There's much daftness along the way. [Aug 2002, p.121]

Imbruglia's thin voice can't keep pace with the excellent but demanding Everything Goes and Sunlight, while the half-dozen ballads aspire only to T'Pau's China In Your Hand. [#184, p.137]

Melodically, this matches The Lemonheads at their best. [Aug 2002, p.126]

A very slick example of production-line soul. [Apr 2002, p.110]

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

The result is almost entirely vaudevillian. [Mar 2002, p.116]

It holds its own, just. [May 2002, p.114]

Featuring no less than 15 different songwriters, Fever is step-aerobic heaven, each song shiny, bouncy and as expertly arranged, if ultimately soulless, as one would expect from so many contributors.

For his eighth album, he has returned to renowned metal producer Ed Stasium, who delivers both high-impact guitar and sufficient clarity for enjoyment of Heat's droll way with words. [Apr 2002, p.120]

Their pure pop rock is both uncomplicated and uninhibited. [June 2002, p.120]

With its uncomfortable candour, Under Rug Swept is a serious business.

...Trail of Dead have reached a point where the need for convention outweighs the joy of using guitars as weapons. [Feb 2002, p.104]

An inspired, invigorating concoction. [Feb 2002, p.108]

Like Beck before he developed the Prince fixation, Fog's anti-puritanism makes this a constantly startling, wholly addictive joy.

Many tracks are meaningless in isolation.[#184, p.146]

Quietly thrilling. [Feb 2002, p.113]

Sadly, not all the guitar-led tracks work, but for every failure there's a soaring, slo-mo anthem or a downbeat campfire singalong.

A perfect chill-out album for those of an acoustic inclination. [Apr 2002, p.122]

The result glitters like diamond.

One very minimal idea being stretched over 11 songs to the point that it starts to look very washed-out indeed.

It's all good fun. [June 2002, p.126]

Beautysleep veers from the exquisite (Keeping You) to the frustratingly bland (Moonbeam Monkey), with single The Storm the main highlight.

Satisfying in every way that Aphex Twin's Drukqs wasn't. [Apr 2002, p.110]

Has only occasional flashes of inspiration. [Jan 2002, p.107]

It's a little one-paced over the long haul, and she does wail at inappropriate moments, but there's enough here to build on. [May 2002, p.108]

This offering is bedevilled by elaborate, overly fussy instrumentation. [May 2002, p.114]

Their now drab and dense psychedelia has been "updated" with the occasional drum machine but is still populated by willowy, damaged girls called Esmeralda and songs with "chrome" in the title.

Struggle, New Disco, and Dance To The Underground are too-self conscious by half but they're still hoisted by a steamrolling dynamic and sharp hooks. [Nov 2002, p.110]