Walking With Thee feels more like a transition record than a definitive statement in its own right.

The 37-year-old singer/songwriter is a new mom in love with her daughter's dad, and the experience has saturated every element of her work, from the warmed-up sound of her voice and guitar, to the lessons learned at the end of her familiar narratives.

If "Trials & Errors" is an advance look at the direction in which Molina is heading, this seems to be a perfect fit for him.

"Because of the Times" is a brooder at heart, and much of the material here is some of the Kings' most demanding to date. It's also among their best. [14 Apr 2007]

It's one of those rare soundtracks that holds up well independent of its film.

Accelerate may not stun on impact like some R.E.M. records, but it's still habit-forming.

Nouns is a more likable and less abrasive version of No Age, with a little something for everyone and a little nothing for no one as well.

She has never sounded so earthy, so bluesy, so soulful.

"Supper" is superior to the particularly subdued sound of its immediately predecessor, "Rain on Lens," landing closer to the Velvet Underground-inspired stomp of 1999's "Knock Knock."

Night Works is dramatic and flirtatious, as well as warm and inviting.

Harris' take on Tracy Chapman's 'All That You Have Is Your Soul' is definitive, and 'Beyond the Great Divide' provides a sublime closing to an album that was well worth the wait.

As on many valiant attempts by electronic artists to cross over, there's too much going on. But Cope succeeds in creating an overall sense of unrest and some moments of electro-transcendence.

Riley's clearly shooting to become hip-hop's answer to Billy Bragg or Steve Earle, and he's getting there. His ambitions outweigh his results, but there's very little about his "Weapon" that won't spark a response.

Equally stands as Six Organs' most accessible and complex collection to date.

The time between now and its 2005 Sub Pop debut, "Apologies to the Queen Mary," allowed the group to more fully develop its sound. At Mount Zoomer expands upon the bits-and-pieces pop approach of its debut into a solid set of rock songs.

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

While not quite as revealing and rewarding as its 2005 cousin, the new album will certainly please fans of Rubin and Diamond's stark-yet-comfy acoustic direction.

Seventh Tree is as deliciously subversive, and in some cases more so, as the duo's past work.

Easily the most adventurous work in the Fog catalog yet.

His voice is beautiful, his phrasing adventurous and his arrangements intense.... But the material could stand a bit of pruning

Special guest vocalists, plus a turn at bat from longtime member Jacob Valenzuela on 'Inspiracion,' add intriguing textures to the 15-song set.

Cease falters when it dips into mediocre balladry ('Detlef Schrempf,' 'Marry Song'), and at a scant 35 minutes, the album at times hints at greatness but ultimately leaves you wanting more.

[It's] hard not to fall in love with each and every song upon first listen.

Much has been made of the fact that Gang Gang Dance named this record after the patron saint of outcasts and rebels, but this effort shows more crossover potential than anything the act has ever done.

His ambitious self-titled solo debut goes a long way in turning over a new musical leaf, thanks to the presence of a top-notch nine-piece band and a host of complex, melodically inventive tunes that could please a wide range of listeners.

A gripping yet comic collection of Americana songs braced with wit, heartbreak, social critique and spirituality. [20 May 2006]

Paisley hits all the right notes, literally and figuratively, weighing in on skinny dippin', beer, fishing, technology, children and women, among other all-American topics.

Soulful and organic, with roots in jazz and funk, Kamaal the Abstract finds Q-Tip not only rhyming in his trademark nasal cadence, but also singing--and surprisingly well to boot.