But even with all the billowing moods and lush female vocals, what is paramount to The Mirror Conspiracy's muse is rhythm.

At times the reliance on heavy-breathing, laid-back grooves is a little annoying--Aaliyah doesn't quite have the pipes to carry off melodramatic fare like "Never No More," and a few more club bangers on the order of the springy, sassy "U Got Nerve" certainly wouldn't have hurt.

It strikes a balance between the buzzy pop of their first album and the heavier thud of their second.

Whether you're an experienced fan or a newbie, the easy and honest appeal of their high melodicism should be readily apparent.

Tito Puente meets Daft Punk!

This is a carefully nuanced collaboration, with stepping stones of surprising convention leading listeners slowly into deeper waters.

Essence is the album Roni Size's Breakbeat Era hoped to be, a song-based, drum 'n' bass epic that works on many levels.

Oozing confidence, clarity and common sense, the group's four MCs tackle their topics like the greats of old, distilling complex thoughts into simple, powerful rhymes.

Luke Jenner's vocals may drive you insane, but he is to be ignored anyway. Echoes is all about perp-walking bass, funky white-boy cowbell, and enough brain-goring good guitar riffs to make Keith Richards collapse in amazement.

From the sound of Hammond’s latest it seems the swampy spunk of Wicked Grin has kept him fired up.

Costa is a potent force with all the ballsy punch of a power rocker and the brazen belt of a sharp-tongued R&B survivor.

A rich collection of tunes that definitely will put you in the mind of [Nick] Drake--but stop one (small) step short of sheer imitation.

You remember Bee Thousand, Alien Lanes, Mag Earwhig! ? Well, those days are here again.

Bjork-obsessed fans hungry for more of the songwriter's customary eccentricities might be disappointed with the brief and thematic focus of the album.

Kiss Of Death is certainly an improvement on its predecessor... However, what continues to bar Jada from the inner MC circle populated by Jay-Z, Eminem and even Kanye West is his lack of a broader vision.

A shoo-in as one of this year's "best of's."

Track after track of colorless bounce sabotages the memorable verses.

This powerful set restates Springsteen's great showmanship and generosity of spirit, and the sheer force of his magnificent band. Simply one of the best live albums imaginable.

It's that rare record that both thinks and rocks.

Sounds like one long song of wheezing harmonium and heavily echoed, slightly out-of-tune vocals.

Exhibiting a lyrical prowess which has made him a fan and critical favorite over his relatively short career, Xzibit holds his own...

Failed experiments ("Techno Pimp") and a glut of odd skits and snippets not only seem forced, but make a mainstream move such as the friendly disco of "Missing You" sound equally bizarre.

An extremely organic sounding album that can stretch throughout genres (reggae, blues, hippie rock) without letting the bong smoke escape.

Sum 41's second album careens with the impassioned joy of young men less interested in taking the system down than in entertaining their fellow mallrats.

Is this Mezzanine lite? In a way, yes. There is nothing here as gripping as "Angel," "Risingson," or "Inertia Creeps." Womblike and seductive, this is make-out music for hibernating astronauts.

It rocks less but parties harder than 1997's Tellin' Stories.

How Animals Move, much like its creator, has "side project" written all over it. The songs meander freely, setting up moods, throwing together unusual sounds.

The album forsakes Doe's past rockabilily, country, and punk leanings for a fairly morose, maudlin mood.