checks out.) The 11-track outing follows the excellent 2016 double-album “Hardwired… to Self-Destruct.”

“Why Does the Earth Give Us People to Love?”

Kara Jackson — who served as National Youth Poet Laureate in 2019-20 — is set to release her debut album. We’ve really been enjoying the Illinois singer-songwriter’s “pawnshop” — a catchy tune that nicely mixes pop, soul, country and other genres — and look forward to hearing more.

“Empty Room”

Cade Thompson returns with his sophomore album, which follows 2021’s “Bigger Story” and features the singles “Good God’ and “Arms of Jesus.” He’s found success on the charts, on radio and online, having  racked up more than 50 million streams to date.