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

On Free at Last, he demonstrates that being forced to cool his heels since 2003 hasn't dulled the rough edges of his appealingly hectic flow.

Seven years after breaking out of Sweden's eternal garage-revival scene, this color-coordinated quintet has somehow created its liveliest, most playable album.

Simon LeBon and company have a lot of baggage, and their latest effort doesn't match the neon-lit glory days of yesteryear.

Packing an emotional wallop, Chances should quash critics who insist that Dion's voice is stainless steel.

The 10 songs are all strong, and placed in an order that creates an emotional arc, like a real--what's that word again?--album.

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

While it doesn't have the cohesive impact of "Hot Fuss" or "Sam's Town," it's an appealing set that brings a bit more breadth and depth to the group's catalog.

The New Jersey crew is still cranking out metal as frenzied and choppy as a machete-wielding madman, yet twice as schizophrenic.

While the majority of the cuts expertly merge the group's melodic vocals, the aggressive chants of Edwin Starr's 'War' are unbefitting an act known for silky ballads.

Shaggy uses Intoxication to once again show that while he and his crew can crank out solid pop, they can match it with cuts that genuinely rock the dancehall.

The "Gangster" portion of the record is, as you'd expect, effortlessly strong.

I-Empire is a sweeping conceptual piece with a message as big as its sound and just a bit more enigmatic.

Though Brown's sweet songs are set up to appeal to a young female fan base, the narratives are mature enough to sway some older folks.

Buck keeps things relatively stripped down, embroidering vintage-sounding boom-bap beats with just enough detail to keep your ear engaged between his wordy verses, which he values far more than catchy choruses.

It's defiant like a bad drunk, uncomfortably oversexed and more at home in a seedy after-hours club than a celebrity ultra-lounge.

Such tracks as 'Critical Acclaim,' 'Almost Easy' and 'Lost' keep the crank factor high--but as part of a bolder, broader and more engaging soundscape.

It's all a testament to the durable Eagles footprint on the pop landscape.

Nearly everything here is top 40 or AC radio-ready.

Not every album can be a tour de force, but Keenan is normally much better than this even on his worst days.

There are a few instances where the songs manage to make the listener forget about the court appearances and remember Doherty's uniquely skewered way around a guitar line and lyric.

Overall though, is the album better than "Prairie Wind" or "Living With War"? Yes.

The Oklahoman delivers in spades on her sophomore effort, on which she was much more involved in the creative process.

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.

Ween fans have come to expect the unexpected from this act, but even diehards will be thrilled by the sheer musical schizophrenia of La Cucaracha.

Dave Gahan wisely returns to the highly synthesized electronica of his main band Depeche Mode.

Key to the magic is the delicious harmony vocals of the unlikely duo, best-displayed on the swaying 'Killing the Blues,' given trad-country depth by steel pedal ace Greg Leisz.

There's nothing all that innovative here, but Preparations is warm and familiar enough to keep the brain buzzing.