It's a compliment that guest spots by simpatico icons Iggy Pop and Kool Keith are by no means the best things here. [Dec 2019, p.86]

This time, the quieter moments are more keenly affecting. [Jan 2020, p.89]

Another hip-rolling, dabke masterclass. [Jan 2020, p.92]

Promising debut. [Jan 2020, p.92]

A soaring Here In Spirit joins reincarnation musing Who Am I? at the pinnacle of its daft-genius. [Jan 2020, p.92]

The sound of a band untethered, revelling in their resurrection. [Jan 2020, p.98]

This is a mellifluous and hook-laden, brimming with Russell's quotidian snapshot lyrics. [Jan 2020, p.99]

This vivid, confident collection cuts across the UK bass continuum, mixing abstract house and no-rave with moody mysticism. [Jan 2020, p.91]

While dark moments abound, Bad Wiring is also thick with the evergreen anti-folkie's charm. [Jan 2020, p.92]

At times Little Common Twist seems to misplace its destination, but it's also warm and embracing; not so much ambient as aural amniotic fluid. [Jan 2020, p.91]

Sounds reassuringly expensive. ... Decent instrumental takes on Lao Schifrin's The Cat plus Fiona Apple's elegant Don't Worry 'Bout Me make this more than the stocking-filler that won't unnerve Aunt Norah. [Jan 2020, p.90]

Spotlights the songs' grit and humanity, albeit still substantially finessed by mixmaster Bob Clearmountain. [Jan 2020, p.90]

Ultimately, The Band raised all stakes, and a half-century later, musicians are still striving for its excellence. [Jan 2020, p.90]

Pollard's lyrics are characteristically oblique, but persistence pokes through as a theme. [Jan 2020, p.90]

O'Hagan has taken apart what he's known for and put it back together in an entirely fresh ways. [Jan 2020, p.89]

The result might be Orcutt's most beautiful album, a phantasmal union of folk, blues, rock and country visions that crackles with the intense fire of his own country's turbulent history. [Jan 2020, p.89]

A fitting culmination of the run that began with Old Ideas in 2012. [Jan 2020, p.88]

An album hitting some dead ends, as other avenues open up. [Jan 2020, p.88]

It's frustrating to hear them bringing so much to material that doesn't quite coalesce, it's something like listening to holograms of actual songs. [Jan 2020, p.85]

When harnessed, Taylor Hawkins' energy is the right stuff. [Jan 2020, p.85]

Though making the common mistake of over-investing in the frame of guitar and piano licks and bodging the big picture of the song, Ron Wood's tribute is not the worst in the world. [Jan 2020, p.84]

Matt Maltese's second album persists with velveteen schmaltzy AOR; like yacht rock on a budget. His graceful croon, though, is more jaded this time, combining with the hollowed-out production for a deluxe dose of remorse. [Jan 2020, p.84]

A poignant tribute. [Jan 2020, p.84]

13 evocative songs. [Jan 2020, p.84]

The combination of shimmering sonics and dislocated characters is what makes Hyperspace so holistic, and compelling. [Jan 2020, p.83]

A meditative, deliciously low-key collection produced by Lee Townsend. [Nov 2019, p.91]

Total fun for your brain. [Dec 2019, p.107]

A clutch of moving haikus. ... Knowing, experimental, hopeful, ironic, this could be Mary Margaret O'Hara--wringing your heart, engaging your brain. [Dec 2019, p.89]