Surprisingly muted, sophisticated synth-pop that lowers its eyes and keeps to the shadows, a glint of hi-tech disco chrome occasionally catching the light. [Feb 2018, p.116]

His penchant for flyaway drama is anchored by his winning way with a soaring melody. [Feb 2018, p.115]

They could do with stretching out a little. [Feb 2018, p.115]

Morrison swings as he sings, conventionally but enjoyably in a classy jazz club mode. [Feb 2018, p.112]

Curious rather than essential. [Feb 2018, p.112]

He delivers stompers and torch-carriers alike with irresistible power, all couched in sonic opulence. [Feb 2018, p.111]

The best record of the three record of the three recorded with his new and far younger band Promise Of The real, it veers between raw fury an tender melodies. [Feb 2018, p.110]

She's created an album that discovers an uncanny balance all of its own. [Feb 2018, p.109]

Bruce Springsteen, Tom Petty sand Bob Dylan makes their presence felt, especially on the title track, but the sci-fi sound collage that starts No Man's Land and Forever Pt. 2 underline the band's subtle warping of the Americana dream. [Feb 2018, p.108]

Badu shines a light on less frequently explored areas of Kuti's back catalogue. ... One of music's undisputed heavyweights. [Jan 2018, p.116]

Williams and Hugo's unerring ability to transform a few notes into a sharply mesmeric riff laces their most experimental work yet with immediacy. Alive and well, N.E.R.D. have come back swinging. [Jan 2018, p.111]

Looose's invocation of early '80s New York, complete with squeaky sax solo, is less compelling, but when they hit their groove with the aptly titled Heavy Meditation, it really does sound as if there are superhuman powers at work. [Jan 2018, p.114]

There's a real and sinewy loveliness to these compositions. [Jan 2018, p.106]

Entertaining and informative. [Jan 2018, p.117]

A new rock force was born. [Jan 2018, p.117]

Bananas but in a good way. [Jan 2018, p.106]

Miguel has been mentioned in the same breath as Frank Ocean (often by himself) and The Weeknd, but this album doesn't quite unlock such self-contained worlds. [Jan 2018, p.107]

Hayward drums like h e needs your attention right now, Moore plays like an apocalypse, and it's all loud, snappy and catchy as hell. [Jan 2018, p.109]

These BBC radio sessions from the period don't offer many revelations. There's still a thrill to be had from listening to them rattle through this selection of--mostly--non-originals though. [Jan 2018, p.117]

An album where technological trickery frequently delivers real magic. [Jan 2018, p.110]

Growing up is hard to do, but Bruland has clawed some fabulously uneasy songs from the process. [Jan 2018, p.109]

Opener 9:13 is too close perhaps to Brian Eno to make much of an impact. But when a chorus of ghostly voices rise above the fractured piano of Phantom Brickworks III, the theme really works, offering a genuinely unsettling air of spookiness. [Jan 2018, p.106]

Sometimes the results a re a bit too wilfully weird. ... When his songs are sturdier though, Blau is an intriguing figure. [Jan 2018, p.106]

This is far more than just a vanity project by a label boss. [Jan 2018, p.113]

A smart melting pot of influences and references. [Jan 2018, p.113]

It's a record that manages to find hope among the uncertainties. [Jan 2018, p.113]

There are a few missteps along the way--the attitudinal stomp of Wicked being one--but it is otherwise executed with authority. [Jan 2018, p.114]

Impossibly energetic, joyously extreme and a little bit exhausting. [Jan 2018, p.114]