It's an invigorating, electric blend that is pushed over the top by lyrics that are smart and spiritual without ever pressing too hard.

There hasn't been this entertaining or hard-rocking an Aerosmith album since who-knows-when.

Sure to convince doubters and win new fans, the set roars with the sort of fire rarely seen from a group with four albums under its belt.

While "Golden Greats" features some intriguing tracks and a healthy dose of Brown's trademark bravado, it doesn't come close to ringing in as powerfully as that of the Roses' era-defining sound.

With few female MCs truly representing these days, Northern State's "All City" is a breath of fresh air.

It's not all killer, but some impressive tracks lurk within.

Rock's in a comfort zone on his first album in four years, a solid effort that makes up with work ethic and historical good will what it lacks in door-blowing moments.

To be sure, the quiet side is the more powerful.

This song-by-song re-creation of Judy Garland's iconic 1961 Carnegie Hall performance, staged there by Rufus Wainwright in 2006, seems better-suited to a cabaret act.

Despite it being more rock-oriented than 2005's "The Beekeeper," this album isn't much of a sonic progression, and it takes a while for "Posse" to find its voice. [5 May 2007]

Another satisfying collection of quick, riff-happy new wave/punk rock that, while no match for its first album, was nonetheless worth the wait.

One of the year's best.

If it all seems messy, it isn't. GCH sounds like an American utopia, where everyone coexists joyfully and thrives on the diversity.

More hit than miss. [30 Jun 2007]

One thought-provoking knockout anthem after another marks the uplifting debut by this New Hampshire quartet.

Offers a more diverse song mix than one might expect. [18 Nov 2006]

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

A soul-searching set that recalls such pre-"Let's Dance" collections as Heroes and Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps).

Libertad is one of those sophomore albums that builds on the strengths of the first and offers enough fresh stuff to establish a new standard for the band.

What they lack in ingenuity, they make up for by turning each song into a full-out event. [4 Mar 2006]

The artists seem to have brought the best out of each other, and the result is much better than just hearing them go through the motions.

Thanks to Richie's confidently grown-up vocals and his consistently mature subject matter--here's a guy whose romantic timeline stretches past tonight to 'Forever and a Day,' as one track puts it--Just Go never sounds calculated or desperate.

The result is simple and sparse, but more satisfying than heavier-handed electronic projects.

Made to be played loud on a grand automobile sound system, "Origin Vol. I" is big fun.

The set is at once Slipknot's most ambitious and accessible outing to date, with a broad palette of sounds and textures that shift faster than Michael Phelps off the starting block.

The bottom end booms like a cannon, the dual guitars masterfully shriek and Halford's screeches tingle the spine.

A disjointed affair on first listen, "Security Screening" eventually reveals itself as the mirror image of main man Scott Herren's multiple musical personalities. [11 Feb 2006]

Elect the Dead, his first full-length solo effort, boasts the same kind of arty arrangements and cascading dynamics as SOAD's ouvre, a sign that while guitarist Daron Malakian is often considered the band's mad genius, Tankian's elastic, expressive vocals are as integral to its character.