In the case of Super Animal Brothers III, you can either sit down and dismiss Ear Pwr for daring to play a game with the music, or you can see the state of the board for what it is and roll the dice.

Had there maybe been a more analytical approach to creating shamelessly tricked-out pop songs, maybe some of Brings on the Comets would sound more successful.

We're approaching the dead of winter and are in the middle of a recession, and Universal Mind Control isn't helping.

It's the schizophrenic sound of a band starting over a decade later.

While the flowing, assembled vibe of Mother of Curses makes for a unique listen, it rarely reaches beyond the realm of sonic curiosity.

Keys to the World does have a few great moments, but it's not the definitive solo record he's been promising.

Foxx shows some real talent on this album, and he doesn't embarrass himself - except for when he embarrasses himself.

In My Mind has several potential hit singles, but taken as a whole it falls dramatically short.

I admire Cunniff's attempt to create positive, breezy music. I just wish it were better.

It is entirely listenable, but this sort of album suggests the power to either break or fortify hearts. To that extent, it does not follow through.

There's enough here to justify a listen, but with LL's considerable talents, a little more was expected.

Twenty seconds into Necessary Evil and I'm cringing, and it's only amplified by the fact that this very same voice once performed 'Heart of Glass' and 'Rapture.'

This is another satisfying and remarkably fresh set of tunes from Robert Pollard.

The members of the crew surrounding Eminem still need to distinguish themselves individually, but in the tradition of G-Unit/Shady's best stuff, few songs on The Re-Up have to be skipped.

The album's strength really, is evoking so strongly the excessive, lonely culture that the music comes from.

Mired in the generic neo-new-wave and self-consciously emotive yawn of contemporary fashion indie rock, Athlete's unimaginative music matches up nicely with the shallow lyrics.

It's like they rented studio time in the red room from Twin Peaks.

Whirlwind Heat does nothing to disprove the argument that this recent flock of slinky, neo-post-punk bands aren't doing anything Gang of Four did much better a quarter century ago.

[A] ham-fisted attempt at being exactly like everything else.

Earth to the Dandy Warhols is as much of a joke album as "Metal Machine Music," except I don’t see any rock ‘n’ roll scholars finding anything particularly smart in this slop 20 years from now.

Quite possibly the worst record by a great emcee in recent memory.

Despite its handful of down moments that are either too thickly house influenced or too slow and off the mark, Generation shows that the Audio Bullys’ brand of dance music has staying power.

Timbaland rose to the challenge of making Chris Cornell a solo star by producing arguably the worst album he’s ever had a hand in.

What makes BAYTL really frustrating is the fact that besides V-Nasty's appearances, the album has a chance to be excellent.