At its best, "Golden Pollen" is graceful, intricately planned and divinely produced.... On occasion though, the set can be downright boring. [23 Jun 2007]

'Social Development Dance' is an accurate representative of Back and Fourth as a whole--an introspective, guitar-driven effort that's worthy of praise, despite some minor missteps.

The band is now more of a collaborative project than a Jon Auer-and-Ken Stringfellow-with-hired-guns proposition, and it shows in the eloquence of the songs here.

Frusciante channels his creative spirits through a homegrown hybrid of early '80s new wave and late '60s acid rock that sounds a lot better than it reads on paper.

If there were any doubts about how Darius Rucker would fare in the country world, the Hootie & the Blowfish frontman puts them solidly to rest on his genre debut.

Light on filler, "The DEFinition" proves that, after 21 years in the industry, LL is as relevant as many of his contemporaries.

Tends more toward the "dance" elements of IDM than the "intelligent," reducing UNKLE's trip-hop origins and innovative beats to overdrawn synth wank-fests.

A welcome return. [22 Oct 2005]

Sadly, the album is reminiscent of everything he has already done.

Reptile shows the guitar legend continuing to explore classic blues-derived sounds with palpable sincerity and conviction.

Despite these minor flaws, "The Hunger for More" serves its purpose in establishing Banks as a new voice in hip-hop.

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

Not surprisingly, its 11 songs bristle with an urgency that more closely resembles (but rocks harder than) Travis' 1997 debut "Good Feeling" than 2007's sumptuously crafted "The Boy With No Name," with a decidedly uptempo countenance and plenty of room for lead guitarist Andy Dunlop's riffs, solos and fills.

It often feels sluggish despite itself, and his lyrics show him riding against the same old Michigan wind with a voice that's grown haggard and curmudgeonly with time.

"I Try," featuring Blige and produced by Kanye West, comes off as trying too hard to re-create Kweli's "Quality" hit, "Get By." The album works best when it goes with the flow.

"Guerolito" proves that remixes do not have to work solely for dance crossover: They can give a well-received album new legs among its original fans, too. [17 Dec 2005]

"Per Second..." finds Wheat in the midst of an identity crisis, attempting to balance largely superb songs with an exasperating presentation.

Kelly has an uncanny ability to mix retro sounds with tasty dollops of contemporary seasoning.

Clinic continues to wrap its post-punk jitter around a surprisingly tender core.

For his second solo studio record, the Quannum Projects godfather veers left from his sample-centric background and into something that should be highly pleasing to anyone who enjoyed hip-hop in 1988.

The album is a refreshing mix of thoughtfulness and testosterone.

Dig Out Your Soul, however, is the sound of a band rediscovering its snarl.

The strong stories that Keys spins are complemented by deft musical arrangements that integrate more rock and pop into her enriched old-school vibe.

With Butch Vig producing, there is an extra coat of studio sheen on anthemic rockers ('Big Casino'), finger-snapping dance-y numbers ('Always Be') and such borderline Fall Out Boy-sounding political shout-outs as 'Electable (Give It Up).'

The collection either encapsulates Sonic Youth's most endearing or annoying qualities, depending on how one feels about the band and the spoken-word poetics from Kim Gordon.

One of the most shiny and potent--albeit melancholy--synth-pop albums of the year.

Each song is meticulously constructed, and feels like a musical soundtrack to lush, magical worlds.

The beauty of the record is that even though listeners expect Ween to be peculiar, the band's versatility and strength of songwriting keeps "White Pepper" intriguing through dozens of spins.