This is the thinking person's dance music with lyrical content to match.

Those familiar with '80s funk trio the Gap Band will find a decidedly modern R&B sound on the second Jive solo album from frontman Charlie Wilson, which by turns is both riveting and a little disappointing.

While Marsalis' verse falters, the music beams stellar with lyrical rhapsodies and compelling arrangements imbued with multifarious colors and orchestral textures.

Dennen's tenuous vocals (and lyrics) are better suited to silly love songs than this sort of material, and though producer John Alagia knows how to make the guitars jingle and jangle and how to work up a soft, swimmy groove, Dennen needs a little more to rise out of the ever-growing multitude of sensitive guitar dudes.

This debut can't quite capture the wide-eyed euphoria of a Klaxons live show, but readymade anthems like "Golden Skans," "Totem on the Timeline" and "Magick" will energize dance fans and rockers alike.

The formula isn't quite as fresh here as it has been on previous outings; after a few tracks, the amped-up glee-club vibe can begin to wear on all but the most devoted of nerves.

Although Metric might get lost in the ongoing mainstream melee, "Live It Out" has all the right ingredients for building a strong underground fan base. [29 Oct 2005]

A moody, yet seemingly sprawling album of (mostly) instrumentals that rely on the evolving crescendo to make a statement.

A nearly perfect collection.

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

Taking pages out of some very strong playbooks (think Superchunk, Guided by Voices, early Wilco), the Whigs find a way to revive honest-to-goodness pop rock for a new generation.

Despite a few lyrical missteps ("Future Pt. 1"), "Voxtrot" is generally insightful and emerges as a promising debut. [26 May 2007]

Snoop Dogg's ninth album is perhaps his most progressive one to date.

Hank Williams III has always respected his lineage, but he gives it even more love at the outset of his poignant and pugnacious sixth album.

Ultimately, the change in direction will likely raise a few eyebrows among some diehard fans, which isn't to say the songs here aren't noteworthy in their own right.

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

Not to be outdone by the generation of singers he has influenced, he raises the bar with the 19-track set.

The Scottish quartet offers guitar-rich tunes that are as remarkably literate as they are emotionally challenging.

In a sea of trend-conscious releases, "Breach" will wash over the senses like a cool, refreshing breeze. Although it's a completely contemporary and competitive entry into today's market, you won't find even the tiniest musical element that will render this set irrelevant or outdated in 10 years.

From the first strains of 'Haiku'--an opening instrumental that merges the acid squelches of early rave with an insistent breakbeat and--yes!--congas--it's obvious that this guy's aesthetic is so clear to him that mixing disparate elements is a breeze.

On his first release since reuniting the original Joe Jackson Band in 2004, Jackson is at the top of his game as a writer, singer and player.

This Montreal band's Anti- debut is a far more calculated, robust affair than its first album, 2006's "Return to the Sea."

In all, "Cover Magazine" may be one of the slightest of Giant Sand's albums, but after nearly 20 years of varying takes on moody, twilight hallucinations, it arrives like a sigh of relief, a much-deserved break from the norm.

Style trumps substance in Stefani's world, making "Love, Angel, Music, Baby" an ideal guilty pleasure.

"This will be a better year," sing the Shakes on 'Strictly Game.' If based purely on the imagination shown in this innovative album, it will be.

While "Hives" isn't as easy to digest as previous Broken Social Scene outings, it still deserves many a spin.

The New York quartet retains its flair for dramatic images and ominous guitar lines on its major-label debut, but with producer/ mixer Rich Costey onboard, these signatures uncoil into more complex soundscapes.

This sounds very much like the record Deana Carter has always wanted to make