It sounds like a bunch of stoned musicians listening back to half-finished tracks, believing them to be mind-blowingly revolutionary. [Mar 2019, p.115]

Their anthem-filled fourth album's brazen swagger may prove irresistible. [Nov 2007, p.137]

It's an album that's trying very hard--and succeeding. [May 2017, p.108]

There is something dispiriting about trawling through so many songs which show glimpses of lucidity, even brilliance, but always seem to either nod off or descend into chaos by the end. [Jan 2006, p.120]

Shontelle's diva vocal is pitch-perfect, but given Rihanna's bust-up with Chris Brown the domestic abuse subtext seems ill-judged at best. [Dec 2010, p.113]

On ONIFC he tilts the balance back--slightly. [Mar 2013, p.111]

Mostly, syrupy arrangements and obscure song choices spoil the flow. [Apr 2010, p.119]

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]

They're fine when doing the burbling, instrumental stuff, only to lose marks for a couple duff guest vocals and over-reliance on vocoders. [Jun 2010, p.132]

Relentlessly, frustratingly slow. [Nov 2004, p.108]

May not be their most ambitious album, but it's one of their finest. [July 2011, p. 113]

While Azalea drops the occasional zinger, The New Classic is the sound of an ersatz rebel playing to script, having a shot at the rap career Paris Hilton never quite got round to. [Jun 2014, p.123]

The lyrics tend towards the banal and, at times, there is a palpable sense of awkwardness. [Dec 2004, p.134]

Most of it already sounds a decade old. [Dec 2003, p.137]

The results, although respectable, were never going to ignite anything like their former glories.

Such one-dimensional plodders as Mouthful Of Poison and Pain are as uninspired as their titles. [#184, p.139]

While lacking the high-concept drama of the similarly-minded Rammstein, KMFDM are more sonically adventurous: drum'n'bass and digital dancehall spice up the usual murderously heavy riffing. [May 2002, p.115]

There's nothing essential here, but there's nothing to dislike either. [Apr 2008, p.115]

Silent Cry replaces genuine poise with serviceable pose. [July 2008, p.104]

Inevitably, the revolution zeal dissipates, but their crowd-pleasing instincts remian intact. [May 2010, p.117]

Like most grime, the words come thick and fast, as do the beats, a feeling of punch drunkenness settling in long before the end. Job done, then. [Mar 2011, p.116]

[Soulfly has been] churning out "world metal" for 13 years - with, it should be said, diminishing returns. [Apr 2012, P.101]

They're brilliant as such but, with a couple of exceptions, not quite so fun in the cold light of day. [Apr 2013, p.104]

"Listen to the silence" goes the repeated refrain from first single Always. Sometimes that wouldn't be a bad idea. [Aug 2016, p.112]

The intro to the title track points more toward Foreigner, an impression that continues on the album as dull keyboards fill the spaces once plugged by more interesting acoustic arrangements. [Aug 2016, p.108]

An album made for judicious online cherry-picking. [Jul 2011, p.126]

The result is disjointed but fun--and way more entertaining than Chinese Democracy. [Jun 2010, p.131]

Understated and slightly surreal, this could be dance music's answer to Pink Floyd. [Aug 2002, p.122]