Thunderbitch does a far better job of capturing Howard as a performer than either of the Alabama Shakes albums have; here, her inimitable, flamboyant voice is given free rein, ably supported by her fellow Thunderbitches. [Dec 2015, p.68]

Blitzen Trapper's rock-solid eigth boasts a pair of instant grabbers. [Dec 2015, p.69]

The album's languid pace and lack of real bite often renders it a little pedestrian. [Dec 2015, p.69]

It's her first record that could be a classic rather than just name-checking a bunch of them. [Dec 2015, p.70]

It's a muscular and alluringly saturnine record with a vintage sheen, which occasionally tilts at the Bad Seeds but sounds more like a wracked Richard Hawley. [Dec 2015, p.71]

If A Different Ship was the soundtrack to a road trip, the new record is designed for a summer afternoon. [Dec 2015, p.73]

Are You Alone? hints at a Blue Nile-like melancholy beauty; otherwise the album could be prescribed as a treatment for insomnia. [Dec 2015, p.74]

Her elegantly emotive voice locates the dark matter in these songs about the complexities of love, lighten by sweet melodies and a stirring concoction of pop-country and honky-tonk. [Dec 2015, p.75]

The results are alluring warped but this groovy nostalgia is now a well-trodden path. [Dec 2015, p.76]

It's the slowies that suffer--lacking the warm glaze of the previous album, they can sound a little hollow. [Dec 2015, p.76]

Sermon On The Rocks is a wild ride, with producer Trina Shoemaker adding vivid colours to the singer's rolling rock gospel. [Dec 2015, p.78]

Another Country largely continues the same unashamedly nostalgic tone [of 2013's Time] [Dec 2015, p.79]

Like all of his work, it's thoughtful, humble, introspective, funny and endlessly digressive. [Dec 2015, p.72]

Can feel somewhat alienating, but worth sticking with. [Dec 2015, p.76]

It's not as striking as its predecessor. [Dec 2015, p.75]

Like 2008's Slime & Reason, Bleeds can come on a bit like an episode of "Grumpy Old MCs." But there's always room for salvation in Smith's world. [Dec 2015, p.92]

Lyrically, as ever, Garvey's skill lies in combining romantic poeticism with sandpaper wit. [Dec 2015, p.80]

Many Moons is studied, but graciously so. [Nov 2015, p.73]

Arbouretum have often looked from a distance kike a vehicle for their frontman. Ostensibly Dave Heumann's first solo album, Her In the Deep more or less confirms as much. [Nov 2015, p.77]

Pylon sees Killing Joke maintain the late-career renaissance precipitated by the original lineup reuniting for 2010's Absolute Dissent. [Nov 2015, p.77]

While Fuzz II has some absolute stormers, some of the proto-metal songs are a little too ponderous to really click. [Nov 2015, p.76]

Francesconi provides an elegant framework for Diane, who is in fine voice here. [Nov 2015, p.75]

The fifth album to feature Kentucky's Joan Shelley has an immensely welcoming ease that was absent in 2014 anxious solo breakthrough, Electric Ursa.... A major talent. [Oct 2015, p.83]

Diehard Moggers fans may bemoan the omission of obscure personal faves, but the belters title is well-deserved. [Nov 2015, p.95]

Jarre's own pastel-shaded musical signature sometimes gets lost in the crowd. [Nov 2015, p.77]

Return To The Moon is fully realised and offers plenty of intrigue, but .... rarely do they sound like a unit, and, surprisingly, Berninger is the one that ends up sounding a little lost. [Nov 2015, p.74]

Divers feels like her most comfortable, charming album. [Nov 2015, p.80]

The album presents the sound of masters at work, not thinking about their legacy, just doing the work. [Nov 2015, p.83]