If Traveler seems too random and scattered for its own good, it's never less than interesting.

Sunken Condos is a smooth collection that insinuates deeper feelings through the head-bobbing rhythms and offbeat humor. In other words, it's Donald Fagen doing what he does best, which is always good enough.

None of this is to say that the songs, themselves, aren't excellent in their own right, but with a voice as heavenly as Correa's, you can hardly go wrong.

Former Lives rolls along with solidly steady results, but there aren't too many songs that stand out.

These 12 songs are as simple as it gets--just two musicians harmonizing and plucking away, making up in soul and pure joy what they lack in overstuffed arrangements.

They register only a fleeting impact, but display cleverness and craftsmanship that far surpasses that of your run-of-the-mill tropical-themed country tune.

Shut Down The Streets really peaks at the end with a pair of downcast slow-builders which strike just the right balance of melancholy and melody.

Dylan's talent for matching, smart plentiful (arguably too much so) words to chiming melodies supported by a solid, unpretentious rock band and sung with conviction has returned.

Sing The Delta is as well-executed as it is welcome.

Webb's knack for purging the sentimentality out of these seemingly trite topics of conversation is most commendable.

It's all lovely, melancholy, lyrically moving and beautifully performed. But older fans will miss the scrappy sparks Forbert used to effortlessly radiate on crackling live performances such as his spirited 1982 King Biscuit Flower Hour set.

Top notch session musicians including guitarist David Garza and Me'Shell N'Degeocello on bass along with a few namedropping guests such as Robert Plant and Patty Griffin help flesh out these eleven often moody, reflective tunes, making this her most accomplished album to date.

You just need to listen and enjoy without reading too much into the material. That is easy to do here.

Krall never seems out of place even as she takes chances in a space that could have left her sounding overwhelmed.

Produced by Amos, this lushly orchestrated set is at times equally compelling and dynamic, plus effectively demonstrates Amos' acumen as a musician, vocalist, and tunesmith (a scarce commodity these days).

Despite a half decade of keeping relatively quiet, Orton has emerged with a fresh approach, and a batch of songs both intricately gorgeous and, more importantly, a hearty distance from familiar.

The songs never sink to the downbeat morass of its socio-economic subject matter. On the contrary his voice, somewhat like John Lennon's, is boyishly refreshing even when the music is as stark.

These intimate performances are not made for the masses or background listening, and are all the more potent for that.

This is another compelling example of Lavette's finely tuned interpretative talents taking songs to places you might not have imagined.

Murder By Death reach a new plateau in the development of their ongoing pursuit of rollicking gothic indie folk, simultaneously sounding born of an era long past yet grounded in a rock 'n' roll spirit that's nothing if not contemporary.

It feels like the band is playing it a tad safe here.

This is mood music, so little jumps out as the songs melt together. But a little goes a long way.

It's not perfect, but it's perfectly Mumford & Sons.

Unfortunately, The Sound Of The Life Of The Mind loses a little steam after that outstanding opening trifecta, either when Folds leans too heavily on his flashy lyricism or downplays his band's instrumental strengths.

Because of a noticeable lack of recognizable names contributing Lowe covers, the scope of this 14 track set is considerably more modest, but no less enjoyable.

Nobody's asking the Killers to restock their eyeliner, but if they insist on making everything so over-the-top, it would serve them well to crack a smile every now and then.

Charmer is at its finest during the most subdued, quietly detailed stretches, which veer closer to what we've heard from Mann on past efforts.

Young's idea of fun is based on an uneasy mix of cheap valedictory philosophizing and infantile daydreaming.

For how uncharacteristic it might seem for a band whose greatest gift, all along, was nuance, this louder take suits the band brilliantly.

Band of Horses have embraced a more mature, laid back kind of rock on Mirage Rock, and it's a comfortable, cozy fit.

These songs evoke images and conjure emotions that are as descriptive and riveting as any printed word.

There's no shortage of catchy, bopping crowd pleasers on The Carpenter, and the Avetts churn them out with gusto and pride.

There isn't much break from the gravitas throughout these dozen character driven, often lyrically obtuse songs, almost all of them sung from the first person perspective.

North seems destined to forever relegate Matchbox Twenty into the next generation of unremarkable dad rock.

Morissette's poetic discourse of intimately describing her feelings still abounds, but is elegantly emoted here with cool restraint.

Tempest is fantastic, but being impressed by Dylan is old hat. That he still finds ways to surprise us is an achievement beyond all comprehension.

The Odessa Tapes shows this was from the start a talented band, one with a clear vision of itself, that was going to Nashville with pride in its performing abilities and material.

The album in a nutshell: a broken heart carried with poise, good humor and endless charm.

The album's longer numbers (four of the ten songs are five minutes or longer) are the more successful ones, as they're better able to stretch out and create a suitably hypnotic mood.

Stone's in fine, strutting voice but the sensitive hesitation of a new singer tackling soul gems ten years ago is replaced by confidence that leads to a tendency to oversing as her star has risen.

For a songwriter with nearly two decades of performing under her belt, Marshall has never sounded so youthful or commanding.

This is a striking, exciting debut crafted with a confident, crackling urgency that makes this music leap out of the speakers.

This CD/DVD combo, recorded in September 2011, shows the 73-year-old Shaver still has plenty of gas left in his tank.

With nearly 80 minutes of music that will make you hear these 17 tunes in new ways, and in most cases drive you back to the originals to stare and compare, this is one of the few covers sets that pushes boundaries but still remains respectful to a classic band and its bulging catalog of timeless music.

It's a record well worth listening to, and such a myriad of sounds.

These acoustic performances are laid back but sizzle with the soul of the blues.

Not only is Handwritten The Gaslight Anthem's best album, but it's also one of the best albums of 2012.

By adding little touches like a gospel call and response ("Bones") and a haunting, echoing choir ("Always Waiting"), the listening becomes a more rewarding experience.

Yeah, it's the new OCMS album and, not surprisingly, it's simple and great (and simply great).

Even at only eight tunes clocking in under a half hour, this is a sincere, heartfelt and often riveting performance that might bring those who had lost the Adams map back into the fold.

It's beautifully conceived, timeless music perfect for pity parties, languid Sunday mornings or times when introspection doesn't need to mean wallowing in sorrow.

The album is best absorbed gradually, likely over repeated plays with no distractions.

Oceania sounds louder, better, and altogether more revelatory than any Pumpkins album in years.

At 10 tracks clocking in at about 35 minutes, it leaves you wanting more .

This is music for relaxing and enjoying the good times, after all, delivered with just enough abandon to make sure you know these guys can really play--and more than enough hooks to keep the hit songs coming.

Feat stomp and strum their way through a pretty good batch of new tunes that capture the band's distinctive musical gumbo but aren't exactly classics.

This melodic yet dynamic punk seems to have been created in the early '80s, a high compliment and one the band is likely to embrace far more than the realization that the disc's title is impossible to fulfill.

Country rock done right, ie: without anyone taking themselves too seriously.

Sun Midnight Sun, which deftly combines all these forces--bluegrass, folk, indie rock, pop, country--into something that sounds smooth and comfortable in its identity, where others might just sound jumbled.

Chesney has an uncanny knack for finding top-shelf material which sounds autobiographical and mixing it with his own to craft a uniquely distinguishable musical statement.

The band's newest album is likely to alienate longtime followers and music snobs alike, but will undoubtedly excite newer fans who embraced their massive smash hit "Moves Like Jagger."

It's clearly a labor of love but should also help Walker's tunes (and extensive career) get discovered by Snider's younger, hipper fan base.

This scrap of a record is nothing more than something a hardcore collector adds to the library for completion's sake.

This 2-hour double disc captures all the excitement and improvisational interplay of the gigs.

Like an open wound, The Idler Wheel isn't always pretty, but it pulses with life, brutal and true.

There's an undeniably unsettled, even creepy gothic quality to her noir approach that takes hold early and gradually ratchets up as the eleven tunes gently tangle and unwind.

Another dozen perfectly crafted ringing nuggets that pick up where 1982's "Repercussion," the last album that featured the original lineup, left off.

[A] well meaning but ultimately disappointing release.

Patti Smith builds upon her already impressive career for one of her finest, least commercial but most enticing and entrancing albums.

Production by the professional but slick and synth loving Jeff Lynne sands off the rough edges where Walsh used to thrive.

It's his easiest, least labored sounding record in years, still lushly produced yet not overly fussy.

A mongrel that rewards repeated spins with an understanding of Branan's many influences and an appreciation for his largely impressionistic, thought- provoking words.

Despite her solo catalog, Hogan has hidden in the shadows too long; this stunning set shows she's ready for the spotlight.

Neil Young and Crazy Horse, when they're at the top of their game like they are here, can make music of any origin rock.

Born and Raised a prime example of the John Mayer paradox--it's good enough to satisfy even his most casual fans, but the old-school Mayerisms that remain will only anger his detractors.

Fleet Foxes producer/engineer/mixer Phil Ek warms up the band's previously chilly sound to yield arguably their best, and certainly most accomplished album yet.

The singer is in fine voice and seems inspired by this outlaw move to revive the time-honored music he loved when he first hit Nashville as an impressionistic kid in 1972.

Early Takes Volume 1 might just be the ultimate George Harrison compilation because it pays such respect to that voice in terms of how it sounded and what it had to say, reminding us just how much we miss hearing it today.

As an album, Valtari might not be the band's masterwork, but it very well could be their re-birth.

This set's downbeat musings about life's foibles is ominously compelling.

Even though Deer Tick's punky, yowling take on hillbilly country-rock is a close relative to Diamond Rugs' own sound, it's more of a first cousin than an identical twin, and the few songs that deviate from the Deer Tick template are some of the album's most enjoyable.

The Body Wins stands as something of a transitional work for Jaffe, but it's an impressive album for wherever her musical journey takes her.

While the set of songs on this album may not count among the best of McCartney's career, they definitely provide a pleasurable listen for both casual fans and ardent supporters alike.

It's hard to say whether Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros has hit their stride with Here, their second album--but it's safe to say that it brings forth just as much energy as the band's 2009 debut, Up From Below.

The veteran guitarist's 36th album is a predominantly instrumental set that tries too hard to do too much over its hour long length.

This 30 minute set [provides] a crazed, occasionally unhinged yet always riveting experience.

You'd be mistaken to pass up the greatest album of Loudon Wainwright III's four-decade career, and an easy frontrunner for this year's best album, period, as 2012 enters its second half.

Suffice it to say that unless you simply need to own everything Janis touched, this package is of negligible value. Newcomers will be better served by the 2005 edition with its powerful concert material showing how Joplin and the scrappy Full Tilt reinterpreted her earlier work.

The impact of Bloom lingers long after Scally's last guitar moan and Legrand's last breathy sigh, making you want to cue it up all over again and wallow anew in Beach House's existential abyss.

Offering up a populist mix of original compositions, covers of cowboy classics and contemporary songs in equal measure. This frequently ends up frustrating.

The songs are solid but the disc is greater than the sum of its parts as it congeals around Hubbard's confessional, often personal memories.

Don't let this sweet, fiery gem slip away.

While previous efforts seemed a bit unfocused and disseminated, Blown Away is more thematic and unified, resulting in Underwood's strongest effort to date, which easily leaves her previous releases twisting in the wind.

The musical leaps Punch Brothers takes are invigorating, sometimes breathtaking.

Mermaid Avenue project is essential for showing that Woody Guthrie could illuminate what was going on inside of him as well as he could detail the plight of his fellow man.

While the result doesn't justify the buildup, there is no doubt that frontwoman Brittany Howard is a major talent.

The punchy songs and spontaneous performances are contagious in their jittery energy.

Votolato's clear eyed honesty about what seems to be a crumbling long-term relationship as reflected in often nature inspired lyrics, is thought provoking, melancholy, remarkably personal and ultimately revealing of sober truths many have felt in the same situation.