Ali fuses formindable mic skills and unvarnished honesty as effectively as Eminem. [Apr 2007, p.130]

Ozomatli's joyful beats... pulse with defiance. [Apr 2007, p.132]

On Shock, Timbaland has pushed himself--he's clearly striving for some of the charisma his best collaborators ooze. [May 2007, p.113]

[She takes a] new, inappropriately measured approach. [May 2007, p.115]

The music... is tacky and overproduced.... The songwriting here far outstrips Lopez's previous albums, though. [May 2007, p.116]

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

A tepid debut. [May 2007, p.121]

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

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

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]

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

!!! certainly have talent and energy, but not the heart to self-edit. [Apr 2007, p.130]

He sings with a quavering, unconvincing tremor, and his lyrics are often awkward and bland. [Apr 2007, p.130]

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

While his lyricism is as sharp and searching as ever, inventive musical moments are scarce. [Feb 2007, p.125]

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

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

Disorienting and sometimes brilliant. [Jan 2007, p.109]

It feels somehow safe and experimental, foundational and radical. [Jan 2007, p.110]

Despite its frustratingly uniform theme--coke--and Jeezy's inflexible, one-speed rasp, his sophomore effort, The Inspiration, suggests that last year's victories were no fluke. [Feb 2007, p.121]

Erratic. [Feb 2007, p.126]

It's a mixed bag. [Jan 2007, p.112]

Together, they paint devastating emotional portraits, and they sidestep tedium by remaining rap's most lyrically inventive group. [Nov 2006, p.155]

A strong statement from a veteran still pushing his artistic boundaries. [Dec 2006, p.170]

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

His constipated, region-nonspecific flow overwhelms even the most flamboyant beats. [Jan 2007, p.119]

Frustratingly uneven. [Dec 2006, p.165]

Clever turns of phrase, the reason you go to Banks in the first place, are in lesser supply on Apple, replaced with boilerplate declarations of supremacy. [Oct 2006, p.148]

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

Excellent. [Oct 2006, p.142]

There are soaring hooks aplenty, but there's little to fill the gaping holes in between. [Oct 2006, p.141]

Ludacris never truly breaks through. [Nov 2006, p.158]

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

Occasionally, the chemistry is thrilling... Mostly, though, Shadow picks collaborators allergic to subtlety. [Oct 2006, p.143]

When [Fergie] nails it--as she does about half the time on her genre-jumbling solo debut--the result is strange pop that successfully blurs the thin line between annoying and alluring. [Nov 2006, p.160]

Generally, Chingy is blank, as flat as tap water. [Oct 2006, p.150]

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

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

Timberlake and Timbaland... write frustratingly awkward songs. [Oct 2006, p.142]

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]

Like prior Roots albums, Game Theory boasts top-notch craftsmanship... but it's continuity that makes this album unique. [Sep 2006, p.211]

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

Shining brims with clear-cut and fully resolved ideas. [Oct 2006, p.138]

Shockingly, Paris the vocalist is actually listenable; no Gwen Stefani, but better than, say, K-Fed. [Oct 2006, p.151]

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

Killa is mostly outmatched by his more charismatic Wu brethren. [Oct 2006, p.144]

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

Something's off... ESG's doe-eyed charm... is missing. [Oct 2006, p.148]

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

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

While she loses herself in Gwen Stefani-like posturing... Furtado masterfully combines Spanish and pop influences in her own unique way. [Jun 2006, p.164]

His delivery is crisp and uncomplicated, but razor sharp, like gangster haikus. [Jun 2006, p.159]

Though So Amazin' is ripe with sexuality, it's also a surface-dwelling effort devoid of any profound insights. [May 2006, p.137]

It sounds like Cee-Lo has found his sonic better half in Danger Mouse. [Jun 2006, p.162]

Although there remains a sheen throughout, the body of the set showcases the Mobb in darker, more familiar territory. [Apr 2006, p.150]

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

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

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

The sample-heavy results are cohesive yet diverse, a proper canvas for Ghost's finest effort since Supreme Clientele. [Apr 2006, p.151]

Sure, King's occasional lack of originality and sometimes sluggish wordplay could be cited. But that, of course, would only amount to throwing rocks at the throne. [May 2006, p.136]

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

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

Even when his words don't move you, Jaheim's gorgeous voice is a rare gift that anyone--male, or female, teenaged or middle aged--can appreciate when they hear it. [Mar 2006, p.185]

Even cameos by today's hottest rappers can't shake Blige's nostalgic flair. [Mar 2006, p.186]

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

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

Sean Paul blasts off confidently into the future with The Trinity. [Nov 2005, p.147]

Truth validates the Queen Bee's position as the definitive rap vixen. [Dec 2005, p.210]

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

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

There are still too many touchy-feely songs. [Oct 2005, p.161]

Grown feels more like an extended elevator ride than a true adult movement. [Sep 2005, p.236]

While a few of these efforts fail in the funk department, the album never sounds derivative. [Sep 2005, p.230]

While the content is strictly sex obsessed, the range of musical styles here is as varied and satisfying as the many positions and places the album will take you. [Sep 2005, p.229]

Cole's ability to belt to her heart's content saves the album from its inconsistent production. [Jul 2005, p.137]

Overflowing with passion, honesty, and optimism, Be gets to the root of human experience--all the while staying beautifully soulful and funky. [Jun 2005, p.156]

Cohesive and musically mesmerizing. [Jun 2005, p.161]

Mariah gets back to her winning formula with Mimi. [May 2005, p.139]

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]

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

Stacked solid with songs that chronicle her ongoing struggles through love's many stages. [Apr 2005, p.165]

Way, way better than just "OK." [Apr 2005, p.168]

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

Brimming with energy and depth. [Nov 2004, p.160]

Subpar sonically... Red Light doesn't push toward something greater. [Feb 2005, p.138]

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

More solid than spectacular. [Jan 2005, p.83]

While it's no surprise that Destiny Fulfilled showcases advanced production values, the songwriting and vocal abilities are just as impressive. [Jan 2005, p.81]

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

Largely sounds like a drug-induced, incoherent jam session. [Dec 2004, p.215]

Ray Ray hits more than it misses in its celebration of a time when George was making the mothership connection and Marvin just wanted to get it on. [Nov 2004, p.160]

Sophisticated compositions and insightful lyrics. [Nov 2004, p.162]

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]

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

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]

Unfortunately, Sweat is affected by some forced collaborations and shallow subject matter. [Oct 2004, p.184]

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

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