Westerberg delivers a hook, an idea and a subtle emotion on nearly every track. [Jun/Jul 2002, p.116]

Tweedy whittles down the arrangements and drops in enough experimental nuances to make the whole thing sound refreshingly lo-fi. [Jun/Jul 2002, p.116]

The subtle, heartfelt results may not help them shed the "emo" tag, but should propel them beyond cult status. [Apr/May 2002, p.116]

Weakened by a slew of club-oriented pieces that drown its personality in repetitive grooves. [Apr/May 2002, p.113]

Equal parts wit, heartbreak, cool... and potential commercial suicide. [Jun/Jul 2002, p.112]

Crow's subtle, stirring vocal style exhibits the same resilient innocence that makes Meg Ryan a sympathetic screen star. [Apr/May 2002, p.115]

MMW start with some dirty grooves, then add DJs, horn sections and singers for dissonance and disruptions. [Apr/May 2002, p.115]

Young sounds fresher here than he has in nearly a decade. [Apr/May 2002, p.110]

This rote Los Angeles studio rock is dominated by the radio-friendliest songwriters money can buy. [Jun/Jul 2002, p.112]

Imperial Teen deploy the familiar language of pop-rock, then subvert it with strange, chewy tales, making music that wraps arsenic in a candy coating. [Apr/May 2002, p.114]

Gutterflower, for better or worse, is a perfectly executed encapsulation of the unexciting state of mainstream rock in 2002. [Jun/Jul 2002, p.108]

JSBX still crackle like firecrackers soaked in kerosene. [Jun/Jul 2002, p.114]

This is Fountains of Wayne or the Church with real power in their power pop. [Apr/May 2002, p.116]

The lyrics [are] darker than your average soul/R&B debut. [#7, p.114]

With a thick strain of the DJ humor found in the music of De La Soul and Daft Punk, Kinky know no borders, slapping Mexican norteno with techno until it sounds like neither. [Apr/May 2002, p.114]

Those in search of a gloriously moronic keg-party soundtrack will wet themselves with pleasure. [Apr/May 2002, p.112]

Tuneful, kinky and deeply rooted in groove--a combination that evokes the best of both Prince and Macy Gray. [Feb/Mar 2002, p.112]

Maas translates this superclub-oriented sound -- all tectonic bass and whooshing stero-panned effects -- into home-friendly music. [Apr/May 2002, p.115]

Unless you've just fallen off a bong, the endless whimsy lacks meat. [Apr/May 2002, p.118]

Strange stuff, but oddly appealing. [Feb/Mar 2002, p.111]

Musically they offer nothing that hasn't been heard in every coed dorm via their 1989 hit "Closer to Fine." [Apr/May 2002]

This is a transitional album: Mould sprinting away from his past. [Apr/May 2002, p.116]

When they slow the tempos and introduce "soulful" singers and the dreaded jazzy flute, their music stinks like old fromage. [Apr/May 2002, p.118]

A pretty wild ride, but it's not always clear where they're headed. [Feb/Mar 2002, p.112]

Skips from one song to the next without leaving any great impression or displaying a single sentiment Jessica Simpson would find distressing. [#4, p.118]

An accessible art-punk collection. [Apr/May 2002, p.112]

Here the pleas and tirades strive heavy-handedly, little aided by the Blokes' equally unsubtle barroom marches. [Apr/May 2002, p.112]

Offers few joys beyond the witty title. [Apr/May 2002, p.114]