Born This Way isn't the landmark record it could or should be.

His charmingly loony and unpredictable qualities are plenty evident over the course of these five hours of music and often unhinged patter. Sound quality varies of course, with the dodgiest not surprisingly on the late 70s tracks, but when you're dealing with this type of raw power, pristine audio is almost a detriment.

With the release of a beautiful new record Follow Me Down, it's time to proceed past the astonishment of Jarosz's remarkable age and acknowledge her place among the prestigious group of musicians currently pursuing acoustic music to exciting and progressive new heights.

Underneath slicker production and diminished guitar usage, are the same melodies and introspective, angsty songwriting, only this time the band may come off as occasionally happy.

Inclusions is a thoughtful and thoroughly imaginative album about what a huge and complicated undertaking it is to truly relate to other human beings, what with all our mismatches in expectations and differences in background, experience and belief.

Although Augustana may not be the year's most cutting-edged release, it is full of strong, if not extraordinary material, which is sure to leave an indelible impression on admirers of pop/rock.

They've perfected the balance of gorgeous songwriting and rabid musicianship, so we can't wait to see what they do next.

For a band that many hoped might come roaring back from Where Are They Now? purgatory with engines in overdrive, this is bound to be a letdown.

his Modern Glitch encapsulates true maturity, both musically and emotionally.

When all is said and done, Angles could make for an exciting introduction to a new chapter for The Strokes, or it could be a disappointing swan song.

According to Paul Simon, his new album So Beautiful Or So What is the best work he has done in decades. That's a bold proclamation. Even more startling: it's not hyperbole.

Each song revisits some real or imagined past that leaves the narrator empty-handed or disappointed, culminating in the impassioned mid-album plea for faith and renewal.

Give Collapse a few listens. The potential is there.

Harris' vocal approach to her folk-based songs, ballads or mid-tempo, is infused with the presence of a time-traveler, visiting modern America from a pre-pop-culture place where music is in the air rather than the airwaves.

With T Bone Burnett's production and Burnett's usual cast of top-notch players (including Sara Watkins on fiddle and vocals), Earle's got another winner. Grammy or not.

Ultimately, this record shows what can go really right when artists push the boundaries. Times New Viking purists fear not, though, the grit's still there and the edges are still rough; they've just dusted off the surface so you can see a bit more of the shine that's been there all along.

The 11 songs on Rockpango show the brothers are not only masters of their art but have a comfort level in their maturing sound that allows them to expand it without losing its essence.

At turns witty, sarcastic, evasive and chilling, Dylan's mercurial song-cycle takes listeners from the exuberant opener, through the sarcastic jibes of "Talkin' John Birch Paranoid Blues" and into the bleak sorrow of "Ballad of Hollis Brown."

It shows his restless ambition as an artist, but not his ability to make a great, lasting musical statement.

While most of the songs fall into the folk-rock category, the album still displays an impressive range.

It's been a cold three years since 2008's garage-synthy third album Midnight Bloom, but their new effort Blood Pressures is more than worth the wait.

Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit's Here We Rest is not what you'd call easy listening.

Ultimately, this album will not convince any non-believers. But fans will find a lot to love, and perhaps even notice and enjoy the increased quality of musicianship as they bask in that all-girl garage-fuzz-pop glow and inch towards a future in hi-fi.

Not everything is so different though, and in a good way. The Foo Fighters still adhere to the formula that sells out arenas from London to Japan.

In the end there are no real surprises here; this is just another solid recording from AKUS which the band's fans will no doubt enjoy.

Robertson recruited heavyweights such as Steve Winwood, bassist Pino Palladino and co-producer Marius de Vries to record twelve tracks that wade in soulful atmospheric moods and personal lyrical introspection on this generally inspired comeback.

At times, Amore sounds like a modern Goth-rock romantic tragedy, full of heartbreak and despair, but the pain Atkins expresses in her lyrics ultimately results in the album's most pleasurable moments.

Keys to the Kingdom is both a tribute to and a continuation of the Dickinson musical tradition.