Melodic without being vibrant or actually that pretty, these are songs that seem to sink into themselves. [Nov 2003, p.123]

My Best friend Is You fall over itself to broaden Nash's bard-of-the-piano template. [May 2010, p.113]

Instead of the darkness and foreboding that infects Johnson's original '30s recordings, we get a thoroughly gentrified version of the blues. [May 2004, p.100]

Magnetic sounds like a TV talent show judge's idea of rock music from a band capable of much better. [Jun 2013, p.98]

This Is... Icona Pop does contain some enjoyable moments, but it's a hollow victory. [Nov 2013, p.117]

There's polish here aplenty, yes, but less majesty. [Mar 2018, p.107]

The poolside psychedelia of Space Static Lover is a sparkling highlight; how much of the rest appeals hinges on your tolerance for ruthless pop efficiency. [Aug 2017, p.103]

His rudimentary songwriting skills and questionable quality control render this an exasperating experience. [Apr 2004, p.110]

Her debut album, indeed, is something of a mess, the sense being of an artist trying to run before she can walk. [Jul 2009, p.123]

Often, though, it's just a bit pompous and boring. [Apr 2013, p.94]

There's something rather pinched and prescribed about this weirdness.

Chic but charmless. [Jun 2005, p.111]

Creditably, it strives for depth--political, lyrical and musical--but Happy People gets stuck in the shallows. [Mar 2015, p.113]

Regrettably, Williams fourth album continues her "progression" from convincing acoustic confessional to mild, gutless rocking with sessioneers who lack inspiration. [Nov 2001, p.130]

Embryonic has a cloudy feel, full of hulking, malformed basslines, distorted drums, and melodies that circle without ever ascending. [Nov 2009, p.102]

The tunes, for all that they whistle by breezily enough, lack the snap, crackle or pop that separates the hitters from the makeweights. [Oct 2015, p.113]

Surely a man of his talent has more to offer than this? [Sep 2006, p.109]

Like over-keen Masterchef contestants, they chuck everything onto the plate to show off their skills, resulting in a charmless mess of congealed ideas. [April 2012, p.105]

Hercules And Love affair team up. Again. Indeed, their debut album as Jessica 6 bears an uncanny resemblance to that of their fellow New York disco hipsters. [July 2011, p. 114]

The main problem is that the wooly songs struggle to match the grandstanding conceit. [Feb 2013, p.101]

What once sounded thrilling and new now merely sounds tired and repetitive. [Nov 2004, p.127]

This is essentially a couple of singles spread way too thinly. [Jun 2005, p.110]

California is desperately unadventurous. [Aug 2016, p.108]

Trespassing is magnificent is its competence, but sadly, it doesn't appear to have an actual beating heart in it anywhere. [Aug 2012, p.102]

First single "Stop The Music" suggests they may yet escape this postmodern cul-dul-sac, but by the time they get to "I Vibe You," it feels like being trapped in a lift with The Saturdays. [Aug 2010, p.124]

An album that should have seen Flynn take a step closer to Messrs Marling and Mumford has, sadly, been moulded into a bit of a snoozefest. [Nov 2013, p.102]

"Being herself" has resulted in her blandest record yet: it drifts from nondescript disco-pop and cloying R&B to woefully ersatz glam stomp. [July 2010, p. 132]

They're derailed by a dearth of new ideas. [Mar 2016, p.116]