Barenaked Ladies play it straight with mixed results...

With Shaman, Santana delivers an album that will, no doubt, please fans of its globally successful predecessor, while at the same time reel in new ones.

The Maels continue flexing their musical might. Tracks like "More Than A Sex Machine," "The Calm Before The Storm," and the eye-winking title track are just waiting to be embraced by dancefloors worldwide.

There are fewer memorable moments here than on his solo albums, but it's still nice to hear him taking risks. [21 Apr 2007]

What the disc might lack in substance, it makes up for in some of the best sleazy, synthy, testosterone-fueled electronica since the Prodigy's 'Smack My Bitch Up.'

It's still a mess, though an ambitious and grandiose one.

Too many tracks get bogged down with a straight-ahead progressive trance formula, where zoning out feels more suitable than attempting to move your feet. Still, because the good stuff is so darn good (and it is), it is easy to brush aside any missteps.

Hudson is so comfortable with singing--whatever the song might be--that she elevates the material, making it sound like nothing you've ever heard before. All hail the new diva.

The whole set is heavily dosed with reverb and electro-swirls, perhaps to cloak Johansson's vocal limitations as much as to add psychedelia.

The combination of old-school melody and post-mod dissonance is risky, bold, and one of the most exciting releases of the year so far.

A nicely varied, wholly satisfying collection.

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.

Despite detractors, Simpson remains a gifted vocalist who delivers on most every cut.

Chock-full of catchy songs.

Kudos for making such a disparate collection hang together as a cohesive, upbeat, infectious whole.

While collaborations with the likes of Viktor Duplaix ("Pull Up"), Rahzel ("Out of Breath") and British MC's Darrison ("Time") and Dynamite MC ("No More") provide interesting listens, nothing here is as revolutionary as such Roni Size classics as "New Forms" or Breakbeat Era's "Ultra Obscene."

Though the album is good, for an artist of 50 Cent's caliber, it's not great.

A silky tenor with a natural melancholy that makes him a heartbreaker by default. His charming debut exploits that very quality with some strokes of pop genius.

All spun together it works well, and maybe even better than on the debut. [16 Dec 2006]

There's an overriding sense of preciousness that permeates "Mr. A-Z," and a few instances ("O. Lover," "The Forecast") where his homages to '70s AM radio sneak over into copies.

While 'Troublemaker' and 'Holla Holla' each sound a lot like prior Akon songs (the former like Kardinal Offishall's 'Dangerous,' the latter like '07's Akon/T-Pain pairing 'Bartender'), ultimately they're highlights for that very reason.

Unified Theory -- while recalling the sounds of such bands as Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd and Rush -- offers up a bold and psychedelic modern rock set.

Cook bursts back with Brighton Port Authority, a project that liberates him from the "electronic dance artist" identity crisis and allows his production talents to shine.

It is wonderfully all over the musical map.

Another eclectic musical trip.

Co-produced by Andy Johns (Van Halen), the set captures the fun energy of a mind-blowing all-star jam: Satriani's fretwork is surprisingly raw, loose and gritty, while Smith channels John Bonham more than once.

Everclear's first collection since 1997's "So Much For The Afterglow" is an unabashed love letter to the '70s, when AM radio still ruled and pop music was simple, good fun.

The mostly one-man-show of Time is another amalgamation of the vintage rock stylings that are his stock in trade.