They throw light on their shadowy melancholia, resulting in positively euphoric tunes. [Mar 2005, p.111]

It goes down like a cold fresh glass of Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince, circa 1988. [Sep 2003, p.102]

Put [Monkey] on in the background and it'll sound good, but you won't necessarily notice it. [Apr 2002, p.126]

Certainly a nice full-length, though it would be interesting to see what a vocalist could add to their formula . [Jun 2004, p.86]

The blues stomps have been muted, and none of the 11 songs are her own. [Oct 2005, p.110]

Whether it’s Mark’s influence, or Kinky’s own growth over the years (or maybe both), this album has universal appeal and its party-ready, rich sound is one that would be a shame to pass up.

When The Streets gets lazy, he becomes less of an artist and more like a novelty. [May 2006, p.80]

The whole album is a spacey trip, and it acquires several listenings to be on their side. They're definitely not stagnant, but it's still a step back from their debut--not in time, but in appeal.

This is not a bad record, just not what the game needed from De La at the moment.

The album captures the band's unmistakable sound but they've also added some new flavors. [May 2006, p.91]

The tunes are taunt and chipper and the instrumentation is full and flirty as promised. But their tunefulness falls into question with these ears.

Much like Sufjan Stevens (but without the history professor schtick) Vanderslice is a one-man orchestra of plucked and bowed strings, living-breathing organs and lullaby vocals that narrate his musical characters with explicit detail. [Sep 2005, p.114]

It sounds like Drew would still benefit from having his Canadian ragtag team behind him though, because his solo effort just isn't very strong.

At times reminiscent of Neil Young. [Sep 2006, p.139]

It's a delicate album that's simultaneously sophisticated and warm. [Apr 2007, p.106]

While the album is a fun first listen, it's in taking that second and third spin of Waterloo to Anywhere that the band's infectious quality becomes a full-fledged epidemic. [Sep 2006, p.142]

The songs all come from a similar place, but a solid bass line and focused rhythm will always carry the day.

A classic rock-influenced masterpiece of horny fun. [Apr 2006, p.84]

What may be most surprising here is that the Allstars have dipped their toes into the previously uncharted waters of pop songs. [Mar 2002, p.116]

Come With Us will doubtlessly electrify their legions of fans and just as effortlessly enrage the condescending cognoscenti that loves to hate them. [#90, p.120]

Like all exploratory trips, sometimes he has prophetic visions and sometimes he just rolls around a lot. [Oct 2002, p.94]

The insanity in Tyler's ever-more-popular rap character feels real because he too recognizes it. He's crazy and it's crazy that we're listening, but maybe that makes the actual world slightly more sane. Oh, the horror.

Following a seven year gap between studio albums, Sacramento's CAKE is back with the compelling, yet inconsistent Showroom of Compassion.

Visitations occasionally suffers from "too much of a good thing" syndrome. [Jan/Feb 2007, p.77]

It’s a rare thing to find so many talented collaborators (notably Guilty Simpson, Oh No, & Murs) on top of the skills of such a creative and accomplished selector as Madlib. WLIB AM puts an odd twist on oldschool and dresses to impress.

Updates the happy-fi Plastilina Mosh sound into a pop-friendly mix of hip-hop, funk and lounge-y atmospheres. [May 2002, p.116]

The extended running time of Young Miss America starts to act against Lafata toward the full-length's end. [Jun 2003, p.93]

Grabs you from the opening seconds with a best-of-all-worlds combination of gritty, menacing music and witty, hilarious lyrics. [Nov 2004, p.99]