Perhaps that's a story for another set, however, and newcomers and fans alike will find this one remarkably satisfying

What's surprising about the best cuts from the 15-track set is how much heat the Police frontman and his varied collaborators create.

Atreyu has resharpened its teeth on its new album, "Congregation of the Damned," which features the return of Varkatzas' deadly scream. But the set still features somber moments.

Southern Voices is done well overall, but listeners may want to keep close a copy of McGraw's upbeat hit 'I Like It, I Love It' to lighten the mood.

Percussion is nowhere to be found on the group's latest release, Declaration of Dependence, and the pair's Simon & Garfunkel-esque harmonies are less dynamic than they once were. But there are still plenty of bright spots.

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.

Grizzly Bear contributes a typically gorgeous psych-folk incantation called "Slow Life" (with guest vocals from Beach House's Victoria Legrand), and Bon Iver's Justin Vernon duets with St. Vincent on "Roslyn," which could warm even a vampire's heart.

The act should be credited for not hewing to the tried-and-true formula it pretty much invented with previous releases but many of the double-disc's 18 tracks feel like they are embryonic rather than fully formed.

Bennington and his Dead by Sunrise bandmates (who hail from the electronic rock band Julien-K) also display a deft touch with atmospherics and textures on tracks like "Too Late," "Give Me Your Name" and the goth-tinged "Let Down," among others

Christmas in the Heart is an odd one-a collection of straight-ahead Christmas songs that benefits Feeding America, as well as food charities in other countries. But it will remind listeners that for nearly a decade Dylan has been working on his croon-exploring musical styles that are more polished than folk and blues.

The duo backs up its devotion to classic sounds with rich layers of funk, soul, jazz, blues and rock sampling that honor the genre-bending experimentation prevalent in '80s and early-'90s hip-hop.

Mario has a broken heart and he's pouring it all out on his latest set, D.N.A.

Crazy Love is another step in Buble's creation of his own kind of songbook, and there's nothing necessarily crazy about that

On Music for Men, the band's devotion to being itself has finally found it a place in the mainstream.

Style trumps substance in this particular breath of Air.

Martsch has hinted that There Is No Enemy could be the band's final album. If that's the case, the set's multifaceted melodies and experimentation would be an inspired sendoff.

Humanoid is no less appealingly shiny than its 2007 stateside debut, "Scream." But with the exception of the song 'Automatic,' an instantly catchy chunk of bubble-grunge perfection, it does have fewer killer melodies, which allows more of your brain to focus on Kaulitz's lyrics.

Goodnight Unknown is layered with subtle distortion and commanding percussion, combined with Barlow's confident, sometimes contemplative vocals.

Cash not only infuses love into her delivery on the collection but also proves herself a supreme song stylist.

Years removed from their teen-pop prominence, Backstreet Boys continue to produce pleasurable hooks and hummable vocal harmonies on This Is Us.

There's a little less bluster and bravado on Toby Keith's latest album, American Ride, and it's a welcome turn.

Give Up the Ghost is another rich offering from this distinctive female talent.

Though not as sprawlingly ambitious or experimental as the 2007 "The World Has Made Me the Man of My Dreams," Meshell Ndegeocello's eighth release, "Devil's Halo," neatly straddles a line between challenging and accessible, with some of the tightest and catchiest compositions she's yet brought forth.

Overall, Carey's throwback vibe on Memoirs is refreshing and much welcomed.

The angry young woman who famously sang about setting kerosene fires and waiting with a loaded gun for her abusive beau has found love with new boyfriend Blake Shelton, and it's reflected on the diverse Revolution.

Although the new set may lack the wide-eyed naivete that made the group's past efforts so endearing, the newfound maturity makes for a compelling set of songs.

Even though Crash Love isn't terribly progressive in scope and the band's '80s idolatry might one day run its course, the set is another highlight in a discography that's as consistent as it is expansive.

Streisand gives her trademark romantic-ballad treatment to 13 well-known standards.