If 2001’s Weezer was a second-rate Blink-182, almost every composition on Maladroit is more strongly developed, whether it is the tight drumming to the point of showboating on the album’s first single, “Dope Nose,” the surprisingly successful intricate guitar work on the crunchy “Take Control,” or the band’s return to form, producing some of the best pop songs since their 1994 debut.

Even at its worst, Don't Give Up On Me is never anything less than elegant.

The same studio experimentation that makes much of Ugly Casanova's music interesting also results in a handful of throwaway tracks enough to prevent Sharpen Your Teeth from becoming a wholly cohesive album.

This album is carried by its incredibly poetic lyrics.

The real problem with Gutterflower is that it doesn't really add anything new to the Goo Goo Dolls repertoire.

Not entirely the soul baring effort that one would have expected, nor exactly the breezy Summer album that critics are saying it is, what Sheryl has cooked up here is a highly pleasing stew that is one third smart Pop, one third touching love songs, and one third “look at all my famous friends” posturing.

Justin Timberlake's solo debut is good.... Was this the same Justin Timberlake from that boy band *NSYNC? Could it be? Better asked, how could this be?

Magic & Medicine is hardly a record that will catapult The Coral to the next level; but at the same time, it's also far from being an embarrassment.

Shins fans will find this a solidly enjoyable album.

Eve-olution isn't revolutionary but the album is strong, definitely her strongest to date.

Sure it's a stereotype of all the things the South is. At the same time, it is a clearer-eyed view than has been offered before.

Summer Sun is full of beautiful melodies that fail to excite for the sole reason that, for the already initiated, it seems like old hat.

The production on St. Anger is abysmal.

Lucky for him, he has Lisa Hannigan on board on several tracks in this album--her breathtaking vocals almost manage to make this take of epic heartbreak to the backdrop of Irish lullabies worthwhile. Almost.

Even with all the enjoyable tracks, many of the choices SV makes with their production will keep some fans scratching their heads.

Without the emotional resonance of Martin's voice at its most free, Coldplay's brilliantly minimal musical foundation has nothing to support. So it falters.

For pleasant, albeit unchallenging pop-tunes which will not offend anyone, but may also put you to sleep, Your Majesty is the way to go.

In the moments when Shaddix's voice and lyrics don't detract from the band's remarkable bluster, Papa Roach soars.

Central Reservation ... is ambient too, but not so much in terms of beats as echoey space and unobtrusive production. The focus here is on ballads, sweet and slow, and every string of every strum can be heard.

Barricades and Brickwalls paints a broad spectrum of alt.country/ bluegrass/honkytonk music, and that variety is its greatest strength.

The experimentation of tracks like "Off You" and "Put on a Side" show that Kim Deal and co. aren't concerned with reproducing past success, but also shows that they are entirely capable of producing the same interesting song structures and pop pleasures that we have come to expect.

It's like you're listening to the same tempo and volume for 52.5 minutes when you really wanted a variety show.

Think Tank is an uneven album that only those with a very open mind and a big love for the band will be able to stomach.

Not everything about Imbruglia’s second album is as bad as most critics would like to make it.

There just isn't enough memorable music here.

The overwhelming majority of this album is unbelievably annoying dance pop.

God Loves Ugly ends up as the worst kind of inconsistent album--inconsistent not because of any lack of knowledge, creativity or heart on the part of the artists, but because they can't decide whether they want to use that knowledge to showcase their own voice or mimic someone else's.

Untouchables ends up heavy on stadium rock bluster, with precious little of the musical texture and intricacy that made Follow the Leader one of the few transcendent albums of its genre.