If shards of symbolist vision and baroque virtuosity remain, they're smoothed out on the beekeeping tip, avoiding any sharp stings, leaving barely a spoonful of honey. [Apr 2005, p.112]

It’s easy to see why these songs didn’t fit on their record but, while a full listen turns unrelentingly dour, they’re better than discards have any right to be.

Exactly zero songs on Spirit come close to matching 'Bleeding Love.' On the album, she fares best when not allowed to overindulge in her sterling voice as on the haunting electro kiss-off 'Take a Bow' and the svelte power ballad 'I Will Be,' co-written by Avril Lavigne.

Almost a novelty record--a musical version of a press release or a spin-control interview with Diane Sawyer. [#14, p.128]

Creatively cast, bonkers as ever--it’s a bright spot in the Bobby Digital series.

Flaunts their va-va-voom and their depth. [Aug 2004, p.139]

There are two vastly different Mellencamps. One is a flag-waver, singing simplistic anthems like "Our Country." The other, overshadowed Mellencamp is quieter and wiser. [Mar 2007, p.136]

Freak[s] out thoughtfully. [Oct 2004, p.129]

Tom Smith's stentorian baritone, irritating in its overenunciated approximations of gravitas, is better suited to some community-theater group than a rock band.

Michael never shies away from going pop, and the results are spectacular: Every hook on his stellar debut is instantly alluring.

Despite a new set of producers... this vivacious, club-friendly sophomore set merely tinkers with her old recipe. [Jan/Feb 2007, p.83]

The arrangements and singer-guitarist Romeo Stodart's delivery both veer toward cloying. The band also seems to have forgotten the art of brevity, resulting in too many songs that drag on past the five minute mark. [August 2007, p.115]

The joke isn't well-conceived or funny enough to sustain over an hour. [#16, p.123]

Lord’s voice is breathy and sweet without being tiresomely innocent or fragile -- it’s Candyland by way of Troubletown.

She has deepened and darkened her sound without sacrificing her platinum-plated melodies. [#27, p.141]

Picture a protest of the World Trade Organization led by Bananarama. [Nov 2004, p.131]

Many songs start out as radio-friendly rockets before shooting off into a disorienting psychedelic haze. [May 2007, p.106]

A showcase for Weiland's vocals. [#27, p.148]

Kasher is back to the microscope and black light, using willful musical twists to tear apart his own thirtysomething hypocrisy on this ambitious, kinda-grossly-titled sixth CD.

Curt Kirkwood has written a gorgeous album that channels his brother's world-weary relief. [Aug 2007, p.116]

If America was a self-respecting nation, there'd be a street named after him in every city. Alas, if they're based on this record, we'll find ourselves striding Vague Call to Goodness Street.

An elegant soundtrack, but not much of an album. [Feb/Mar 2002, p.116]

Wailing, distorted guitars and jumpy backbeats deliver messages of escape, refuge and, ultimately, sweet hope. [May 2003, p.124]

Overall, this is the grimiest and grimmest of the band's Bob Rock productions. [#17, p.145]

The search for the perfect stand-alone song leaves a ragbag of unrelated ideas. [May 2008, p.77]

It’s strange and sometimes fascinating to hear R.E.M.’s oldest songs played so differently, though vintage tracks are rare in a set concentrating on 2004’s mostly inert "Around the Sun."

Like Morcheeba at their worst. [#10, p.124]

Girls isn't as pop-friendly as 1998's From The Choirgirl Hotel, but Amos's take on Depeche Mode's starkly beautiful "Enjoy The Silence" is irresistible. [Aug/Sep 2001, p.120]