Whereas Eno's purest ambient music has such an organic abstractness the listener stops thinking about what is actually producing the sounds, Lanois favours guitars, which links his music more to established styles. [Jul 2005, p.110]

Ghostly lullabies from the Birmingham, Alabama two. [Jan. 2011, p. 105]

The 13 eco-friendly songs from across his career are augmented to varying degrees by nature sounds: rain, thunder, frogs, horses, ducks, crickets, chickens and several critters I can't identify. Sometimes intrusive but they're often atmospheric. [Aug 2016, p.90]

Songs that any liberal-minded Cat Stevens fan will adore. [Dec 2006, p.120]

[Amy Winehouse had] something compelling, human and wonderful, and it surfaces just enough on this compilation to make it worthy of her name. [Jan 2012, p.91]

[A] perplexing, 'is it irritating or is it glorious?' album that meshes the oddball with the serious in a quirky, plastic-punk manner not entirely unlike that of The B-52's and Devo. [Mar 2004, p.108]

Deep, mournful, impressive. [Apr 2004, p.99]

A third Rick Rubin-produced album -- cover versions but the comeback continues. [Jan. 2011, p. 97]

It feels doubly elegiac, a mood best caught by Nick Cave's tremendous Cosmic Dancer. Even so, there's fun to be had. [Oct 2020, p.86]

This album delivers rather less than the hoped-for thrilling mix of Latin rhythms, scorching organ and lyrical blues-mariachi guitar solos, but does so in bulk. [Jul 2016, p.96]

The album's substantial rewards lie in the unorthodox rhythms of drummer Matt Tong. [Mar 2007, p.102]

Takes the most accessible aspects of the house-soaked, pre-Britpop scene and crafts a swaggering debut that places songwriting suss firmly above pointless posturing. [Oct 2004, p.97]

Song titles like Soothe My Soul and The Child Inside suggest phoned-in conventionality, but there are edgy moments here. [May 2013, p.85]

A sameness about these developments diminishes the album's appeal, but given a presence in the ether, airwaves, clouds and such, the Pierces' obsession could become addictive. [Jul 2011, p.114]

When it works, it's astonishing, but his hit rate is middling compared with erstwhile sparring partner El-P. [Aug 2012, p.90]

On stand-out New Tracks, singer Joseph Arthur locates a pleasing interface that shades powerpop and balladry. [Jan 2013, p.102]

Pierced Arrow's 10 tracks range from strutting, power-chord anthems and barroom boogies to riff-driven shuffles. [Jun 2016, p.91]

On the minus side, The False Foundation lacks an overarching character, so plays out like a soundtrack or compilation. [Nov 2016, p.89]

His solos still dazzle and the riff to Notches could move mountains, but too much of Time Clocks suggests Bonamassa by numbers. [Dec 2021, p.91]

BP retain a youthful fixation with personal drama, biting lyrics and angular guitars, laced with keyboards. [Jun 2022, p.94]

Hooks and choruses still pour out of White Lies, but there's a lack of cohesion that stops Night Light blazing quite as it should. [Dec 2025, p.81]

It's impressive stuff. [Jan 2003, p.100]

Public Enemy are still making music of great substance and potency. [Dec 2002, p.122]

An achingly sharp comedy album then, but at 19 tracks it's to be admired rather than loved. [Jul 2009, p.92]

The result is a low-key mist of strings, piano, percussion and electronics. [Jun 2012, p.87]

By shedding some of their rock'n'roll excess, though, it feels as if Primal Scream finally have some idea of what they want to be when they grow up. [Apr 2016, p.90]

They fare best on delicate, forlorn ballads like Walk The Backstairs Quiet and Epping Forest--tales of suburban longing which are brave enough to include some quite splendid guitar solos. [Jun 2011, p100]

Underpowered covers... confirm the impression of a high-octane artist tired out and running on empty. [Dec 2005, p.105]