Though the more rhythmic nature of tracks like "Oblivion Theme" prevent the album from dissolving into ambient haze, the deep bass rumbles and rich textures provide plenty of pillowy comforts for other weary listeners. [Jun 2020, p.30]

The addictive, chant-like vocals of Whitney Johnson, AKA Matchess, combined with some satisfyingly spacious grooves, periodically aligns Desert So Green with the contemporary psych-rock swirl of Warpaint and Moon Duo. [Feb 2026, p.39]

This is mature work. It's confident in what it is--and as seems likely, what it will turn into next. [Sep 2018, p.27]

It's certainly cinematic, and there are nods to Morricone. [Jan 2013, p.79]

Clark turns in one continuous lachrymose piece that ebbs and flows with sinuous grace and is edgy enough to intrigue Hollywood. [May 2016, p.71]

What could have been merely clever becomes soulful and poignant thanks to Shauf's understated vocals, his eye for mundane details and flourishes. [Mar 2023, p.35]

Not everything works on this bloated 18-tracker, but enough hits the target. [May 2017, p.35]

Kinder Versions offers up a stormy swell of sound that's intermittently compelling even if Mammut's wilder instincts can seem tethered down by plodding rhythms. [Sep 2017, p.32]

Even at its most languid, this album retains a faintly manic, frazzled quality that prevents it from descending too far into retro pastiche. [Dec 2017, 9.28]

With the band showing no loss of force or focus, the latest is another essential if discomfiting listen. [Nov 2024, p.36]

This multilayered and multigenre approach results in an album that is as deeply introspective as it is creatively bold and ambitious. [May 2021, p.25]

If she began coasting on 2002's Under Construction, here pop's most innovative black female is on repeat mode. [Feb 2004, p.72]

Light and airy, pretty in parts, but devoid of muscle, grit or originality. [May 2002, p.96]

This is seriously literate stuff, and all the better for it. [Nov 2004, p.120]

It's a darker, deeper affair. [Jun 2007, p.94]

A certain crispness is now prevalent, along with expanded horizons. [May 2016, p.82]

For chunks of the album there's an unshakable feeling of familiarity. [Jul 2018, p.27]

Producer Craig Street's customary forte is smoothness but the grittier Muscle Shoals influence he's channeled here is perfectly tailored. [Nov 2012, p.77]

Much of it... sounds like the spiritual cousin of Neil Young's After The Gold Rush and Harvest, sharing the same back-to-nature rusticity. [Jul 2006, p.101]

A blast. [Sep 2010, p.92]

The Turning Wheel has the feel of a big reveal. Her voice, as dramatic and flamboyant as a young Kate Bush, now pirouettes amid a backdrop of warm brass and orchestral funk supplied by an extended cast of players. [Jul 2021, p.34]

A sweatstorm of strum and twang. [Dec 2005, p.106]

The songs are suited by the rough and tumble, though, wearing the bruises with poise and pride. [May 2012, p.83]

XOXO is, astonishingly and hearteningly, the sound of a group still finding new ways to be themselves. [Aug 2020, p.24]

The frontman and his septet sculpt grooves and hooks that immediately grab hold. [Dec 2021, p.33]

It's the personal element that underpins this record's appeal. [Oct 2008, p.92]

It's '60s-soul funky rather than frenzied testifying. [Sep 2014, p.76]

[John Tejada] maintains his penchant for melancholic, Detroit-inspired tech-house better suited to the home than club environment. [Feb 2015, p.84]