Train sounds refreshed and relaxed on "For Me, It's You." [4 Feb 2006]

The disc proves Anastasio doesn't need his old bandmates to sizzle, but ought to get back to doing what he does best: kicking out the jams.

Sweeping violins and take-no-prisoners guitars co-exist in producer Tony Visconti's gorgeous glam frame for Escovedo's visionary sound.

Despite Meloy's lofty vocabulary and penchant for themes of antiquity, Decemberists albums are consistently generous with great tunes and charm, and "The Hazards of Love" is no different.

An adventurous singer/songwriter just like her sister Shelby Lynne, the vocally gifted Moorer doesn't shy away from bucking country tradition. In fact, she seems to revel in it.

Though audibly relaxed in their freedom from the label system, the duo delivers a few real emotional stunners.

A wonderfully subtle, often moving collection of acoustic tunes that illuminates Young's incomparable tunesmithing and a voice that can deliver volumes of emotion and subtext in a simple phrase.

The songs here hit with a full-on assault of crunching guitar riffs, distorted, cracked vocals and walls of disorienting feedback, while lyrically, frontman Ben Gibbard visits the moodier and darker corners of his mind.

Dan Auerbach has veered off the garage-rock path now and then throughout the Black Keys' career, and this solo debut reaffirms that he's no one-trick pony.

Whatever their inspiration, new cuts like the oddly pretty 'Lose You' and 'Billionaire,' the latter of which features a fiery cameo from Shunda K of Yo Majesty, throb with unexpected vitality.

Smith bundles subtlety and ferocity to create one of his heart-aching best.

A milestone effort.

Bright guitar hooks, expansive piano and Jimi "Jazz" Prescott's driving bass create tracks like "Wiggle Worm" and "Georgia Brown" that are as engrossing as they are stress-reducing.

Despite detractors, Simpson remains a gifted vocalist who delivers on most every cut.

Jim Jones may be rolling out his fourth studio album (and first major-label release) with off-Broadway plays, documentaries and a movie, but don't get it twisted—the Harlem-born rapper hasn't lost his grime.

A rock-fused, hook-friendly set that ably distances the Philly native from her pop/R&B origins.

The album is laced with spacey, distorted guitar fuzz, delicate '60s pop melodies, groovy basslines and winsome lyrics that coalesce into a unified group of songs from start to finish. [17 Feb 2007]

Marah manages to convey the manic energy that makes it such a great performer, and the result is its best album yet.

Listeners are only too lucky to get a hot breath of summer fun in these cold winter months.

Merritt isn't one of alt-country's most distinctive vocalists; her singing here is wide open and affectless, occasionally to the point of near-anonymity. But instead of making the tunes on Another Country seem forgettable, that quality actually ends up inviting you into the material

Clever but tasteful arrangements and an impeccable shine make songs like 'Same Old Thing' seem anything but.

Although little on Hymn and Her finds Earlimart venturing into new territory, there's a familiarity felt throughout that remains comforting, and sometimes that's just enough.

There's more melody than usual to be found here. [24 Mar 2007]

Ghostface Killah is as wickedly esoteric as ever, Method Man sounds reinvigorated and snapped out of his recent slump, and Raekwon, who's been on record decrying 8 Diagrams, is ice-pick sharp.

This surprisingly lively set finds the former disco diva teaming with a crew of young collaborators--including Greg Kurstin, Danielle Brisebois, Ziggy Marley, J.R. Rotem and Lester Mendez--for a series of uptempo forays into stomping dance-pop, juke-joint blues-rock, breezy Latin jazz and African-accented soul.

There aren't any subpar tunes and no flagging moments as Marsalis, pianist Joey Calderazzo, bassist Eric Revis and drummer Jeff "Tain" Watts deliver a nine-song masterwork.

Santogold pours all that experience into a bracingly eclectic set full of fuzzy New Wave synths, sticky avant-soul melodies, busted-laptop beats and sing-song vocal chants inherited from the likes of Neneh Cherry and Björk. If you've managed to avoid her until now, you won't be able to for much longer.

Given the talent on hand it would take some horrible disaster to sink "Optometry," but the combo actually bests expectations.