The overall result lacks the ebony-hued cohesiveness and experimental flair of the debut set.

An aurally hypnotizing collection that is comparable to, if not better than, Endtroducing.

A collection of blistering rock songs and alcohol-laced laments.

"The Eminem Show" is not a great artistic step forward, but it reaffirms Eminem's stature as a talented and prescient pop star.

A frisky set that rocks with more excitement than Ferry has exhibited in years.

The more time one spends with Vapor Trails, the richer and more nuanced it becomes. Consider this an absolute triumph.

Be forewarned: There's not much along the lines of "Island in the Sun" here.... Still, there are plenty of smart hooks and catchy vocals throughout.

If there was any justice, songs such as "Let the Serpent Sleep," "Three Seeds," and "The Creature" would be blaring from radios across America.

His ambitious self-titled solo debut goes a long way in turning over a new musical leaf, thanks to the presence of a top-notch nine-piece band and a host of complex, melodically inventive tunes that could please a wide range of listeners.

A slick, curious concoction that sounds like Dave Matthews crossed with the Beta Band.

Costello proves that all the balladry hasn't dulled his ability to rock.

By making an album that's utterly listenable without sacrificing its integrity, Luna provides the season's greatest guilty pleasure--without the guilt.

Just as the busking, basement-tapes balladry of Stereo feels wan and undercooked, the rough-and-ready rock of Mono brims with the thoughtfulness and soulful energy of Westerberg's 1993 solo debut, 14 Songs, and his ever-influential Replacements catalog.

You'll be hard-pressed to find a more adventurous and rewarding release this year.

Release couldn't be more lovely if it tried.

A masterfully crafted collection that warmly recalls the era of album-driven FM rock radio.

Some of these songs about life, love, family, friends, and the world seem subtly laced with lyrics inspired by the terrorist attacks, which helps make Are You Passionate? seem not only like a great next step in Young's career but also the best album he could have issued right now.

Raitt's eternal vocal effervescence and enthusiasm continue to amaze and astound.

There are moments when you wish for just a tiny bit of dirt, or just a little bit of edge.

A recording not to be missed.

In all, "Cover Magazine" may be one of the slightest of Giant Sand's albums, but after nearly 20 years of varying takes on moody, twilight hallucinations, it arrives like a sigh of relief, a much-deserved break from the norm.

Their strongest set in years.

A largely frustrating set of Saturday morning cartoon electronics.

An uneven collection of synthesized experimentation that relies too heavily on familiar and cliched electronic tricks to sound original.

Full of breezy vocals and sunny instrumentation, this album redefines beach music for the new millennium.

A fairly paint-by-numbers affair.

Walking With Thee feels more like a transition record than a definitive statement in its own right.

Think of bubblegum produced by a garage/grunge band.

12 tracks of fun, lighthearted rock tunes that are each instantly hummable.

Although 2002 is still young, consider Under Rug Swept one of the year's best.

What makes "Source Tags & Codes" such an amazing album is how the band teeters on the edge of this implosion but always yanks its songs back from collapse at the very last second.

Few songwriters can express these mundane intricacies of melancholia free from morose affectation, but Rouse's heartbreak and hurt sounds honest and natural, inviting you to share his pain.

"Geogaddi" finds the Scottish duo ever adept at pushing the boundaries of electronic music without abandoning the hypnotically pacific nature of their sound.

Kasey Chambers has created a series of stirring, passionate songs that capture raw emotion and a simultaneous toughness amidst a blend of country, blues, and folk musical influences.

Sounds utterly contemporary even as it harks to the band's glory days.

Because the disc's energetic blend of electronics, robotics, and riffage is so vivacious, it hardly matters that the shadows of Radio 4's predecessors loom large over "Gotham."

Cracker sounds like it's having fun again.

It's pure cotton candy for the ears, and it sounds sublime.

The album sounds cool, but it also sounds cold.

The band's collective songwriting skills impress frequently.

Starsailor is one of those wonderfully rare bands that manages to be gentle and sensitive while also rocking admirably.

Without question, Stillmatic is the artist's most complete album since he debuted eight years ago with Illmatic.

Sure to convince doubters and win new fans, the set roars with the sort of fire rarely seen from a group with four albums under its belt.

The trio's most complete effort since 1996's Stakes Is High.

"Word of Mouf" never quite meets the standard 'Cris set for himself with his debut.

His most diverse and musically adventurous solo set to date.

A rock-fused, hook-friendly set that ably distances the Philly native from her pop/R&B origins.

It deftly balances sweet ballads, outer-space jazz, acid-rock, and firecracker funk superior to almost anything he has offered since perhaps "Sign O' the Times."

His least demanding work ever, steeped in the traditions of pop and rock.

Remains in the tradition of his previous releases, offering a combination of witty rhymes and unforgettable hooks.

She has never sounded so earthy, so bluesy, so soulful.

Such uniformly dark material makes one long for a tune or two to lighten the vibe.

This Way is not as accessible to the masses as previous albums, but this jewel doesn't need to be so polished to glitter.

If this is indeed a swan song for Brooks, it's like calling it a career with a championship-winning shot at the buzzer.

This set may not satisfy every fan, but it should please those who have hoped that McCartney would branch out from a safe sound.

May not be as postcard-perfect as I Am Shelby Lynne, but it comes pretty close.

A nicely varied, wholly satisfying collection.

That smile will have a difficult time leaving your face.

It's an invigorating, electric blend that is pushed over the top by lyrics that are smart and spiritual without ever pressing too hard.

It simply isn't his best work.

The 16-track set showcases Dilated's combination of intelligent lyrics and mind-blowing production.

Much of "Drukqs" sounds like two different albums competing and thus canceling each other out.... An ambitious but ultimately failed experiment.

Arguably Mellencamp's best album since 1987's The Lonesome Jubilee and 1983's Uh-Huh.

There are some truly fascinating marriages of old and new happening.... One of the best albums you'll hear this year.

Get Ready follows through fully on the promise of "Crystal."

By scaling warm guitar lines, keen melodies, and a valuable sense of history, these Sparks continue to fly.

The album is certainly one of 2001's finest, most memorable releases. It just shouldn't be billed beyond what it is: a deliciously fun romp that draws heavily upon influences like the Velvet Underground, Television, and the Stooges.

If it's true that music of this nature doesn't get anymore heartfelt, it also rarely gets more infectious.

One of the year's best.

Even visionaries lose sight at times, as Pierce does on "Let It Come Down," an album that can only be deemed a fractured opus.

The backing tracks, brimming over with strings, guitars, vaguely Middle Eastern elements, and soundtrack snippets, are more musical than much hip-hop, proffering the perfect gateway to Aesop Rock's verbose world. Dig the dark sounds as you try to decipher the deep thoughts.

Jamiroquai continues to mine a musical playing field that pays homage to such soul, funk, and disco artists as Stevie Wonder, Curtis Mayfield, and Chic.

Some of its strongest work to date.

This intimate, often breathtakingly beautiful collection (primarily produced by the artist herself) finds solace in the calm after the storm.

New Zealand supergroup the Clean once again makes a case that the world's most intriguing pop music comes from that small, faraway land.

This is some of the most accomplished indie rock you're likely to hear.

A subtle masterpiece...

This album leaves little doubt that when it comes to expressing the joys and heartbreak of life, few R&B singers do it as gracefully as Maxwell.

A disc that flows with soulful vocals showcased in clean, back-to-the-real production settings

The duo wisely experiments with a wider variety of moods and melodies.

Some may find the subtle Fan Dance too unadorned, but its quiet beauty holds real strength.

The quintet has never sounded tighter.

Its most fully realized set to date.

Sleepy and soulful, Can Our Love . . . is delightfully powerful in an understated way.

It trades in the Robert Johnson and Dolly Parton covers that go over so well live for more of singer/guitarist/keyboardist Jack White's hard-blues, garage-rock originals.

Breathtaking and beautiful, as well as haunting and bleak...

Rooty revels in exploiting rhythmic combinations that shouldn't work--but definitely do.

Drawn From Life features some of Eno's most tightly structured and accessible music in years.

There isn't a dud among this project's 11 tracks, each of which sounds custom-made for radio.

The Scottish quartet offers guitar-rich tunes that are as remarkably literate as they are emotionally challenging.

Yearwood's voice is a treasure, alternating between jaw-dropping heights and ideal understatement.

Subtlety is one thing, but at times Williams makes the Cowboy Junkies seem downright rambunctious.

By resolutely forgetting formula, Radiohead proves itself all the more relevant with Amnesiac.

Sadly, Beck's delivery on "The Vagabond" is a tad misguided; his spoken words on "Don't Be Light" are slightly better, but one wishes that he would simply go with the flow and not try so damn hard.

While her introspection and understated approach bog things down at times, songs like "The Dreaming Road" and "King of Love" are finely crafted and often hauntingly beautiful.

The fab five has more than made up for lost time with the deliriously buoyant God Bless the Go-Go's.

Two things hold the set together: Mark Bell's quirky, other-worldly production and Dave Gahan's still-haunting voice, which has never been more agile.

Lions is indeed a truer expression of the Crowes' potential: adventurous songwriting ensconced in a blues- and funk-inspired swagger.