A wonderful disc. [3 Dec 2005]

By pulling from alt rock's elite past to concoct its own primitive magic, Ikara Colt has come up with a rock solid first album.

Challengers won't surprise anyone familiar with the New Pornographers' prior work, but it still manages to be refreshing and exultant.

Throughout, eerie production touches (metallic clinks and synth bleeps on 'Where in This World') and organic sounds (acoustic guitars and glockenspiel on the title track) fit seamlessly to form the Notwist's most charming and complex work to date.

Sonically rich, Lost in Space is home to some of Mann's most intimate storytelling.

Pearl Jam is fully, comprehensively re-energized.

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

This second solo album is so strong that a listening moves from why to why-not territory rather quickly.

This time, the gorgeous harmonies and lo-fi ELO homages remain, but the lyrics are more personal.

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

Kasey Chambers has created a series of stirring, passionate songs that capture raw emotion and a simultaneous toughness amidst a blend of country, blues, and folk musical influences.

The veteran artiste holds his ground on a collection that is sure to earn him the respect of not only his old fans but a new generation of listeners raised on sonic provocateurs like Beck, Nine Inch Nails, and Moby.

Because the disc's energetic blend of electronics, robotics, and riffage is so vivacious, it hardly matters that the shadows of Radio 4's predecessors loom large over "Gotham."

A sad and beautiful farewell from one of the most innovative artists of the past decade.

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]

He's embodied literature's most popular archetype--the survivor--by transforming his woes into a reflective, enjoyable album.

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.

Her big sense of humor and little sense of shame should help keep "Impeach" in rotation for incumbent spins.

Smith's vision is as rapturous as ever, and it receives its most focused, impassioned treatment here.

Sounds like something carved out of the earth, a soulful howl of Hendrixian guitars and Zeppelin stomp.

It's clear from the sheer range and energy on this album that McCartney is heeding his own advice.

It has the ambition, enthusiasm and intensity of an artist still pushing the envelope. [27 Jan 2007]

Hope & Glory"--which contains 11 covers and one original--is rich in pleasures, even if it plays more like a highlight reel than a thoroughly imagined work.

Though it could use some portion control, "The Cookbook" still whips up a tasty meal.

"The Joy of Sing-Sing" is an aptly-titled delight aimed straight at alt-pop partisans.

Like its predecessor, the stellar Sleepwalking is steeped in mature songwriting craftsmanship and versatile rhythms that encompass dance, reggae, hip-hop, and left-field ambiance.

The stylistic seesaw between hyperactivity and placidity is almost too much to bear -- and will surely frighten the pets -- but that may be the point.

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.