It almost inevitably fails to live up to those lofty aspirations. [Nov 2009, p.114]

Boomslang labours under the delusion that The Stone Roses' Second Coming was a good idea worth pursuing in greater detail. [Feb 2003, p.100]

There's nothing as wonderfully warm as My Love Is Your Love, as grandstanding as Exhale (Shoop Shoop), or as innovative as Its Not Right But Its OK. [Feb 2003, p.104]

Pop Etc manage a couple of well-aimed arrows towards the heart. [Aug 2012, p.108]

Chained as they are to the demands of the dancefloor, there's a little room for subtlety in these frantic mash-ups of Coldplay and Empire Of The Sun, but then whoever did their thinking under strobe lights? [Dec 2010, p.115]

Glynne's voice is a powerful weapon to secure audience submission, yet it quickly becomes a weak link, making Florence Welch sound like Vashti Bunyan. [Sep 2015, p.112]

Where once he dreamed of Fireflies, now Young just sounds burned out. [Oct 2012, p.108]

If the original Bat Out Of Hell was Bruce Springsteen's Born To Run as scored by Richard Wagner, this is even more theatrical. [Nov 2006, p.140]

The third album from James Morrison isn't the musical enlightenment that its title suggests, but rather another sturdy, if predictable, collection of soul-tinged, Radio-2 friendly pop tunes. [Nov. 2011, p. 139]

The Balcony is a debut as polite as potpourri. [Oct 2014, p.106]

Hints that Cuomo may be approaching some sort of personal epiphany about his place in the world. [Jun 2005, p.116]

More than a quarter century down the line, Bon Jovi are still living and selling the rock 'n' roll fantasy on The Circle. Why Not? They've done very nicely out of it. [Jan 2010, p. 126]

Rarely has he sung this well. [Feb 2006, p.99]

It's the continual indulgence of Lopez's Gloria Estefan ambitions with various generic Latin tracks, completely at odds with everything else, that really grates.

Slipway Fires requires more of your time and duly rewards it. [Dec 2008, p.120]

When he desists from inserting solos in the middle of otherwise palatable songs, his work can be engaging, even moving. [Oct 2005, p.115]

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]

There's little sign of obvious hits. [Feb 2003, p.104]

An album that could finally establish Feeder as major league players. [Feb 2005, p.92]

Few would guess it was about environmental apocalypse; indeed, you can listen to the whole album with out noticing very much at all. [Aug 2010, p.123]

It delivers considerable entertainment value. [Apr 2005, p.122]

They wouldn't be totally awful if Client A could actually sing. [Oct 2003, p.103]

Pop Trash proves to be far from embarrassing...

A disappointing barrage of lethargic metal. [Dec 2004, p.137]

When they strain for sexy modernity... it's as appealing as Mr. Burns writhing round in satin sheets. [Nov 2004, p.119]

The voice that set such a spark to West's Gold Digger should be capable of more than this exaggerated comedy sex routine. [May 2006, p.126]

A collection of irresistible pop-rock anthems. [Nov 2005, p.125]

The bulk of the R&B tracks are gloopy. [Mar 2006, p.106]