A strong collection of quick, higher-energy rockers.

A gorgeous collection that is equal parts country and rock, joy and (more often than not) pain.

"Love Kraft" is as cohesive a record as the group has yet produced.

But as opposed to Blink, which powers straight ahead with scatological juvenility, the Offspring bridges punk with change-ups of metal and traditional rock and brings a more sarcastic wit to its observations of male teen angst.

On his sophomore album, the Washington, D.C., native offers a flawless blend of serene, soulful music with emotion-filled lyrics about his love, respect and appreciation for women.

Brooklyn's working class heroes have stepped up their musicality (harpsichord is featured on "One for the Cutters") and melodic balladry ("Lord, I'm Discouraged" is an aching prayer), while still providing their signature cacophonous anthems.

Perfect Symmetry bursts out of the gate with a suite of giddy, '80s-inflected Brit pop songs that, surprisingly, suit the band well.

After nearly 30 years, the trio--now comprising Gore, Dave Gahan and Andrew Fletcher--still imbue every aspect of its 12th studio album, Sounds of the Universe, with imagery and sonic flourishes that make its music fresh and familiar.

Every song sparkles with a hook or lyrical element strong enough to permanently embed the brain upon impact.

This release is comparable to 2004's stunning "Last Exit" in that every song has its own merits yet feels part of a greater whole.

They still pen power-pop tunes so utterly irresistible—"Someone to Love," "This Better Be Good," "Strapped for Cash"—that they deserve to be every bit as ubiquitous at radio as the elements of the album's title. Oh, and they're still brilliant. [2 Apr 2007]

Chock-full of glockenspiel, keyboards, hand claps and boy-girl harmonies, Youngster is playful and fun.

Pierce ties the dark to the light with poetic folk ballads like closing lullaby "Goodnight Goodnight," making A&E a strange and pleasing concoction of old and new.

Indie rock's favorite (and most prolific) red-headed woman has never sounded more assured than she does on this solo-billed set, a soaring, brisk rumination on love and other matters that comes with a dusty tinge befitting its Arizona roots.

"Spirit Stereo Frequency" unburies the dark side of this wistfulness by scrambling it with deep bouts of psychedelia and ghostly falsetto croons. The result is a debut that captures the vicissitudes of the past with greater authenticity and interesting sonic flair.

This is hip-hop for another era, one that makes the present day commercial U.S. material seem even more flat than it already is.

White Rabbits recruited Spoon frontman Britt Daniel to produce It's Frightening, an appealingly audacious move that reveals just how tightly these guys define their sound. That self-awareness is apparent in the band's music as well--nothing seems out of place in these tidily arranged soul-punk tunes, most of which revolve around piano and bass rather than guitar.

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.

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

It's the beats and production that really define an RZA release, and they're as intoxicating as ever on Digi Snacks.

While it's still age-appropriate for minors, Breakout is for the big kids too.

Jamiroquai continues to mine a musical playing field that pays homage to such soul, funk, and disco artists as Stevie Wonder, Curtis Mayfield, and Chic.

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

The "Gangster" portion of the record is, as you'd expect, effortlessly strong.

There's a lot to love here.

Carey's made a pop album with equal parts levity and gravity.

Clarkson's always had the best throaty yell in the business. But now she's becoming a masterful interpreter too.

Few songwriters can express these mundane intricacies of melancholia free from morose affectation, but Rouse's heartbreak and hurt sounds honest and natural, inviting you to share his pain.