For her second album, she flexes more ambition, and the results are rewarding. [June 2008, p.110]

The emphasis put on the soundscapes for these songs--unprecedented for the singer/songwriter--results in her lyrics occasionally getting buried under the synth swooshes, but for the first time in a long time, the majority of Taylor's lyrics don't really demand your attention anyway.

The sound may be five years old, but Essence's insistence that jungle left something valuable behind back in '95 is a major part of its appeal. [Sept. 2000]

Varied and vulnerable. [Jun 2003, p.109]

Unfortunately, many of the underdeveloped rockers and plaintive ballads here are dance-floor-clearing duds. [Nov 2003, p.111]

A return to 1994's seduction strategies: pomade-greased riffs, subdermal bass, distorto samples, and free-associative rants about how Miami is cooler than Hollywood. [July 2002, p.112]

Even skeptics should find Bingham's second album, embellished with a bit more pop and politics, a convincing step beyond his promisingly earthy 2007 debut.

Lowe's sexagenarian years have real sparkle.

On Untethered Moon, the crew sounds as taught and lean as ever.

His new LP, Nephew in the Wild, is largely cut from the same cloth, a collection of (mostly) sad songs looking back, just from a perspective that’s a little older, wiser, and well-adjusted.

The Odd Couple is basically a more refined "St. Elsewhere," without the rap aberrations or goofy covers that made the debut such a wild, bumpy ride. [Apr 2008, p.91]

Era Extraña picks up as if that criticism (and 2010) never happened. Some tracks sound 25 years old and they're one Martin Rushent assist away from being genuine synth-pop hits.

Call it Everything About The Girl. [Mar 2007, p.99]

Take their third album, Holy Fire: It shreds.

There’s little to be found here with the immediacy of yore, but this ends up working in the album’s favor: the more you give in to these vibes, the more the vibes give back. That goes double for Turner’s lyrics, which are playfully quotable in a manner that recalls the opaque asides of Destroyer’s Dan Bejar.

It's a blessing and a curse that he's never sounded more unhinged. [Oct 2006, p.105]

Sometimes a record is a feast for the soul, and sometimes it’s a dozen chocolate cupcakes.

The moody brass of 'Maundy Thursdays,' the loveless female narrator who opens 'June Evenings,' and the restless whispering in 'Never Content' are all touches that keep the billowing instrumental opulence tethered, affectingly, to humans on the ground.

Finds these mysterious lads already advancing into their suave Roxy Music phase. [May 2005, p.102]

Easy Tiger plays like a tightly focused best-of compilation from Adams' past six or seven efforts. [Jul 2007, p.96]

There’s no shortage of potential DJ weaponry on Homesick, but what makes the album truly impressive are the cuts where Matrixxman gets out of his presumed comfort zone and steps away from the club.

Addictive listening. [Aug 2006, p.80]

Of course it's nothing new, but Guided by Voices' precision messes are their own reward. [Aug 2002, p.110]

Selmasongs becomes a deeper listen after you've seen Dancer In The Dark.... But even without its proper context, the album is evidence of Bjork's unstoppable growth. [Nov. 2000, p.197]

He's one of the four or five best MCs breathing. [Aug 2004, p.103]

The lyrics chew as much as they bite, and the music -- ranging from twangy jazzisms to raucous blues rock -- lets Costello honor his roots while still showing off what he picked up at the conservatory. [May 2002, p.118]

The gripping Strangelet strives for a tricky balance of darkness of light... and mostly succeeds, thanks to the raw charisma of Phillips' hangover vocals. [Apr 2007, p.94]

Oh (Ohio)'s languid chamber folk murmurs as expected with Wagner sketching vivid relationship dramas like a master painter. Should it all sound overly proper, a closer listen revals sly humor in the details. [Nov 2008, p.96]