The only caveat toward Two? The Saints still rock, but they don't rave quite as hard.

So … How's your Girl is more an experiment in possibility than a cohesive album -- hip-hop rubs up against various other forms of digital noise, and the frictional frisson is both pleasant and surprising. Luckily, Handsome Boy Modeling School has lessons well worth learning.

On Faith and Courage, she returns with the blend of Celtic mysticism, commercial pop, and mature themes that moved so many listeners (and units) on 1990's I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got, while pulling out a few trip-hop stops to keep things current.

York Blvd., Acetone's fourth album, is its most fully realized effort yet, attaching guitarist Mark Lightcap's drowsily effervescent solos to a set of shaggy but economical tunes worthy of Neil Young's stamp of approval.

There are moments on Stillmatic where the old fire is rekindled, the power of his emceeing reborn.

Central Reservation finds Orton's unique, husky voice glowing within her assured, slowly simmering tunes. With her voice, which aches and yearns, caressing the ears like a worn, wool mitten on a winter day, Orton beguiles as a '90s natural woman.

When a band amasses most of its fan base from constant touring, as ATDI has, creating an album that captures the rawness of live shows is paramount. This natural ingredient in its sound is captured beautifully on Relationship of Command.

The smoothed-out international pop sound lets Beenie focus on doing what he does best -- making party music for party people.

A clever party record, complete with oodles of guest appearances and multiple R&B hooks.

In spite of the sudden changes of mood and style, the album coheres nicely around Jackson's strong personality.

Matching Homework in quirkiness, buoyancy, and club-ready freak-beats, Discovery combines the best of what Daft Punk has to offer: mid-'80s synth-pop ("Digital Love"), sleazy euro-funk ("Harder Better Faster Stronger"), shake-your-booty electro-metal with spacey guitar effects ("Aerodynamic" -- Basement Jaxx meets Eddie Van Halen), and minimal, big-beat tunes that Underworld wishes it would have thought of first ("Superheroes").

It's not likely that Up will have the same kind of cultural significance as a milestone like So, but there is no way that fans can write Up off as a disappointment, either.

Most of these re-workings preserve the essential nature of the songs; the producers know enough to stay out of the way.

Callahan has a gift for expressing complex human issues -- death, depression, retribution, separation -- through uncomplicated language.

This disc is that rare combination of substance (both musically and lyrically) and fun. For those who thought the Cherry Poppin' Daddies were a one-hit, one-dimensional wonder, Soul Caddy will be a pleasant surprise.

This collection shows Mitchell as the self-conscious and restless innovator, picking her way carefully through the minefields of human relationships, leaving a trail of eloquent breadcrumbs, as she describes the passing scenery with her evocative and off-kilter imagery.

Cake often veers close to the land of Dr. Demento -- but its catchy, quirky music always manages to pull back from the brink of madness by being a bit more substantial than your typical novelty tune.

Largely spare and reflective throughout, Gallo's experimental compositions are intriguing, though the somber beauty of more straightforward pieces such as Buffalo '66's finale, "A Cold and Grey Summer Day," are far more satisfying.

Rather than the classic R&B soul sound that Knight, backed by the Pips, took to the top of the charts earlier in her career, At Last references RB's new urban sounds.

Although most tracks don't stray far from the studio versions (aside from a few typical chants and rants from Hyde and a nice transition or two), Everything Everything is a must-have as a milestone in the life of the band.

Whatever its negligible shortcomings, Golden State at least serves to inject a depth of vision to what formerly was a rather one-dimensional musical entity.

Armed with an arsenal of keyboard riffs and Merritt's impassive baritone, the resulting sound is a velvety mix of '80s-era new wave, bossa nova beats, and melancholy pop.

Hyacinths and Thistles takes a grab-bag approach to whisper-soft pop, though, at times, the lullaby vibe dangerously teeters between being appealingly fey and overly precious.

Previously merely noisy screechers with no sense of how to play their instruments, Marilyn Manson is now an accomplished and complex industrial-strength hard rock band... It's a point driven home by the group's new album, Holy Wood (In the Shadow of the Valley of Death). Though not as strong or consistent as the glammy Mechanical Animals, Holy Wood instead bridges the gap between that album and its dirtier, raspier predecessor, Antichrist Superstar, with songs that are catchy on the inside, but noisy on the outside.

Breach is equal parts likeable, lyrical jamming, and inflated mediocrity. The Wallflowers achieve their most noteworthy moments in their uptempo, instrumentally thick songs, such as the first track, "Letters from the Wasteland," and "Sleepwalker." When the band leans hard on lyrics as the primary stability of a song, the album falters a bit ("Witness," for example, is slow and tedious).

Despite its obvious classic-rock feel, what could have felt like a novelty album -- a tired K-Tel collection of long-forgotten hits -- feels like a revelation in places.

The group has begun to grow up a bit.

A frothy soufflé of an album, heavy on the groovy dance beats and go-girl goodwill, light on profundity.