Populating that lyrical forest are knights, goblins, talking animals and ticking (shades of Peter Pan crocodiles), Costas spinning her offbeat tales like a young Suzanne Vega setting Brothers Grimm fables to music. It's all melodically accessible.

In signature Björk fashion, the songs are emotionally intense, beautifully orchestrated, sensually sweet, and wickedly exotic.

The disc spotlights Veloso blasting off with raw, beat-driven fuel in the company of a band of youngsters who animate and invigorate him. [27 Jan 2007]

Even during the second-tier moments, there's a sense that he's regained his artistic footing. [31 Mar 2007]

Every song becomes her own, with each one having just the right amount of torch and twang.

Far more '70s-style easy rock than rap/rock bombast.

The results are a selection of high quality that veers between brightly spirited ("Manhole," "Lag Time") and somber ("Callous").

Marshall's reinterpretations reveal a welcome intimacy.

George dives in full bore, her voice navigating his undulating road map like so many animated bluebirds flitting through a forest.

While there's not a bad one in the bunch, once you've heard LaMontagne loosen up, you're left starving for more of it.

Producer Brendan O'Brien kicks up classics like 'Even Flow' and 'Black' by putting Vedder more upfront and toning down the reverb so listeners can better hear the interplay of guitarists Mike McCready and Stone Gossard. Disc two tacks on six more tracks that represent the real gold for diehards who have traded sludgy bootlegs of the band's early jams for years.

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

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.

It has the ambition, enthusiasm and intensity of an artist still pushing the envelope. [27 Jan 2007]

It's trim rather than hurried, does not waste a note and, because of that, may be the best of Vega's seven studio albums.

We haven't heard such a melodic Swedish act since ABBA.

Fully realized and largely insane. [4 Nov 2006]

Aside from moments where the wackiness gets too overwrought (kid song sound-alike 'Underwater,' the Muppets-y 'Like It or Not'), Places really struts when snarkless electro is in the fore, and a disco high-hat or sunny, guitar-led rock dominates.

Tunstall crushes the sophomore jinx under the stilleto heels of the white boots she wears on the album cover, delivering a confident and assured set that's fuller and a touch more electric than its predecessor.

This North Carolina-based sextet's major-label debut is as rich and diverse as 2006's "Be He Me," unfolding with layers of piano and string flourishes, crunching guitar jams and vibrant pop melodies.

They Might Be Giants' 12th full-length record is arguably their best since 1994's "John Henry."

There are more examples of cover albums gone wrong than gone right. Thankfully Glen Campbell's new set, which finds him ably putting his own twist on tunes from Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, Foo Fighters, U2, Green Day and John Lennon, among others, fits into the latter category.

Paisley hits all the right notes, literally and figuratively, weighing in on skinny dippin', beer, fishing, technology, children and women, among other all-American topics.

The album is another market-smart collection of radio fodder, rather than Lopez's artistic breakout. That said, no one does classy pop quite like she does.

Instead of paying tribute as concept, Lynne owns these songs, taking inspiration from the renowned blue-eyed soul singer to create her own sober renditions of indelible melodies from the '60s and '70s.

Lyrically, frontman Tim Kasher never misses a step (see the men-as-animals 'From the Hips' and 'Donkeys'), proving once again why he's among indie rock's greats.

They strive to be a classic band, crafting timeless songs that will still be fresh and relevant long after the competition sounds dated and quaint.

Darren Hayes' double-disc This Delicate Thing We've Made is a momentous spiritual tour de force, an undressed lyrical exploration of a soul reborn, tucked into a labyrinth of sonic textures.

With Tony Iommi on guitar, Geezer Butler on bass and Vinny Appice on drums, the lyrically macabre and demonically alluring music sounds more like a band backing Ronnie James Dio than it does an act trying to distinguish itself as an entity apart from Sabbath's and Dio's solo endeavors. Yet The Devil You Know has a great sound in its own right.

Packing an emotional wallop, Chances should quash critics who insist that Dion's voice is stainless steel.

While King's songs often hew closer to contemporary classical than pop, the patient listener will discern new colors in these lovely painted-desert landscapes with each listen.

While Everything is firmly grounded in Eno and Byrne's previous work, their mutual commitment to musical exploration ensures the album rarely sounds like something we've heard before.

"Springtime" could very well be the singer/songwriter album against which all others are measured this year.

Libertad is one of those sophomore albums that builds on the strengths of the first and offers enough fresh stuff to establish a new standard for the band.

This is the definitive Moby album.

As Fiction Family, the two San Diego musicians find plenty of sonic common ground and, most important, a dozen richly crafted and intriguingly rendered songs.

Pop's understated delivery draws even the most skeptical of listeners in, bathing his hushed voice in beds of stark piano and tremolo-washed guitar.

This is one beautiful record.

It's that mix of sad-sack circumstances and cautious optimism that makes the Scottish quartet's debut such a rich exercise in self-aware spleen-venting.

Mac minions will find this electric-flavored, band-sounding album pleasing, but there's also the avant ambience that's Buckingham's stock in trade.

In its entirety the album is a great debut, toe-tapping and catchy with just the right blend of familiarity and individuality, and it should send a message to new bands: Simplicity is key.

There's not a clunker on "The Weight is a Gift," even if the band never veers far from the indie comfort zone of vague melancholia.

It is a testament to Mike Sandison and Marcus Eoin's production acumen that the songs here sound so organic despite their computerized origin. [22 Oct 2005]

The album may consign the Raveonettes further to cult-level status, but like a challenging mate, it seduces us into coming back for more.

Even with the added string section, Gray has not lost his knack for combining lovely melodies with bittersweet lyrics. [17 Sep 2005]

Picking up the lyrical gauntlet thrown down by such neo-soul sistahs as Angie Stone, Jill Scott, and musical influence/labelmate Rachelle Ferrell, this Houston-bred singer/songwriter sparkles with colorfully imaged songs about love won, lost, and anticipated -- laid against an R&B backdrop rhythmically punctuated with hip-hop, Latin, pop, jazz, rock, and country.

Sonically rich, Lost in Space is home to some of Mann's most intimate storytelling.

Nothing makes as quick of an impact as 'Crazy,' but give the tunes time and you'll find they stick around.

Although much of the album is about saying goodbye to the past, Morrison uses the performance to breathe new life into the songs with a band that can follow anywhere he leads--jazz, folk or soul.

With poetic melancholy, absurdist whimsy and direct shout-outs to a world no more just than it was on his last album, there's enough to carry fans until Chao's next one.

As if almost effortlessly, Travis proves track after track the difference between bravado and stone-cold brilliance.

It's a strange balancing act that Rutili and crew capably pull off, straddling the chasm between the straightforward and the self-consciously left of center.

Serenade is most compelling when Earle snarls in his irrefutable way at Middle East warmakers ('Jericho Road') and rural drug pushers ('Oxycontin Blues').

With this album, Costa comes defiantly into her own.

Murs' command of his rhyme scheme -- and the uniformly banging, soul-drenched beats of his labelmates -- make this one of the most engaging hip-hop records of the young year, even at just over a half-hour.

The sterling set is signature Sade.

All the elements are deftly held together by the MC/songstress' ability to make each track her own.

"The Shining" documents the totality of who Jay Dee was as an artist and performer.

It's the kind of recording that makes you wish you were there—but also makes you feel like you are.

After being the first white guy to grace the cover of a Gangsta Grillz underground mixtape ("The Greenhouse Affect" with Don Cannon & DJ Drama), this buzzed-about MC proves that suburban rap has finally arrived.

By pulling from alt rock's elite past to concoct its own primitive magic, Ikara Colt has come up with a rock solid first album.

Under intense pressure to "prove itself," Sparta has done perfectly fine.

Dovetailing with her choice of sound and arrangements that straddle convention and invention, Lopez mines new emotional depths. [31 Mar 2007]

Even without original drummer Derrick Bostrom, the Meat Puppets' magic is evident. The focused, yet relaxed, music throughout this album is among the best the band has ever made.

Ben Harper is that rare talent able to not only vacation in the worlds of gospel, soul, folk and even reggae, but meld them gracefully together on both album and stage. But sometimes you just want him to rock, like he did on 1995's "Ground on Down." And at long last, he's assembled a new band that seems dedicated to just that, and it's a beautiful thing.

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

Different from the touching--but too sleepy--"America Town," "Battle" impressively tackles new territory.

Easily the most adventurous work in the Fog catalog yet.

Feels sweeter and breezier than the Girls' previous few releases, and the record is stronger for it.

Their strongest set in years.

Every song is laced with harmonies that will weave their way deep under your skin.

Ulrich Schnauss returns with more lush, ambient music fitting for any chill-out session or long summer drive with the windows down.

Ween fans have come to expect the unexpected from this act, but even diehards will be thrilled by the sheer musical schizophrenia of La Cucaracha.

Has less twang but more bang than any of his previous work. [4 Mar 2006]

Though answers don't come easily, the process of getting to know them is fascinating nonetheless.

"Supper" is superior to the particularly subdued sound of its immediately predecessor, "Rain on Lens," landing closer to the Velvet Underground-inspired stomp of 1999's "Knock Knock."

A fine return to form.

Its third and most ambitious release. 'Asleep' is notable for its beefed-up instrumentation and an overall darker tone than its predecessors.

Morcheeba returns with Dive Deep, a gorgeous collection of folk- and blues-inflected electro-pop ballads.

Comfortable and confident all the way through, and a highly welcomed return.

A wonderfully ambient collection of 10 songs

A more focused effort that never sacrifices the band's manic intensity.

Overflows with a confidence not always present on past sets.

Bombast occasionally gets the better of the songwriting, but that's a small complaint on an album that gets nearly everything just right. [10 Mar 2007]

A shamelessly melodic, wild and powerful pop record. [10 Feb 2007]

It's all a testament to the durable Eagles footprint on the pop landscape.

Lanois' sixth studio album is an eclectic mix of richly textured rock songs, mellow vibes and hypnotic instrumentals, interspersed with snippets from philosophical conversations with mentor Brian Eno.

On his sophomore album--the follow-up to 2003's slow-building platinum smash "Chariot"--Gavin DeGraw deftly weaves together rock, pop and soul influences without letting the seams show.

On his second solo outing, New Pornographers main man Carl Newman gives a master class on how to merge melody and classic song structures without making music that sounds dated or retro.

Seven albums in, not much has changed for Rancid, and that's a good thing.

Reptile shows the guitar legend continuing to explore classic blues-derived sounds with palpable sincerity and conviction.

Curtis Mayfield would be proud of both lyrics and her throwback sound.

It is wonderfully all over the musical map.

Korn is one step closer to crafting an album built for arenas and headphones alike.

"Sheath" sounds immediately of a piece with LFO's earlier work, albeit rife with updated technology and boasting slightly broader ambitions.

Beautifully strange and richly tuneful...

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.

By the end of this 21-track opus, you still might not like West's self-assured declarations, but you will not be able to deny his talent.