The appearance of Hood's dad, legendary session man David, gives parts of Murdering Oscar--even within the Southern-rock storm and Hood's charcoal vocals--a sweet, possibly unprecedented sense of tranquility.

Some may find the subtle Fan Dance too unadorned, but its quiet beauty holds real strength.

"Guero" explores all of Beck's influences and revisits so many of his finer ideas. It's not the cheeky soul-funk orgy of "Midnite Vultures," but something more mature.

Easily the radio-friendliest set ever from the Phish camp.

All in all, "How Animals Move" is a slow-burning, understated gem that intrigues and engages in equal measure.

Tori Amos delivers some of the most accessible music of her career, coupled with beautifully obscure lyrics.

A pleasing collection of midtempo songs and ballads brushed with, but not obscured by, a contemporary sheen. [30 Jul 2005]

Weird, and often wonderful. [22 Oct 2005]

It's practically something straight out of the United Kingdom for all of its poppy goodness. [14 Apr 2007]

Buck may not be as charismatic or as lyrically compelling as his cohorts, but he still makes a strong impression.

Too many tracks get bogged down with a straight-ahead progressive trance formula, where zoning out feels more suitable than attempting to move your feet. Still, because the good stuff is so darn good (and it is), it is easy to brush aside any missteps.

Songs of losers and loss tempered by only a taste of wry humor.

The California-based trio continues its exploration of more straight-ahead rock and pop with surprisingly strong results.

Stronger than not and off-kilter enough to remain engaging even when the skits come on, "Theloneliest" might not have been worth a five-year layover, but it's weird and wide open.

While the set could be more dynamic with greater variation in tempo, the producers blend their vast range of influences in innovative ways.

It's almost as if they've been raised on a steady diet of "Laugh-In" reruns, sugary disco beats, James Bond films, and the Ray Conniff Singers.

Such uniformly dark material makes one long for a tune or two to lighten the vibe.

A welcome return from a band that still doesn't sound quite like anybody else. [30 Jun 2007]

Throughout, Cole leaves behind her staple vibrato, which is refreshing.

Another pleasant helping of sweet headphone pop.

[It] doesn't offer many surprises, and as usual that's OK.

She is grappling with issues of faith, but she is charmingly skeptical. [28 Jan 2006]

The Special Goodness' has crafted a dozen punk and pop-influenced songs that the modern rock hoi polloi will have a hard time leaving alone.

The Maels continue flexing their musical might. Tracks like "More Than A Sex Machine," "The Calm Before The Storm," and the eye-winking title track are just waiting to be embraced by dancefloors worldwide.

An enchanting introduction to a talented band's equally solid beginnings.

Cooder has fine musical companions on his journey. [10 Mar 2007]

This is Moby without his usual bag of tricks; the material rings truer than any of his previous work.

The band too rarely steps out of its dream pop mode to actually move the listener.