Aladdin could more properly be called Peter Pan, the work of a boy who never really grew up. It doesn't help that it comes with a sickly, stoner-friendly concept attached. [Jun 2016, p.111]

Rudolf's sound is his own on an album full of scarf-waving choruses, insistent hooks and surprisingly reflective lyrics. [Mar 2009, p.104]

The sex tracks themselves are more scary than seductive.... [But] the dancefloor tunes are far more slinky. [May 2004, p.107]

It's nothing if not ambitious... [but] they simply don't have the depth, or the authority, to pull it off. [Dec 2004, p.143]

Even when HitNRun improves, it implies creative drought. [Nov 2015, p.102]

Punk funk can be a prickly thing, but they never overdo the art-rocking, always placing the emphasis on melody. [Feb 2005, p.101]

The likes of Umbrella Beach, Cave In and Vanillla Twilight blend bittersweet longing, wintry elemental imagery and melodies that worm their way into your consciousness with effortless aplomb. [Apr 2010, p.119]

While lately the LA quartet's output has largely been preoccupied with reclaiming their crunchy alt-rock sound, The Black Album often exorcises it with synth and piano. It works superbly. [Apr 2019, p.118]

This solid--if unspectacular--sixth managed a very respectable Number 3 (on the Billboard charts). [Nov 2008, p.107]

It's not completely without merit--Brave New World has a certain swagger--nut this does stray bafflingly close to tribute band territory. [Jan 2019, p.114]

Her sauntering melodies struggle under the weight of their worthy load. [Aug 2006, p.110]

On his incredibly busy album, Light, there are signs of diversification too. [Jul 2010, p.140]

Starsailor, then: not very exciting, but damned reliable. [Oct 2003, p.117]

Now on their fourth singer, their music is built on lunkheadness, all dumb riffs and blustery choruses. [May 2013, p.99]

It turns out to be a bit of an understated charmer. [Dec 2010, p.114]

They just sound bored. [Feb 2005, p.98]

On this showing he's bored and directionless. [Nov 2006, p.134]

Rendered with all the warmth of a fax machine. [Sep 2004, p.117]

A fearsomely efficient follow-up to Back To Bedlam. [Oct 2007, p.92]

While their third third album won't win any prizes for innovation, it's pumped full of the kind of GM-modified anthems expressly tooled for both sticky-floored clubs and gigantic arenas. [Jul 2019, p.109]

His straitjacket is an entrenched reliance on "lighters aloft" ballads, or, ironically, Oasis-derived anthems. [Dec 2002, p.113]

Not everything succeeds but on Imagination's fusion of ambient synths and stadium-rock guitars or the electro-pop of Collide-A-Scope, Rundgren fashions a sound that offers nods to his '70s prog past but still sounds utterly of the moment. [May 2013, p.109]

Essentially, Fatboy Slim is doing little more than repeating his past, but the quality here doesn't suffer for that. [Nov 2004, p.120]

Continues in the same vein as its predecessor, matching Lynne's soulful vocals with an array of catchy tunes. [#184, p.140]

They veer with a refreshing lack of caution from toytown techno and smart-alec wordplay t the squeaky space-hopper electro of 'Discover Your Colors.' [Aug 2009, p.104]

It takes alt-rock drama and boy-band syrup and bolts on some fun.-size arena-singalong choruses. [May 2013, p.103]

What works onstage doesn't necessarily translate to disc, and that'sthe case here. [Oct 2007, p.108]

After all these years, is that it? [Sep 2004, p.110]