With deeply average tunes and deeply average rapping throughout, not even an appearance by Carlos Santana on Babylon Feeling can turn things around.

Like the '70s, then, but much more fun. [Nov 2002, p.98]

THe jazzy stylings are a mixed blessing... [but] her fans will not be disappointed. [Mar 2003, p.101]

It's all terrifically boring, naturally, but her voice is exquisite. [Nov 2004, p.117]

As long as you're up for more mood and texture experiments there's plenty of interest. [Dec. 2011 p. 135]

It's very easy on the ear, but, as on the Jose Gonzalez collaboration Estrella De Dos Caras, it needs focus. [Sep 2007, p.99]

The debut is a mix of styles classic and unorthodox, mythic American themes and sounds overlapping with futuristic textures. [Jan 2010, p.119]

With arrangements pared back to the bone, it's that strange, slurred voice where all the attention is focused, meaning there's no hiding place at all. [Nov 2012, p.99]

A welcome outing from an overlooked talent. [Nov 2012, p.105]

The results are mixed. [Apr 2013, p.94]

There's nothing groundbreaking here, but these songs will surely be lots of fun to play live. [Dec 2016, p.115]

A red letter day for fans of classic songwriting. [Aug 2005, p.132]

Crackling with the background ambience of heckle and cheer, it's a decent attempt at bottling live lightning, if a slightly self-satisfied one. [#361, p.107]

While not all the songs manage to really sink their teeth in, the overall smoky, neon-lit atmosphere is an intoxicating one. [May 2017, p.111]

Though consistently strong, in the absence of dancers or plot it's hard to make sense of this subtle album's jolting transitions between subtle mood pieces and bombastic orchestral techno. [Apr 2011, p.106]

So while fourth album Shogun is impressive, Trivium continues ro make "...And Justice For All" when they could do with a "Black Album" instead. [Nov2008, p.107]

Subculture stands up well: an accomplished set of ska, pop and reggae. [Aug 2015, p.112]

Ridin', Porn Star and Slammin' are as disposably trashy as their titles suggest, and even the trowelled-on angst of Slit My Wrists and Whiskey In The Morning sounds like a pool party at a Beverley Hills bordello.

There's no revist from the muse that delivered the exquisite Temptation Eyes back in 1990. [Sep 2001, p.107]

Coy, genail and funny... a potent antidote to the usual chill-out porridge. [#184, p.140]

Derivative, but there's artistry and some rattling tunes among the noise and confusion. [March 2012, p.112]

While their new setting can't quite extinguish their thoughtful charms, it has trampled on their mystique. [Apr 2014, p.103]

The sound of a band running on empty. [Jan 2016, p.115]

Lindberg is dedicated to atmosphere, and if these songs are disconcertingly hazy as they move through the dry ice, they just about hold a twisted shape of their own. [Jan 2016, p.111]

It won't dethrone Endtroducing... from the pantheon but at last Davis has rediscovered the hidden door to that entrancing night-time world. [Aug 2016, p.111]

Danilova's vocals occasionally get bogged own in the contemporary pop production, but this foray from murky fringes into the mainstream deserves success. [Nov 2014, p.121]

It's a record to be applauded for its ambitions, even if the songs sometimes struggle to carry the weight. [Jun 2013, p.100]

Lanegan is among the most pungent ingredients in modern music and these new recipes capture his strength. [Apr 2015, p.105]