There's not a clunker in the bunch, as at least six of album's 11 songs are among the band's finest creations.

This is a landmark in the subgenre of alt-country goth

Make no mistake: This is a country album, but it's closer to what the music might have become rather than to where it has sunk in its current doldrums.

The collection is both definitive and diverse.

While Faces & Names lacks the same physical power as Soul Asylum's best work, the best songs here manage to sound comfortable, magnetic, and passionate all at once.

Many songs on Learning From Falling have that vaguely edgy, vaguely happy, vaguely cutesy sound often heard piping from the speakers at Wal-Mart, and soon it becomes clear she's making the same vocal choices on song after song.

Although it's perhaps her most consistent and mature work to date, it's also her least engaging, never matching the dizzying heights of her previous efforts even as it consciously avoids past pitfalls.

A bunch of even-handed adult-pop that is melodic without being tuneful, or memorable for that matter.

Some of this works quite well, some of it is kind of juvenile, much of it is only slightly recognizable from the original, it's too long and compared to contemporary arty rock, it really isn't that arty.

The Rising is one of the very best examples in recent history of how popular art can evoke a time period and all of its confusing and often contradictory notions, feelings and impulses.

This is a comeback record to be proud of; it not only sates the appetite of those fans who felt Linda Thompson left the scene too abruptly, but it is also the British folk record that everyone interested in the genre has been waiting such a long time for.

Don't Give Up on Me leaves no doubt that Solomon Burke is still one of the finest voices of his time, and anyone who has ever been moved by the power of soul music needs to hear this album.

Most of this album is tuneful singer/songwriterism, particularly on the second side, where this album really takes off with a series of rolling, melodic, acoustic-based songs that truly demonstrate that Keith can be a sturdy, memorable songwriter.

Despite the simplistic formulas present here, these young men have patched together a sound that is catchy and eager for additional spins.

They might not be hip, they're not as innovative as they used to be, but they still make very good, even great music, and that's evident on Revolverlution. If only it were presented better.

Remarkably, these songs not only retain their emotional core even after they've been cleaned up, but they perhaps even gain more resonance in this setting.

Fans of Led Zeppelin may not take to these stylistic changes well, but Plant's adventurous tendencies are well placed on the ten songs here.

Unlike many other pop postmodernists, the Vines never sound weighed down by all the influences they include in their music -- it's as if they're so excited by everything they hear, they can't help but recombine it in unique ways.

Funny, beautiful, and moving, Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots finds the Flaming Lips continuing to grow and challenge themselves in not-so-obvious ways after delivering their obvious masterpiece.

It's evident the Waxwings wanted a heavier, darker sound this time out, and even though several tracks are embellished with cello, violin, and horns, most of Shadows fails due to a murky, muddled production and mix, not to mention an uninspired track sequencing.

The band's best record in some time, and for anyone not a purist, it's possibly Morcheeba's best ever.

Yeah Yeah Yeahs cram more ideas and attitude into five songs than most bands express in an entire album.

Riff, vamp, timbral fractures, lyrical tension, splintered harmonics, and a constant, seductive sense of groove permeate this jazz album, opening up a door onto a brave new future for a free jazz with soul -- Spooky has exceeded all expectations here.

Stirring, unpretentious yet powerful, Halos & Horns effectively continues Parton's glorifying of her mountain roots.

Hard Candy is the sound of a band at a creative and poetic summit.

Sticking close to the synth pop influenced material of their debut, the album sports noticeably higher fidelity, catchier tunes, and an improved illustration of Dykes' vocals.

Overall, the album leans more toward the melodic end of their oeuvre, but they have grown into this kinder, gentler mode organically, progressively working toward this groove little by little, album by album.

It's fun, to be sure, especially for the fans who are the compilation's target audience, but everything here sounds like the classic definition of B-sides -- good and familiar, but not as good as what made the album.