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

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

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]

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

There are plenty of dull moments on Level II, but the memorable ones keep the proceedings interesting. [Apr 2003, p.177]

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

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.

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

Chester French have deftly balanced the thrills of newness with the reliability of the old--not bad a for a couple of graduates.

His is an intrepid sound, taut and gorgeous. [Oct 2007, p.92]

Stylistics paralyze Hudson's debut, but it is her impassioned talent that keeps the album on life support.

The commercial techno sludge of Oakenfold's songs on Bunkka suggests that he should have thought twice about veering from his career path as DJ du jour. [Aug 2002, p.160]

Erratic. [Feb 2007, p.126]

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

The Take Over--a post-modern sonic mash-up for Generation O--is Zion I’s best attempt at turning their underground crusade into an overground movement.

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]

Ultimately, he sounds confused--he wants to bare his soul and boogie on, but the boogie isn't nearly enough. [Mar 2008, p.97]

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

While, Sov should feel comfy in this climate of likeable, marketable, off-kilter MCs, Jigsaw is too frenetic to function.

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

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

All pounding drums and rolling keyboards, this is the Three 6 sound at its most dumbed down. The same could be said for the majority of Walk, which avoids the experimental sounds the group dabbled in on 2005’s "Most Known Unknown" and treads more familiar ground.

213's obsolete subject matter offsets otherwise satisfying sounds. [Sep 2004, p.236]

What is missing from Intuition is a balance between the party records and the slow jams. The division displays a lack of cohesiveness that separates the effort from being a great album into just a collection of potential singles.

After that promising start [with 'I Love College' and 'Lark on My Go-Kart'], however, Asher loses focus. He floods the Bread Aisle with a series of interesting pop concepts ruined by bland choruses.

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

Crackles with anger, energy, and defiance. [Aug 2002, p.156]

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