What has become increasingly clear is that Devendra Banhart needs an editor.

The album distinguishes itself from Chapman's previous releases with its stellar studio band and its refusal to submit to pop production. [17 Sep 2005]

Overall it's rather tough to get a grip on what they're getting at.

Even with the added string section, Gray has not lost his knack for combining lovely melodies with bittersweet lyrics. [17 Sep 2005]

McCartney continues to surprise, opening this set with four of his best songs in ages. [17 Sep 2005]

An adventurous change of pace that stretches Raitt beyond her previous recordings. [17 Sep 2005]

While there are no surprises in its technique or approach, Sigur Rós has succeeded in making a startlingly beautiful record. [17 Sep 2005]

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

There's not a clunker on "The Weight is a Gift," even if the band never veers far from the indie comfort zone of vague melancholia.

Yearwood can pack more feeling into one line of a song than most artists can on an entire album, and the material on "Jasper County" gives her plenty of opportunity to work her magic. [17 Sep 2005]

Throughout, he manages to dip into old-school doo-wop sounds, grand orchestral ballads and Johnny Cash-inspired country anthems, not at the same time, but almost within their own little worlds.

"Electric Blue Watermelon" consistently demonstrates that they have arrived at a place where their special feel for hill country blues and their Southern rock sensibilities are in sync. [10 Sep 2005]

16 songs of stalwart Stones riffs that almost compensate for generally embarrassing lyrics. [10 Sep 2005]

The Coral's trade has made them less rumbling and more meandering, more coherent but less mysterious.

Rock music this substantive is increasingly rare, but "Plans" delivers beyond expectations.

By the end of this 21-track opus, you still might not like West's self-assured declarations, but you will not be able to deny his talent.

The group has already produced a barrage of great singles, but this time around, it digs in its collective heels for a worthy album, allowing the songs, and not just the musicians, to shine. [27 Aug 2005]

While the batch he's cooked up on his the latest LP... stays true to the songwriting formula that has gained him over a decade of accolades, "Bright Ideas" does, in fact, find McCaughan at his most sonically expansive to date.

No matter how hooky things get, the Warlocks tend to bury each song in the same multi-layered haze of feedback and distortion, as if sheer decibels are the sole element holding everything together.

Anyone expecting something akin to a new Björk studio recording may not enjoy "Drawing Restraint 9," but taken at face value, the disc is a rewarding sidestep. [27 Aug 2005]

With a few notable exceptions... inspiration is just what this album lacks.

The third in a trilogy of introspective masterworks sees no decline in genius but an uptick in rockability. [20 Aug 2005]

Things start out strong... [But] the rest of the material is basically an easy-listening version of the band, with vocals weak enough to be distracting and an over-reliance on multilayered, kitchen sink production. [20 Aug 2005]

Hatfield tears through 12 songs, posturing and pouting over caustic guitars and leaving her singalong hooks raw and unedited. [13 Aug 2005]

Beyond a few faster songs ("Paper Jesus," "Falling"), the album gets lost in its own blandness. [13 Aug 2005]

While lyrically his songs are top-drawer, Thompson's guitar prowess is also noteworthy. [13 Aug 2005]

Hill lets her vocal gifts soar on an outstanding group of songs. [7 Aug 2005]

[A] return... to more familiar territory.