Nothing on the album is as catchy or as memorable as the Strokes' sharpest material, but several cuts sport a sweet Latin lilt, which helps distinguish the music from work by any number of similarly situated acts.

What's left is a tightly wound core of guitar, bass, drums, and vocal harmonies that naïvely captures the spirit and spunk of early rock icons the Kinks and the Beach Boys.

With constant acknowledgement of imperfections, Simpson separates herself from the peppy Lindsay Lohans and Hilary Duffs. [22 Oct 2005]

While not as immediately memorable as "Lump" or "Peaches," punchy songs like album opener "Mixed Up S.O.B.," "More Bad Times" and the breezy "Loose Balloon" come across as less novelty-like as a result of songcraft.

Yet, for all of its strengths, the monumentally somber "Cedars" does suffer from a few ill-conceived pieces, like the needless, patience-trying "It's All too Much" and the abstractly rhythmic "Treat Yourself With Kindness."

If Foreigner was still an active, young band, it would sound a lot like Matchbox Twenty.

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

Though not every track works, Scott still remains at the top of her game.

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

It's a tightly woven scheme whose anthemic simplicity is deceptive and leaves room for sophisticated (but still fierce) arrangements. [10 Mar 2007]

"W" does have a few flaws, namely "Conditioner," which features Snoop Dogg and is the only track graced with Ol' Dirty's presence. Despite his trademark voice-cracking inflection, the Dirt Dog's verse sounds as if it was recorded over the phone, detracting from what could have been another Wu banger.

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.

What there is not quite enough of is Rhymes himself--the deft MC is a bit crowded out by collaborators' mic turns and auto-tuned refrains.

A sad and beautiful farewell from one of the most innovative artists of the past decade.

Barnes' bright-eyed, bushy-tailed vocals are at times trying, but there is substance and craft behind the unrelentingly catchy ditties.

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.

In all, a fine effort...

It's hard to stay completely original album after album, but Ozomatli does exactly that when it sticks to the sounds of Los Angeles it helped put on the map. [14 Apr 2007]

This is an exciting new chapter for Bon Jovi. [23 Jun 2007]

Ultimately, G-Unit has returned to its aggressive roots, but it would've been wonderful to hear it rap over a more varied assortment of beats.

Given Lamb's heady back catalogue, some may dismiss this album as digestible trip-pop free of synthetic intricacies and sonic meanderings.... [But] it's the first to harness 100% of their talent as a band.

Virtuosity can be impressive without being particularly enjoyable, and it's hard to shake the feeling that for all the potent-as-ever prowess here, Death Magnetic is more a stamp of authenticity than a complete record.

Get Ready follows through fully on the promise of "Crystal."

Sure, there's a formula at work here, but it doesn't feel forced.

Flexing a bit of the angry lyrical edge he boasted on 2005's "Awfully Deep," Roots digs into "fickle DJs," no-talent rappers, Trustafarians and "bourgeois hippies" who "wanna fight my flow," as he proclaims on the track '2 Much 2 Soon.'

Jones roars out of the box with Tommy James & the Shondells' 'I'm Alive,' a sweat-soaked jumpsuit of a song thick with fierce maleness.

Amid all the pomp and circumstance, Loaf delivers an album fans are going to love. [4 Nov 2006]

With its restless spirituality and dense, decidedly un-pop arrangements, Riot Act perhaps most closely resembles that first album (No Code) of the post-Vitalogy years.