There's nothing remotely new or sophisticated about any of it. Instead the album happily operates at the most instinctual gut level, oozing authenticity in a way that Jack White, say, would give his front teeth for. [Nov 2008, p.111]

At 20 tracks long, Imperial Blaze suffers badly from a lack of editing, however, Paul also spends hald the album in ballad mode. [Nov 2009, p.111]

The album is so cacophonous that it borders on the unpleasant. Yet there are redemptive moments. [Summer 2019, p.111]

Quietly confessional and ever so slightly disturbing. [Oct 2009, p.117]

The multi-culturally correct Warm Heart Of Africa more than lives up to its title, Nsokoto and infectious Kamphopo being worth a place on anyone's shuffle. [Oct 2009, p.118]

Was [Nothing's Real] worth the wait? At points, yes. [Aug 2016, p.117]

Dig deeper, and you'll find rich arrangements more reminiscent of Knopfler's soundtrack work. [Oct 2002, p.110]

Esoteric but oddly compelling record. [Oct 2016, p.110]

In places, The Boombox Ballads is too shambling for its own good. [Oct 2015, p.113]

Spring Heel Jack exist in that increasingly exciting no-man's land where clubland and modern jazz call a truce and have a kickabout.

This is an album steeped in classicism while still creating its own world. It just lacks the killer song. [Oct 2006, p.127]

Chronological sequencing would have painted a more coherent picture of how she developed over the decades and although fine in themselves, a bunch of remixes belong to an album of their own. [Jan 2016, p.120]

The follow-up repeats the trick, scattering dreamy pop between industrial soundscapes. [July 2010, p. 129]

The grooves stay warm and loopy. [Jan 2013, p.108]

The sunny, country-ish melodies of opener 'Beathless' and 'Savorin' Your Smile' aren't quite matched by her limited voice, but when some darkness descends, as on 'Pictures Of You,' her perky nature adds a bittersweet twist to the added emotional weight. [mar 2009, p.104]

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

The lesser known shoo-ins often struggle. [Sep 2003, p.104]

There's beauty amid the sonic desolation. [Sep 2017, p.116]

It's diverting enough but unlikely to gain Sartain significant ground. [Jun 2014, p.119]

There's still enough synapse-jangling vocal invention and moments of great beauty to make it a worthy addition ot Bjork's singular ouevre. [Nov. 2000, p.99]

Black Market Music feels like a watershed, a merely good record after a great one, and that in itself is disappointing.

Added to this unlikely musical melting pot is singer is Nikolaj Manuel Vonsild's falsetto, occasionally reminiscent of both Arthur Russell and Antony Hegarty. [Aug 2013, p.107]

It delivers considerable entertainment value. [Apr 2005, p.122]

The mainstream looks a long way off again from here. [Sep 2012, p.97]

Ultimately 24k Magic's luxe exterior writes cheques its soul can't cash. [Feb 2017, p.115]

It's an unexpected grower. [Jan 2016, p.111]

The most successful tracks are those where Tricky is front and centre. [Mar 2016, p.117]

Their music conjures the Sahara via a hypnotic desert blues that informed by both Malian folk music and their love of Western bands such as Pink Floyd and Can. [Jun 2020, p.106]