The set as a whole lacks variety and rarely shifts tempo. [24 Feb 2007]

There is a little too much tra-la-la-ing, but it's a pleasure to hear a new band having so much infectious fun. [24 Mar 2007]

Nonsensical lyrics about butterflies and name-changing lovers on tracks like 'You Go On Ahead (Trumpet Trumpet II)' and 'Apollo And The Buffalo And Anna Anna Anna Oh!,' could serve as a distraction, but the songs are saved by beautifully frantic instrumentals.

More often than not, Oldham's signature vocalizing keeps Tortoise from falling back on old sonic tricks. [21 Jan 2006]

[It] flashes with moments of greatness. [9 Dec 2006]

The melodies aren't always there, and the restrained production makes for an occasionally nagging sense of meandering. [3 Mar 2007]

With expectations tempered for Forgiven, the sibling trio from Texas doesn't panic but rather retrenches, returning to the easy-grooving, harmony-laden Carlos Santana-meets-Stevie Ray Vaughan feel of its first album.

While the production is good, the divergent styles and lack of cohesion add up to a somewhat schizophrenic offering.

Even visionaries lose sight at times, as Pierce does on "Let It Come Down," an album that can only be deemed a fractured opus.

Mark's sound here is cohesive and unified, though a pervasive midtempo vibe and downer subject matter (it's mostly a breakup album) tend to blur together. [3 Mar 2007]

Though Milian often comes off as a third-rate Beyoncé, her feathery soprano captivates when her lyrics do not.

"Word of Mouf" never quite meets the standard 'Cris set for himself with his debut.

The set is somewhat of a shambolic affair, wherein kernels of good ideas get blown out, jumbled up or lost in execution.

It's still a mess, though an ambitious and grandiose one.

"Run the Road 2" does not live up to its crack predecessor, but that observation is neither a surprise nor a slam. [18 Feb 2006]

Finds the duo, well, pushing too many of the same buttons.

Here, T.I. shows he can still dominate a song given quality production (Just Blaze, DJ Toomp), but the album does little to build on what we have heard before. [1 Apr 2006]

Think of a visit to Nana's house reimagined as alt-Broadway musical theater. [29 Oct 2005]

while the first single, 'All You Did Was Save My Life,' provides some much-needed bite, "Burn Burn" is ultimately ballad-heavy and one-dimensional.

It's about average for albums from Prince proteges.

Power ballad 'What If' reveals that Tisdale can deliver the radio-ready goods, and 'Tell Me Lies' is convincingly spunky. But the rest of the material, as racy as it sometimes is, doesn't give the singer room to comfortably let loose.

Familiar, yes, but not unwelcome. [1 Oct 2005]

Try as the trio might to inform its '80s pastiche with an extra degree of menace, the disc ends up sounding like the same old Trans Am: part Rush, part "Miami Vice" soundtrack and part pranksters just taking the piss.

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.

One can't help but think that by scaling back their ambitions, the Foos could have made one great album instead of two average ones.

Has its moments, but it comes across as a baby step forward.

The group seems incapable of integrating these traits into something new. It's either Morello re-writing his old licks for bash-and-thud Rage-style rawk or Cornell's more straightforward tension/release confessionals.

"Lucky" kicks off the proceedings; it's a buoyant, blistering winner of a song. Unfortunately, the track is also one of the disc's few high points.