Run is more of a technical accomplishment than an artistic one. Bruno the pop star is not nearly as appealing as Bruno the juggler.

While Jourgensen seems re-engaged with his music, he's also more disinterested than ever in the wider pop culture.

Sara Bareilles returns with more bouncy and intricate piano melodies on her sophomore album

Bundy's obvious affection for feisty predecessors like Loretta Lynn and Dolly Parton adds an appealing jolt to the music's already clever hooks and personal narrative. But what Bundy still needs to develop are the durable melodies and lyrical nuance that turned those artists' compositions into classics.

This is also some of Tankian's most accessible material to date, whether it's the grooving verses and exploding choruses of "Left of Center," the cascading ebb and flow of "Borders Are . . ." or the fierce charge of "Electron."

The set careens confidently from the Prince-inspired fuzz-funk of opener "WTF?" to the slinky live-band R&B of "I Want You So Bad I Can't Breathe" to "This Too Shall Pass," a thudding psych-pop anthem in the mold of "Kids" by MGMT. It's not all so good-naturedly goofy.

The album is loaded with luscious orchestration, motivational mantras and playful sex metaphors. Its taught 10 tracks bring to mind the record Justin Timberlake could have made last year, if he had dared to leave anything on the cutting room floor.

Cali Swag District's surviving members memorialize M-Bone in the artwork of The Kickback, the group's debut full-length, which was originally set for release last year through Capitol before arriving in stores independently through a distribution deal with Sony RED. That dedication is a rare glimmer of gravity on a set filled with buzzy, lightweight odes to whips ("Burn Out [Drive Fast]"), women ("I'm Freaking You") and weed ("I Don't Need Your Money").

x finds a hungry artist doing everything possible to elevate to another level, simply by abiding by his instincts.

Rebel Soul brings [that devil (without a cause, of course)-may-care 'tude] back into the mix without sacrificing the lessons Rock learned from working with Rubin and his cadre of top-shelf session hands--only this time he applied them to the live, lived-in feel of his Twisted Brown Trucker band.

Full of blues and roots tracks, the new 13-song set lives up to its title.

The Album About Nothing is his most personal piece of work to date, and also his best. That hair-trigger sensitivity can be off-putting, but it's also what makes him good at what he does.

With the dust having settled around Zakk Wylde's unexpected departure from Ozzy Osbourne's band, better attention can be paid to Order of the Black, the new album from Wylde's Black Label Society.

The album is a sprawling, experimental work defined more by ambient synth hum and field-recording rustle than by melodic hooks or danceable grooves.

On Yung Rich Nation, the band of brothers shows it’s reliable enough to deliver hits, but ambitious enough to rise to a challenge.

All that retro angst is more rote and less involving than the way its debut tried to square loud guitars with the hooky imperatives of chart pop. In the last several tracks, though, the energy returns.

Moore spends much of his debut album, Up All Night, outlining the pleasures to be had from hot women and cold beverages.

Half [of] this EP is a weak gesture in the direction of current radio trends.... But on the other half of this EP, Dream shows an impressive new dimension to his romantic games.

Naledge's rhymes are a complex web of pop culture references and braggadocio. Double-O's pop-soul production serves as a bright, sugary backdrop for Naledge's brag-rap.

On Everything Is 4, some songs give him newfound definition, but then others distract from it.

Much of It's About Time is dense, cooking Southern rock. It can be frivolous (the bleacher-stomp shout-alongs "Club U.S.A." and "The Party's On") but has no problem nailing a groove.

[Morello's] contributions feel inventive, versatile and natural, like an extension of the direction Springsteen was already moving in.... Aniello's production work definitely enhances and does not distract from or obscure the tracks.

The usual, more or less. Musically, it’s her typical mix of pop-classicist balladry and hip-hop-tinged summer jamming, and if Carey doesn't exactly go strutting into new territory, it’s because she knows most people like her right where she is.

The British vocalist was pegged as a Beyoncé-style pop/ R&B diva during an abortive mid-decade Los Angeles stint. But escaping that environment allowed her to develop the genre-straddling, retro-modern mélange of Travelling Like the Light, which was released overseas last July.

She continues to hit each note with the precise amount of retro pomp that one would expect, and there are again moments when the '70s soul love affair gets a little carried away.

From the range of production styles to the bonus disc of live tracks, Swords is a welcome catalog addition

Despite a few highlights, This Is Acting is scattered and forgettable next to the emotional 1000 Forms of Fear.

Produced by renowned adult contemporary producer Tommy LiPuma, American Classic-Nelson's finest album since 1998's "Teatro"-contains 12 timeless melodies that bridge the gap between Nelson's love for Django Reinhardt and Bob Wills & His Texas Playboys.