They’re back in the studio together, finding profundity in the commonplace, from a cheap cup of coffee to watching an infant’s first steps, on nine songs which range from the acoustic balladry of “Never Apart”, with its banjo and folk harmonies, to the scorching cowpunk of “Love Of AGirl”, via the classic country-rock of “Country Kid” and the plaintive melancholia of “2020 Regret”. [Jun 2024, p.29]

Amos teams up with the Metropole Orchestra to revisit songs from her '92 debut onward, adding sumptuous, bejewelled dimension to the rich expressive like of "Precious Things" and the conceptual epic "Yes, Anastasia."[Nov 2012, p.69]

He's added half a dozen of his own compositions in a similar style to this generous 16-track selection, which pays tribute to his jazz roots rather more successfully than his uneven homage to his R&B origins in September's Roll With The Punches. [Feb 2018, p.30]

It frequently sounds terrific. [Apr 2002, p.104]

A mixed offering, then, from a band still searching, albeit interestingly, for their own centre. [Oct 2002, p.102]

A lush song suite reflective of the grandeur of their native New Zealand's landscapes. [Sep 2018, p.29]

A grouchier echo of that opening shot [their 1983 debut album]. [Sep 2019, p.27]

In essence, Ice On The Dune is pure pop with a twist--like a modern day 10cc, or ELO using synths instead of strings. [Jul 2013, p.75]

The arrangements are pleasingly stripped back--perhaps too much so for those powerful. [Nov 2015, p.73]

This fifth set strips back the gloss and points to some sort of redemption. [Dec 2007, p.89]

It's all enjoyably preposterous. [Jun 2013, p.75]

On "Wear Suits," the trio reveals it can pull off the measured uptown elegance of The Blue Nile, but otherwise, singer/guitarist Alex Schaff delights in scribbling over his songs, as his boyish vocals vacillate between preciousness and brattiness. [May 2012, p.84]

Like Go-Kart Mozart or Billy Childish, Argos fashions lyrical witticisms from the commonplace. [Jan 2019, p.17]

Feels like a decisive clean break. [Mar 2020, p.30]

Buck 65 returns to abstract hip hop, but injects it with cool, psych jazz and '70s cinematic funk. [Dec 2007, p.86]

But though folky numbers like "I'm Thinking" are obviously heartfelt, there's sadly little on Goodnight Unknown that matches the glory of Barlow's best work. [Nov 2009, p.81]

Amid all this weirdness, the sleek disco banger "The last Dance" stands out like a beacon in a cave, lighting the way towards a more sustainable reinvention. [Feb 2022, p.34]

Ford's transporting voice is let down by tunes that are anything but. [Aug 2010, p.92]

An immersive blend of the symphonic and electronic, this absorbing album taps into a noble lineage stretching from AR Kane's lysergic avant-pop to sci-fi jazz alchemist Flying Lotus. [Jun 2011, p.94]

It's never indulgent, always exciting. [Oct 2010, p.114]

Aside from the squelchy hypnotism of "In The Air," it's often a little aimless. [Sep 2013, p.94]

Where MIA escapes the club and returns to the wider world, there's an overwhelming sense of diminishing returns. [Aug 2010, p.89]

Veering between faux-soul and Hoxton hipness, Adele simply hasn't found her own voice yet.

It can sometimes feel a little over the top but that's partly the point, and Fleming's voice has enough sincerity to hold it together. [Oct 2015, p.73]

What raises Between Places above simple pastiche are the electronic flourishes and surges of pounding drums that pepper the album. [Apr 2013, p.79]

The result is a disjointed, jarring mix of washy atmospherics, bleary electronics and half-baked songs. [Sep 2017, p.23]

Though the arrangements here are thinner and the longer pieces feel overstretches. [Dec 2017, p.30]

This is desert blues that doesn't just trudge into the horizon, but stops to admire the sunset. [Feb 2013, p.69]