The Boys make earnest, delicate and occasionally gloomy synth-pop, but they want the pain to be danceable. [Nov 2006, p.161]

Though his singles may not rule radio, as far as full-lengths go, this is how it should be done. [Sep 2004, p.233]

Beyond Badu's self-appointed role as a teacher, what she does best is create really good music.... It should come as no surprise that Mama's Gun's organic feel comes from the team that helped produce D'Angelo's Voodoo. However, the most important sound of all is her unmistakable voice, making all of her songs like ornately crafted gems - even the unintelligible ones.

With a vicarious and melodious debut, it's clear that hip-hop's hopeful hasn't shied from his balancing act.

Clothesdrop seamlessly blends Shaggy's sharpest pop sensibilities with his (much slept-on) roughneck pedigree. [Nov 2005, p.147]

Still a nimble rapper, he's copped his best beats in years. [Oct 2006, p.142]

Unexpected is natural, pleasant and brutally honest, opening the eyes of those who slept on Williams' skills.

It’s Not Me, It’s You cooks up nostalgia for Allen diehards, but the elements have been shuffled and re-imagined with pulsating dance tracks that are surprisingly fitting.

Her debut, which has dominated the charts overseas, is polite to a fault. If Whitney'esque is what she aims for, Lewis hasn't quite found the the F-U-N in fundamentals. [June 2008, p.66]

Doom satiates as both a producer and a lyricist. [Jan 2005, p.84]

It’s a solid offering of tightly conceptualized tunes.

The album has its puzzling moments. [Jul 2006, p.139]

There's nothing new here... but if your ears are inured to the dense, overly polished production of contemprary R&B, Stone's simplicity and rawness will come as a revelation. [Nov 2004, p.166]

Contrary to the disc's title, however, Foxx grinds out by-the-numbers do-me anthems. [Mar 2006, p.188]

11 frenetic, oddball, and extremely original tracks. [Jun 2004, p.154]

Draft is brisk and jaunty, but also finds Dilla at his grimiest. [Apr 2007, p.132]

His self-titiled debut, a collection of mostly butterscotch ballads, is deliciously liquid in rhythm and blues. [Nov 2007, p.96]

Face Off is more fun than forced, full of exuberant dance ditties and training -bra snapping lullabies. [Feb 2008, p.86]

While he excels in clever jousting, Banks lacks range and storytelling ability. [Jul 2004, p.136]

Eminem complements [Trice's] sinister outlook with equally gloomy production. [Aug 2006, p.140]

Though Exclusive skirts the sophomore slip-up, it leaves its protagonist uncertain: Ease on down the road, or look at the man in the mirror? [Nov 2007, p.91]

Still, hate it or love it, his albums are always a, what's the word we're looking for... cinematic event.

There's no doubt that Evans can still finesse the notes. But instead of continually pushing her sound into the future, she often backtracks, covering much of the same ground as her previous offerings. [Jun 2005, p.156]

Even if it doesn't always work, this is as imaginative an approach to hip hop production as the underground has ever generated. [June 2003, p.157]

Tipping a decade long residency within the music industry, Spears’ “comeback” is more so a restoration than a reinvention.

The album is a tapestry of reggae, rock, jazz, gospel, and pop, loosely assembled on the duo’s signature bass-and-rim-shot skeleton.

A gleeful, idiosyncratic pastiche. [Nov 2006, p.156]

The results are moderately exemplary; a project heavy in power production, but skim on memorable showmanship.

Though Confessions doesn't bring Usher all the way to the artistic maturity one might hope for, tracking this star's progression definitely has its satisfactions. [May 2004, p.160]

In their earnest effort to recharge rap, however, the veterans' pioneer-day rhetoric comes off as heavy-handed. [Sep 2006, p.213]

R.O.O.T.S. is a solidification of identity. And when you’re trying to keep yourself in the game, sometimes that’s all a sophomore album has to be.

While The Ownerz does not spark any new rap trends, it brings back the power of the basics. [Jun 2003, p.153]

The perfect platform for Burke's unerringly tasteful phrasing. [Sep 2002, p.248]

Endearingly anachronistic. [Jan 2003, p.128]

Legitimizes the D12ers as much more than simply Eminem's funky bunch. [Jun 2004, p.157]

Good is comparable in spirit to the everything-is-in-play feel of Clash albums like Sandinista!. [Feb 2007, p.128]

Reanimation's cross-pollination of high-level lyricism, trunk-rattling beats, heavy-metal riffs, and hard-core vocals makes for a rousing listening experience. [Sep 2002, p.244]

Here Nas is on autopilot, churning out uniformly solid but unexceptional material. [Oct 2004, p.183]

Their lush signature harmonies remain intact, but these pedestrian readings ['Got To Be There' and 'War'] rarely deviate from their inspirations. [Dec 2007, p.112]

Funhouse is more haunting than amusing, but the solidarity that comes along with her recent divorce serves as the effort's muse and proves to be her best partner in life.

He's largely a victim of his own goodwill, sounding consistently exuberant, even when the message--'Politik Kills,' say--seems to beg for more. [Nov 2007, p.98]

These are antiheroic, anti-anthemic, antiwar gems of abstraction, full of consistently strange and exotic charms. [Oct 2006, p.146]

Ironically, it's the more tame (and nameless) persona that's the most intriguing, commanding and sexual.

Diplo and Switch clearly cherish the glitches and low-tech glory of vintage Jamaican music. But they’re much better off when re-imagining as opposed to indulging in tongue-in-cheek mimicry.

It's infuriatingly inconsistent.... But this album's bittersweet beauty lies in the fact that Nas cares. [Feb 2002, p.120]

This is his most conventional and guest-heavy work, but also a rewarding reminder that independent hip hop was once something more than a curio. [Apr 2007, p.128]

When at his best, Banner creates powerful American folk music. [Sep 2005, p.231]

It's all tasteful retro treatment for a '60s soul icon, but Burke approaches it with brio. [Nov 2006, p.165]

On Weekend, the group's clearly into its '90s phase, and enjoying it. [Feb 2007, p.124]

The only downside is that all the tracks sound similar. [Oct 2004, p.186]

Returns to the time-tested dancehall verities. [Sep 2004, p.232]

At times, he overreaches. [Jun 2005, p.158]

Here the production of Chicago post-rock maven John McEntire distends their horns... and fractures their beats. [Apr 2007, p.132]

The Boatlift solidifies Pitbull's position as one of the most diverse party MCs aound. And little else. [Feb 2008, p.86]

Classic Mariah--for better or worse. [Feb 2003, p.137]

Daybreaker is no less gripping for its optimism. [Sep 2002, p.250]

A taut, albeit less explosive, album. [Apr 2005, p.166]

You don't even need to be strung out in a dark room full of beautiful strangers to enjoy it. [June 2001, p.158]

Some songs are just completely uninspired.... There are definitive highlights on Underground, however, that make this collection essential. [Nov 2003, p.147]

When Relapse ditches Eminem the craaaazzzyyy white rapper, in favor of a maniacal narrator obsessed with graphic rape and violence (subjects much more in line with hip hop’s forgotten horror-core subgenre than anything to do with being a superstar rapper in 2009), Em works wonders with words, expanding the boundaries of the art of rap itself.

On their major debut, The Platform, Dilated Peoples try to approach the line between commercial success and underground maintenance.... In the process, the group achieves mixed results.

Outside the beats, the other surprise of Kamikaze is Twista's more worldly and thoughtful subject matter. [Mar 2004, p.184]

L.L. still has a few tricks up his sleeve. [May 2006, p.135]

Brass Knuckles is standard Nelly fare.

Though he abandons Deliverance's eccentricity, Bubba's lyrics still engage. [Jan 2006, p.138]

Though a few recycled cliches stall the disc... Murs's payback is a big payoff. [Jun 2006, p.164]

While DK's quest for pop domination falls short, the club-friendly Dollhouse cements their posh appeal. [May 2008, p.70]

A thoroughly entertaining listen. [May 2006, p.138]

Sure, the DFA treat their sources irreverently, but their updates are better. [Nov 2006, p.165]

The superstar’s first album in three years is a solid, if not consistently energized tribute album to Lionel Richie.

Though Nightmare doesn't match their classics, you can definitely call this a comeback. [Aug 2004, p.146]

There are crackles of life in his leaden thug poetry. [Apr 2007, p.128]

The album's most compelling moments recall the Doggfather's early days. [Jan 2003, p.125]

A far cry from the pleasing pubescent fluff of her formative years. [Aug 2004, p.139]

His cynical and intimate coming-of-age tales are a welcome twist on British rap. [May 2007, p.116]

A generally exhilarating marriage of pop songcraft and state-of-the-art rhythms... But the compact and caffeinated B'Day also sounds calculated, as if it were A&R'd by a nervous number cruncher. [Oct 2006, p.137]

Songs like 'Love, Love, Love,' and 'Can't Live Without You' create the quintessential formula for a classic two-step and Wilson is sure to dazzle longtime fans with the more easygoing numbers. But sleepier tracks like 'One Time,' border on clichéd at times.

It's the songs of sadness and anger that work best.... But her club-anthem ambitions fall short here. [Oct 2003, p.180]

An album that, while imperfect, is nonetheless the best G-Unit release since his own platinum-selling 2004 debut. [May 2007, p.118]

Though it lacks the element of surprise, The Day After secures Twista's star status this time around. [Nov 2005, p.148]

While The E.N.D may be the farthest The Black Eyed Peas have ventured outside traditional hip hop, the final product proves the group is best at creating their own conventions.

He's winking, sure, but this time it's through real tears. [Apr 2007, p.134]

While k-os's antimaterialist ranting can wear thin at times, Joyful Rebellion builds and improves on the rich, organic, live sound that made his debut, Exit, such a left-field hit. [Nov 2004, p.162]

A supremely confident dance record that also illustrates Spears's development as a songwriter. [Jan 2004, p.126]

Those looking for timeless music on Pray IV Reign may find their prayers unanswered. But if you’re one of Jones’ longtime disciples, Capo’s got you covered.

The disco ball might be unplugged, but Summer still shines. [July 2008, p.61]

Despite a few failed revolutionary anthems, DP still has enough verbal ammunition to ignite the mind. [Feb 2006, p.130]

Though not as raw as the original versions, due mainly to the sometimes overly polished production of her sons Donto James and Sametto James, Etta's raw voice alone helps to retain the melancholy moods of these tales of lost love, strife, and movin' on.

If there’s something the gifted singer-songwriter might want to learn, though, it’s the art of writing more memorable song lyrics.

While Acey's rhymes are consistently top-notch, the soundcraft here goes astray at times. [Aug 2003, p.154]

Five albums in, the Keys' reference points stay the same--Hendrix, Zeppelin, White Stripes--as their sound, now produced by Gnarls Barkley's Danger Mouse, grows even bigger. [May 2008, p.74]

Comes off likea rave-era update of Van Morrison's blue-eyed soul. [Feb 2003, p.138]

An optimistic and heartfelt album. [Aug 2002, p.165]

Not since Aqua has a group of cartoon-fixated, stylistically scatterbrained lunatics sounded so entertaining. [Feb 2002, p.121]

Well-crafted... offers a continuation of Quality's attempt to expand rap's topical terrain. [Oct 2004, p.185]

There are plenty of surprises on Suit. [Oct 2004, p.184]

Busta again shows the versatility of his flow, but it's the complexity of the words that may surprise you. [Jan 2003, p.127]

A consistently sold album. [Apr 2004, p.163]