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

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

Although Mystikal's last two albums earned him platinum plaques, Let's Get Ready is poised to be the album that will put him over the top.... However, Let's Get Ready does have a few slip-ups. The Neptunes-produced "Jump" - previously available on the Any Given Sunday soundtrack - displays the production team's sloppy tendency to recycle their beats.

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

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

His struggles did make for a strong album.

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

While less preposterous than her second album, The Id, this is still a frustrating piece of work. [June 2003, p.154]

This once-fiery, if rambling, thinker now sounds like a man cooled off. [Sep 2007, p.130]

Sermon's crisp production maintains a chill vibe, but the tight network of guests can't make up for his inadequate skills on the mike. [Aug 2004, p.141]

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

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

While MC Naledge and producer Double-O’s impressive follow-up effort The In Crowd continues in a similarly versatile vein, the vibe this time feels less like a greenhorn B-boy coming-out party than it does a self-assured statement of purpose.

Eardrum lacks cohesiveness. [August 2007, p.75]

Rick Ross is on pace to make his best and most complete album yet. He knows it. And soon hip hop fans will too.

Testimony: Vol. 2, Love & Politics is proof that not only can Arie step out of her comfort zone of relationships and self-appreciation, but she can jog up a few levels as well.

Forever captures Common maturing graefully into his--and hip hop's--middle age at a time when many peers are either talking retirement or being forced into it. [August 2007, p73]

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

The joyful arrangement in The Point of It All enhances Hamilton's storytelling abilities, serving as a lovely mixer to his lyrical depth and sensual, rich voice.

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

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

­This endearing debut from Imani Coppola’s latest side project deftly explores the ferocious singer’s favorite themes--race, two-timers, herself--over programmer Adam Pallin’s sprightly soul interpolations.

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]

Lidell reaches back further than he has before, appoximating Sam Cooke, Ben E. King, and even Jackie Wilson, elegantly nodding to his clarion-voiced heroes while never allowing the album to become mired in mere tribute. [May 2008, p.72]

She sounds reawakened by the calm. [Mar 2008, p.98]

Blessed with a raw authenticity and rousing presence, Buck is one of the more adaptable MCs to date. [Jul 2004, p.135]

Something Else--a sharper, more concise follow-up to 2006’s breakthrough but spotty, "The Evolution of Robin Thicke"--songwriter and producer Thicke is using the tones and rhythms of soul music for a bigger idea: dissatisfaction.

Opting for politically charged rhymes and melodic, accessible beats, [The Roots] overflow with potential singles. [Aug 2004, p.141]