Vega's still small voice of calm remains where the action is,kin to early-'70s Leonard Cohen in her lyrics of enigmatic confession, tarot-casting romance and cool mystique. [Mar 2014, p.121]

Garwood's gruff whisper can't touch Lanegan's death rattle, but it lets him slip in the odd love song without sounding like he's sketching a suicide pact. [Mar 2015, p.106]

To no-frills, English Velvet Underground-style indie pop, this seasoned, perceptive narrator also turns his gaze on dilemmas including the plight of the still-game senior rocker (Mr. Music), bewildering transience (There It Goes) and, seemingly, divorce (Good Enough), lightly wearing life experience without sacrificing impact. [Feb 2016, p.107]

He surprises with an unexpectedly stark romanticism inspired at least partly by his love for Isaac Hayes and Ray Charles. [Jan 2017, p.108]

It rearranges songs from the back catalogue into both psychologically probing dream-pop and freer, almost meteorological expressions. [May 2017, p.104]

A sweetly gloomy affair mostly for guitars and voice. [Aug 2017, p.105]

This narrative of self-empowerment might be superficially uplifting but it can also be rather inane, recalling the tween-friendly messages of positivity spread by pop powerhouses like Little Mix. That lightweight lyricism is in contrast to Mahalia's sophisticated sonic palate. [Oct 2019, p.109]

Turns out that melancholy is his band's key constiturnt, however for without it the result is a bit too sugary. [Apr 2010, p.112]

She establishes herself as the freshest voice on the dancefloor. [Apr 2011, p.109]

A soul-warming treat. [Jun 2011, p.116]

Like a violent assault by a Moshi Monster, it's fluffy, frightening and utterly overwhelming. [Apr 2014, p.105]

Too often, these songs feel as though they're being executed with an arched eyebrow, Lewis Jr. peering knowingly from behind the curtain with a nod and a wink. [Aug 2012, p.110]

Herd Runners is ambitious and emotionally enthralling throughout. [Jun 2014, p.106]

[An] absorbing, multi-layered debut. [Sep 2016, p.112]

Startisha is a marriage that nods to the old while leaning on the new, where results are more mixed. [Summer 2020, p.103]

There's nothing wrong with the songs that make up its second act, save that each is as woozy, wistful and gossamer-fragile as the next. [June 2008, p.140]

Its charms are bound up with the subtle pleasures of listening to these songs anew and re-understanding their make-up. [#184, p.127]

Sees him progressing further towards becoming a punked-up Bruce Springsteen. Trouble is, someone's got there already--his best mate, Ryan Adams. [Jul 2004, p.118]

Errors have always been technically thrilling, but [this album] sees the four-piece imbue their machine-like synth and riff soundscapes with a new-found warmth.[Feb 2012, p. 104]

It's a glorious return; joyous, enraged and exciting. [Aug 2017, p.103]

Brooding and complex, Deafman Glance isn't easy to grasp, but repeated listens get you through the sophisticated structures to appreciate some mid-blowing moments, out-there lyrics, and, on Telluride Speed, hard-won prettiness. [Jul 2018, p.118]

Too aimless for the initiated, the likes of 'Barfuss Durch Gras,' a cacophony of clocks unwinding will have dinner party dilettantes spitting their soup. [Oct 2008, p.142]

The tension between light and dark is this album's masterstroke. [Oct 2012, p.104]

Far less commercial, but also far richer. [Aug 2005, p.129]

This isn't anything like a Best Of, but there remains plenty of enjoyment in these spacey oddities. [Sep 2006, p.118]

The overall effect is warmly intoxicating and that the album comes so close to matching up to the records it's in thrall to means you can forgive its obvious debt to others. [Mar 2014, p.110]

Why? always had the brains, now they've located their heart. [Nov 2009, p.115]

Her lived in voice adds new nuance to material as diverse as the traditional Kimbie and Morrissey's 'Dear God Please Help Me.' [Feb 2009, p.113]