A devastatingly accomplished album.

Cohen's poetic vision remains the dominant element on this elegiac set.

Nearly all of Wig in a Box is both unique and successful.

In the vein of Kevin Rowland or Elvis Costello, Ted Leo writes lyrical rock songs that sprawl out and rarely depend on a chorus.

Those who really love Frank Black and Black Francis' songs, as opposed to just their sound, will enjoy eavesdropping on him playing around with his work.

His most interesting work since Teenager of the Year, Dog in the Sand sounds like a slightly slower, rootsier version of that album.

Far from being an angry album, Show Me Your Tears is filled with the kind of conscious joy that comes from working through your problems.

The slow rumble of Nakamura's production, Hewlett's outstanding graphic model, even Albarn himself all fuse into a convincing gestalt.

A colorful, satisfying album that feels like a classic.

No one surpasses her as a master of poetic regret, and few albums examine the peculiar beauty of depression with the skill she brings to Lost in Space.

Though he's never as instantaneously gratifying as the Streets, the Roots or Jurassic 5, his efforts to continually defy convention in both production and lyrics - simultaneously looking forward to electronics and back to days of good rhymes, talent and passion - make for a rewarding, maybe even educational, listen.

The perpetually teenaged foursome still have their raw edges and sharp teeth, it's just that the edges rip deeper and the teeth bite harder with this more efficient and well-crafted rock assault.

Aw C'mon is lovely, compelling, mysterious, and confounding.

A resounding success... She won't get the same press that Loretta Lynn got for her "comeback", but this may even be more impressive an accomplishment because it come out of nowhere.

These two discs would have made for a fine double album, and if Lambchop have chosen to regard them as two separate entities, that just means they've released two of the finest albums of 2004 instead of just one.

It has the same combination of sweetly sentimental ballads and endearingly gaudy dance-pop that made One More Time.

Easily his most accomplished record since his days in the Lost Boyz.

Comes off as a mix between the White Stripes' bluesy insouciance and AC/DC's cockeyed swagger.

Even though Permission to Land isn't quite as metal as its singles suggested it might be, the album is surprisingly good, especially considering how bad the band's '80s metal revival could have been.

Stereo is the first Westerberg solo disc that captures the elusive feel and emotional resonance of his best Replacements tunes.

This is the most enjoyable album of Warren's and Nate's careers to date, by a long shot, and it's among Snoop's most enjoyable as well.

While their songs still maintain the loose intimacy that was apparent on their debut AM, the music has matured to reveal a complexity that is rare in pop music, yet showcased perfectly on Yankee Hotel Foxtrot.

Scorpio Rising may not have the coherence of its forerunner, but its individual eclectic achievements still add up to an engaging album.

The band manages to retain a good deal of their trademark zaniness while producing what might be their most focused and polished work.

Once again Cee-Lo has recorded a peerless album, except this time he's recorded one that should connect, or at least deserves to.

This sophomore effort finds Brand New maturing, reaching for textures and song structures instead of clichés.

The songs here often found their way into the group's tours for Blackberry Belle; this probably accounts for how much they resemble Twilight material, even as the original shape is maintained.

Spoon and Rafter has no trouble making Ryan Adams seem like more of a farce than he already is, and it's deserving of at least half of the attention given to anything released by Wilco.