The riffs are polite, the vocals maddeningly limo, and more than half the tracks are mere sketches they couldn't be bothered to colour in. [Sep 2012, p.73]

Intermezzo is one of Sir Richard Bishop's most welcoming collections. [Aug 2012, p.79]

It's gritty and urgent, but the powerful lead vocals are melodic and traditional, and the lyrics eloquent. [Aug 2012, p.75]

Beneath the jazz-folk toned melancholia there's a new dramatic intensity. [Jun 2012, p.83]

It's a consistent Crowell effort, if a bit by-the-numbers. [Jul 2012, p.70]

An LP that reaffirms your faith in hip-hop. [Aug 2012, p.75]

A Hal Wilner-produced collection that is witty and engaging and confirms her as one of the most singular, if erratic, R&B divas of our time. [Aug 2012, p.71]

A glorious ruckus. [Aug 2012, p.69]

Valentine is typically sturdy--piquant observation and low-key philosophy played against an impeccable musical backdrop. [Aug 2012, p.80]

While there are still some occasional bright spots, it never quite regains its earlier momentum. [Aug 2012, p.69]

Mostly, this is spry, melodic, and totally charming. [Aug 2012, p.79]

You don't get bands like Blur very often. They deserve great boxsets, and this feels like one. [Aug 2012, p.85]

Doseone's keen ear for a pop melody and hip-hop's punch keep him on course. [Aug 2012, p.71]

One's enjoyment of this record will largely depend on the ability to endure a man doing an uncanny impersonation of a youthful Bob Dylan. [Aug 2012, p.80]

Their ragtag religious signifiers, stretching from the Mediterranean to Bengal, feel like gap year blog entries, and Cisneros' wizened sage delivery is ludicrous. [Aug 2012, p.77]

Luckily they are one of the few bands with stadium heft and the tunes to pull it off, rendering their big-heartedness euphorically justified. [Aug 2012, p.78]

The producer's penchant for tinsel and bluster tends to obscure the duo's strengths. [Jun 2012, p.80]

Her acoustic leanings have been ditched in favour of a moody, downtempo sound, full of eerie loops and elctro-bleeping. [Jul 2012, p.80]

This delightful album rolls back the last 60 years. [Aug 2012, p.78]

Wilful, perhaps, but also a hugely inventive joy. [Aug 2012, p.77]

Shrines sees this young Canadian duo tamper with generic electro to create often sparkling results. [Aug 2012, p.78]

A mini-masterpiece. [Jun 2012, p.82]

It's a fascinating charting of a band's gradual evolution through experiment. [Aug 2012, p.93]

The follow-up [to 2009's Warm Heart Of Africa] is similarly energetic and eclectic. [Aug 2012, p.83]

The singer runs out of steam in the second half, opting for a succession of cloying ballads that, despite her beguiling voice, leaves the listener unmoved. [Aug 2012, p.75]

Brawny, anthemic hard-rock chug remains their backbone. [Aug 2012, p.69]

With all the percolating energy the album delivers, its three most memorable songs are ballads.

Everything here is much as you'd expect. [Jul 2012, p.85]