What sets her apart is a nasal, high-pitched quality to her voice, which puts a fresh spin on what is otherwise a familiar format by now. [Nov 2009, p.104]

The only problem is that the duo never manage to execute a truly killer pop hook, resulting in a debut that breezes by in a pleasant but ultimately forgettable haze. [May 2011, p.116]

[Saloman's] sharply observed tales of lost love and hopeless hopes fit Lord's airy vocals snugly. [Jun 2004, p.102]

All baes covered, an international hit seems guaranteed. [Oct 2002, p.100]

Patchy sixth efforts from hip hop innovators. [Sept. 2011, p. 111]

His earthy but frequently beautiful Americana has maintained a consistent heaviness of vibe, and album five continues down the same byway. [Nov 2016, p.107]

Sun Gong is a two-part aural resonance-bath suitable for ultimate relaxation. [Dec 2017, p.106]

Banner's rasped raps are as direct and filthy as ever. [Jan 2006, p.124]

He retreats too often into dull AOR choogling. [Mar 2007, p.114]

Maybe he's not the kind of artist you need to hear stripped down. [Jan 2013, p.101]

Especially on the Thin Lizzy-esque 'What Do I Have To Do?' and the irresistible 'Wasted,' they sparkle. At other times, though--the unloveable 'Here For The Party' and childish 'Girl Talk'--these four 28-year-olds still think they're in high school. [Nov 2007, p.137]

The results are largely impressive, particularly on the fragile country of Follow Me Down, but you can't help feeling that eventually Nap Eyes will need to look to more distant horizons to maintain everyone's interest. [Apr 2018, p.112]

Confidence is attractive, but iii is a little too composed. [Apr 2016, p.111]

It's best experienced with the lights out, although as with most film music, it loses some frisson separated from Strickland's lurid images. [Feb 2013, p.102]

Damogen Furies is one of his more consistent efforts. [May 2015, p.111]

This debut proves equally effervescent. [Apr 2011, p.109]

On their amiably unvarnished debut, they're a bit punky, a little folky, even a bit rockabilly, but always refreshingly themselves. [May 2010, p.126]

Nothing on this album surprises or pushes the urban envelope. [Sep 2004, p.116]

It's Prince, it's Eno, it's PiL, it's The Coasters and all at once. At times, that jars. At others... it's as exhilarating as a kiss. [Jul 2004, p.124]

The only sticking point is frontman Carson Cox's vocals. He's so curiously low in the mix at times that it gives the impression of a man absentmindedly wandering through his own songs. [Sep 2014, p.111]

A rather lovely bedtime listen. [Jan 2013, p.101]

At times, they sound like Black Sabbath might, if Tony Iommi had ever misplaced his genius for memorable riffs. Far better is when they harness their power more constructively. and fragments of tunes emerge from the sludge. [Jun 2017, p.112]

Rather than radical reimaginations, Lanegan serves up tweaked arrangements within the original frameworks. [Oct 2013, p.105]

For the most part it's a decent but needless reworking of her Compass Point trilogy of albums from the early '80s. [Nov 2008, p.117]

Ultimately, though, it's her own barnstroming commitment and sheer affability that steer things safely home. [Dec 2008, p.123]

Trail Of dead have kept faith with their traditional mix of prog pomp and grunge power for their sixth album. [Apr 2009, p.97]

Sometimes brillliant, but often baffling. [Nov 2009, p.107]

It's a more searing and cranked-up affair than its predecessor. [Jun 2013, p.99]