On their lush major-label debut, the haunting Peter Gabriel-esque yawlps of singer Tunde Adebimpbe are punctuated by singer-guitarist Kyp Malone, whose raspy falsetto provides a sense of deadpan panic. [Jul 2006, p.103]

It’s epic, mercurial, high-impact progressive rock that moves like a whirlwind.

Way too much fun. [Oct 2006, p.130]

Where his earlier music was a parade of bright primary colors, these plaintive melodies come in delicious shades of gray. [Oct 2006, p.138]

The best moments are [Jenner's] least intelligible. [Oct 2006, p.141]

The vibe is all infectious, feverish build-up. [Nov 2006, p.155]

This trip is an easy, late-summer cruise. [Oct 2006, p.142]

Only the relatively sprightly "Just Got to Be" and the haunted-house voodoo of "Strange Desire" cut through the mire. [Oct 2006, p.130]

He's done it before, and better. [Oct 2006, p.135]

Problem is, Blood Mountain's hail of convoluted riffs and abrupt time-signature changes never settles into one of Leviathan's mammoth grooves. [Oct 2006, p.137]

Blame Seger for aiming no higher than to be the soundtrack for the next Larry the Cable Guy feature. [Oct 2006, p.142]

They sounded great in the lounge; the garage suits them even better. [Oct 2006, p.130]

Their first protest record. [Oct 2006, p.137]

A whip-smart, 13-song satire on FM-radio machismo and lyrical cliches. [Nov 2006, p.140]

In place of the band's distinctive head-banging limberness, there's a strange hybrid: a new sort of hard-rock soul, slightly lumbering in spite of its virtuosity. [Sep 2006, p.136]

B'Day never cools down, and swaety up-tempo numbers prove the best platform for Beyonce's rapperly phrasing and pipe-flaunting fireballs. [Sep 2006, p.138]

It radiates the observant calm of old masters who have seen enough life to be ready for anything--Yeats, Matisse, Sonny Rollins. [Sep 2006, p.139]

Whatever style the Roots take on their eighth album, whether it’s 21st century Sly Stone ("Baby"), flute-inflected freak-folk ("Living in a New World") or epic black rock ("Game Theory"), they do better than anyone else in pop.

Pete Yorn’s songs sound so damn good, it’s easy to assume they’re not smart.

Still recovering from 2004’s tepid Tical 0: The Prequel, Meth hints at the bluster and wit that made him an instant star nearly 15 years ago.

Musically, his furiously gear-shifting punk-pop, full of horn blasts and arty production tricks... never fails to rock the sermon. [Aug 2006, p.107]

The two halves of OutKast seem less collaborative than ever.

It sounds half-heard no matter how many times you hear it. [Sep 2006, p.142]

Tempering his usually piqued voice and strumming with uncharacteristic restraint, Darnielle marinates in shadowy aloneness.

Introducing some very welcome rock rhythms to his blend of folk and fingerpicked Delta blues, Ward’s disarmingly sweet fourth album squeezes big themes into modest but bewitching tunes.

She's a surprisingly convincing country singer. [Sep 2006, p.143]

[An] excellent, star-studded farewell. [Sep 2006]

A few fast, punky songs suit her pout, but more than anything, Hilton makes celebrity sound boring.