With such tight songs and a loose but relatable theme, Shout Out Louds easily avoids a sophomore slump--the new album is, in fact, stronger than the first

It's easier to marvel at, than relate to, something like 'How Do You Tell a Child,' a country song about explaining death to a youngster. The same goes for 'Katrina.'

The jumble of languages and sounds gives La Radiolina the feel of a noisy, colorful street bazaar where there's chaotic beauty on the surface and a certain poetic logic that runs underneath.

Play It As It Lays is a satisfying, engaging album that deserves to stand apart from the Boss-related madness that's sure to overtake it.

Aesop's fables still require a decoder ring, but the plainer settings make them more effective as post-Beat poetry.

The beats are tight, the rhymes are tighter and the ladies seem like they're having fun without trying too hard or taking themselves too seriously.

The bare-bones production style of Lifeline is practically experimental by today's standards, and it's a testament to Harper that he and his band could record a stellar album using outdated technology in a fraction the time it took to create most of the albums currently on Billboard's Top 40.

Kala is pop music without the vapidity, and political music without the condescension.

Challengers live up to a certain essential challenge: They’re catchy enough to spend long periods stuck in your head.

Lewis has tons of charisma--but it's a shame the shift in focus coincides with an album so superficial that her characters' hollow-eyed come-ons seem genuine by comparison.

Most songs, including the single-worthy 'Come Clean,' are still built on soaring vocal interplay and a childlike sense of wonder.

Folk and rock collide in happy fashion as McKenna celebrates the commonplace on the rugged title track, setting vocal grit alongside flowing organ and a punchy backbeat.

Although Common has always been an earnest rapper, his drive to induce meaning on many of these tunes sometimes comes at the expense of catchiness. They're like cauliflower: nutritious, but without much flavor.

Planet Earth has its moments--he is Prince, after all--but instead of muscling their way forward, most of these songs seem content to stay where they are: firmly in the middle of the pack.

Beauty & Crime, an artful array distinguished by classy sonic design and lyrical charm.

The title of the Smashing Pumpkins' new album seems like wishful thinking. So does the music, for that matter

Editors show they're ready to take over with the spacious, stately love-conquers-all tune "The Weight of the World" or the pop-philosophy of the twitchy, pulse-pounding title track.

There's plenty for everyone to love here, actually, and despite the silly title, Spoon's latest is worth going ga-ga over.

While the slower, gentler moments are not without charm, large sections of the album land on the wrong side of the drowsy-dreamy divide.

The simpler arrangements suit Isbell on songs with an understated but unmistakable Southern rock flair.

Libertad, is another riff-happy collection of big, juiced-up rock songs perfect for summertime thrashing.

The ballads that apparently deal with Rowland's ex-fiance, Roy Williams, are the broken heart of the album: They also eschew subtlety (lyrically, at least), yet the results show Rowland has artistic depths that keeping up with the Knowleses doesn't inspire.

It's the most focused and cohesive album Adams has released in years.

"The Mix-Up" is all about groove and texture, sometimes at the expense of hooks.

At a mere 33 minutes, "At My Age" leaves listeners wanting more, but then, that seems to be part of Lowe's seduction technique.

An uneven album with some tremendous bright spots.

These relatively simple power-pop songs aren't always big or memorable enough to support their grand conceits.

They strike a forceful balance between elemental and ornate.