The album has an undeniable flip-flop feel throughout; like the unplugged soul-chick hoedown Beyoncé tried to conjure at the end of the "Irreplaceable" video.

The strengths of "All Rise" are understatement and simplicity; while George may not shock you, it's because she never meant to.

12 tracks of fun, lighthearted rock tunes that are each instantly hummable.

As a singer, Kristofferson remains a hell of an actor, but there is a lot to love about this record. [11 Mar 2006]

'4 Minutes,' with Timberlake, is already a top three Billboard Hot 100 hit, and harmonious ballad 'Miles Away' might be some of her best work yet. But it feels familiar.

At times, there's a lack of consistency with too many ideas thrown onto the table, but it's that diversity heard throughout Nutini's sophomore effort that gives this AC singer/songwriter a leg up.

The act's most melodic and accessible album of its career.

Satisfying. [9 Jun 2007]

Rockferry splits its time between paying tribute to its source material and knocking it off, but its principal's vocals, and generally pleasing wall-of-sound treatment, make it a good move anyway.

Callahan's songs occasionally lapse into banal rhyming patterns, but more often than not he masters the metaphor.

"Surprise" falls shy of a masterpiece, but it is consistently engaging and offers some of Simon's most creative songs in two decades.

Fans will notice a more organic, rougher approach to the formula of jazz chords, pretty dissonance and summery melody lines. [12 May 2007]

With Steve Turner's guitar a buzzing hangover and Mark Arm snarling with irresistibly creepy restraint, Mudhoney's eighth studio album finds the band rocking like it's 1988 . . . or 2008.

Ultimately, "Moon" may frustrate because it really is a little bit of everything: spastic, Talking Heads-ish funk ("Tiny Cities Made Of Ashes"), campfire acoustic yarns ("3rd Planet," "Gravity Rides Everything"), and Sonic Youth-ish rock epics ("The Cold Part," "The Stars Are Projectors").

Though his singular identity doesn't translate necessarily into a singular sound, there's plenty in his road-tested formula for fans of soulful, organic hip-hop to like. [12 May 2007]

Last 2 Walk should satisfy longtime Three 6 fans.

"The Devil and God" plays its hurt with polish and panache, however, as Brand New's textured dynamics marry mood and an aggressive ebb-and-flow on nearly every track. [25 Nov 2006]

An adventurous change of pace that stretches Raitt beyond her previous recordings. [17 Sep 2005]

"Hardest Way" is good, but perhaps not good enough to win him any new fans.

What the disc might lack in substance, it makes up for in some of the best sleazy, synthy, testosterone-fueled electronica since the Prodigy's 'Smack My Bitch Up.'

While "Three" itself is only occasionally lively, thanks to Prewitt's strong grasp of sun-bleached summer music and '60s psychedelia, the disc overflows with good ideas and pretty little melodies.

If this disc has a weakness, it's in the somewhat "samey" feel of a couple of the songs, but at just under 40 minutes it's no biggie.

[Franti's] ambitions pay off on this strapping, if sprawling, collection.

"Honey" is a commendable first effort from an artist whose lush vocals are a treat for the ears no matter the genre.

A song or two with a bit more oomph would have been nice. [28 Jan 2006]

A welcome exercise in versatility.

The 14 tracks find Thompson in typical tasteful form, playing with understated flash that straddles the trans-Atlantic divide to embrace Celtic soul and rootsy Americana, with bits of jazz and Jamaica ("Bad Monkey," "Francesca") thrown into the mix. [2 Jun 2007]

The material from '97 on offers many surprises, particularly a dreamy alternate take on "Someday Baby" from "Modern Times" and the strident "Dreaming of You," which wouldn't have fit at all on "Time Out of Mind. Less essential are the live cuts, which only reinforce how Dylan's unpredictable phrasing and enunciation can render a song transcendent one moment ("Lonesome Day Blues," which sounds sourced from a bootleg), then unrecognizable ("Things Have Changed") or ordinary the next ("Cocaine Blues").

Harvey's first five discs were startlingly complete conceptions. "Stories From The City" shows the same genius -- only in fits and starts.

On first listen, "The Loon" is not as immediate as several key tracks are individually. But after further study, the pieces eventually fall into place, and it becomes clear that this foursome has a solid debut on its hands.

A balanced, lyrically inspiring collection of songs.

A largely effective mix of grime and soul. [25 Mar 2006]

After a four-year break, Usher's fifth set is bursting with grown man, true-to-life tales like leaving his player ways behind ("Before I Met You"), falling in love ("Something Special," "Lifetime" and the title track), making love ("This Ain't Sex") and having a child.

In the studio, Jones and musical friends... distill the fun, down-to-earth spirit of their live shows. [11 Mar 2006]

Teamed with new producer Chris Lindsey and with more time to create than she did in the rush following her run on "American Idol," Kellie Pickler's second album is another solid step toward country stardom.

At first blush, Lanois' music is flowery wallpaper, but on repeated listens the colorful textures sink in and evoke a hushed mysticism.

Fans of Queens Of The Stone Age, and to a degree Death From Above 1979, will probably be attracted to "The Indian Tower," but from the get go, there are noticeable differences that make the album a unique contribution.

The first-time pairing with Rubin has resulted in a surprisingly cohesive mix of country and rock tunes.

Morello shows us that he's a) a facile acoustic guitar player, too, b) a better than serviceable singer and c) an intelligent and passionate social commentator and protest singer. [28 Apr 2007]

Though highly amusing, the bouts of empowerment on "Teaches" can grow monotonous, due to similar-sounding songs.

As each quiet-loud-quiet song cycles through its emotional peaks and valleys, the band considerately adds, subtracts and multiplies conflicting elements and melodies to complete the picture. [24 Feb 2007]

The bulletproof Nickelback provides affordable fun that promises good returns in hard times.

The set is best taken as a hardcore thrash scrapbook that immortalizes how Grohl spent some of his downtime from Foo Fighters: It has captured the memory and fierce emotion instead of being concerned with structure.

Shows his growth as an MC.

Wonderfully whimsical.

On the Missy Elliott-assisted 'Bad Girl,' the group croons about its seductive ways over heavy drums, while the bass-laden 'Sucka for Love' finds it confessing to being "addicted to kissing and hugging/touching and rubbing."

While the songs have a tendency to run together with an overall sameness, the album as a whole is greater than its individual parts.

Throughout the 19 tracks, the group comes across as confident and capable of charming in varying motifs across the rock spectrum.

"Monkey House" was the band's experiment in '80s synth-rock, and with Elavedo's touch, the razor-sharp, reflective edges of the album's space-age cogs are smoothed and rounded, with the bright-hot electro-pop brought closer to loungey funk.

Cracker sounds like it's having fun again.

Patton is either a musical genius or one lucky mad scientist. [3 Jun 2006]

Legend's voice remains beyond reproach, but for a guy who's an oasis of style and soul in a sea of synthetic, robo-call R&B, at times it seems like he's playing catch-up.

A blur of primal guitar stomp wrapped in a menacing swirl of vintage organs and distorted vocals.

The album isn't a certified classic like earlier GBV favorites "Alien Lanes" and "Under the Bushes, Under the Stars," but it does have a healthy dollop of Pollard's trademark effortless pop perfection.

These guys seem comfortable with the added sheen--a few tracks could be the Killers covering the Misfits--but Skiba's tunes aren't quite as memorable as those on earlier Alkaline Trio discs, which blunts the overall effect.

Furr is a more consistent body of work, a perfect fall soundtrack rife with woodsy imagery.

Fatboy Slim (aka electronica pioneer Norman Cook) succeeds at the daunting task of assembling material that smartly courts pop listeners, while simultaneously maintaining loyalty to the club underground that's nurtured his career.

Robinson's lyrics get a bit too precious.

Sometimes this all-inclusive attitude falls flat, like on the trading male-female vocals of "Tiny Paintings" or the collective shouting that is littered throughout. Yet when everyone harmonizes together on "Maybe You Can Owe Me" and "Do the Whirlwind" it sounds unforced.

Dave Gahan wisely returns to the highly synthesized electronica of his main band Depeche Mode.

Watershed, k.d. lang's new torch-and-twang exploration, will hover delicately in the background of many a coffee shop, but it does little to elevate itself to a more conscious musical experience.

She remains a monster vocalist just getting started.

The set oozes with timely funk beats and the kind of well-crafted songs that No. 1 hits are made of.

While, at times, Voyage to India seems a bit too preachy, Arie has a way of bringing everything together in a very palatable way.

As nihilistic and hostile as ever.

The Fray is a more angst-filled and melancholy set than you'd expect from a group following up a double-platinum debut, populated with songs about lost love and tortured souls. But hand-wringing music sells.

Jhelli Beam finds this prominent member of the West Coast underground hip-hop coalition Project Blowed challenging his unique flow and uncanny wordplay at every roundabout turn, rhyming against a tsunami of samples crafted by such L.A.-based production wizards as Daedelus and Nobody, among others.

Tailor-made for post-club chill-out sessions, as well as weekend brunches at hip cafés, Details delights with warm electronic beats, organic guitars, and multi-tiered strings.

Davies' first solo studio collection has all the tasty ingredients that epitomized the Kinks--primarily Davies' knowing lyrics and world-weary vocals. [25 Feb 2006]

It's the shimmering beauty of the title track, an overhaul of the Christine McVie-penned Fleetwood Mac tune, where Adams and Nelson's styles most seamlessly, and quite beautifully, mesh. [4 Nov 2006]

His third record with the Catholics, "Dog In The Sand," furthers the ex-Pixies frontman's recent explorations into bare-bones rock'n'roll.

The new album's lyrical plotlines feel more organized than on past efforts, and musical twists are easier to follow, with Matthew's piano grounding the recording.

An album to return to again and again, whose depth grows with every spin.

There are some real gems here. [12 May 2007]

The back half is all over the place, prone to the sort of detours that seem designed solely to show off Mos' scope, like the all-Spanish throwaway 'No Hay Nada Mas.' Still, when's he's on, which is more than not, Mos is refocused and seemingly rededicated.

It still has the signature guitar-drums-violin approach, but there are subtle variations that make this a different record.

Though, at times, the lyrics are a bit too sentimental ("Time") and production is spotty, "In My Own Words" should have listeners clinging to Ne-Yo's every word. [4 Mar 2006]

A delightfully breezy and refreshingly hopeful chill-out solo disc. [24 Feb 2007]

"II" conjures a creepy but very real neo-psychedelia that is alternately paranoid, somber and reflective.

Hungry Bird is a charming and welcome return to form for Barzelay.

While his talent as a lyricist may leave something to be desired, you can't fault the guy for his dedication to putting a smile on the listener's face.

Moonwink is a very good album by most standards, except by comparison to "Nicely Done."

While some tunes, like the Columbo-background-music-ready title track, suffer for their weightlessness ('Metronomic Underground,' we miss you), the Motown-meets-Esquivel 'Self Portrait With Electric Brain' and beat-oriented electro of 'Valley Hi!' and 'Pop Molecule' read as exquisitely wrought.

Looks at the Bird falls somewhere between chamber jazz and background music, a pleasant drift of different ideas that come in and out of focus like elements of a nice dream.

A relatively solid return that should bring some new fans into the flock. [12 May 2007]

The Vocoder on the a cappella track 'Woods' puts forth a robotic wooziness that's more about technical expression than personal sentiment. With full-band backing, Vernon also seems more social on the title track and 'Babys.' What remains from "For Emma" is a dizzying and ethereal beauty.

The Trashcans toil on their songs, and at times, it shows -- but all it takes is the 4:10 melodic blizzard of "All the Dark Horses" to sum up what all that sweat was about: birthing pure bliss.

This is some of Cornell's most uncomplicated and accessible music to date. [9 Jun 2007]

Occasional clunkers aside, the impassioned delivery and stripped-down G-funk grooves are still more potent than plenty of efforts by rappers half Cube's age.

[A] return... to more familiar territory.

The lyrics brim with grouchy wit. [24 Mar 2007]

While the casual listener may tire of the repetitive synthiness of Anxiety Always, fans of the genre will dig the act's '80s-inflected tunes.

Beyond ballads, "Black & Blue" crackles with funk-inflected uptempo ditties that are notable for their rough edges.

The overall tone of the album isn't entirely dark and hopeless, although Lightburn fails to leave us with any specific resolve, instead content for some questions to remain unanswered.

While her voice has lost some of its power through the years, "Mimi" deftly showcases her still-considerable pipes with strong lyrics and slick production.

Key to the success of the disc is Krall's stretch on the keys, making this her strongest jazz outing.

Its debut U.S. set showcases its accessible modern rock and frontman Paul Noonan's ambitious lyrics.

"Underneath" spotlights a more mature, melodic pop-rock Hanson.