In her bid to be a little bit of everything for everyone, some of the unique flavor that has made her a star is sadly diminished.

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

Yet where the music is hard-hitting, the hoarse, almost drunken vocal style of lead singer Hamilton Leithauser can be grating.

Some of the record gets bogged down in its own deliberate weirdness.

Though this music could easily be viewed as Longwave's take on Interpol's take on Coldplay's take on Radiohead, it isn't that derivative or boring.

Overall it's rather tough to get a grip on what they're getting at.

Fish Outta Water may lack the demographic-tripping vibe that even a Jurassic 5 in turmoil could whip up, but it's a mostly winning debut that makes up in vocal prowess for what it lacks in hooks.

No one is breaking any ground here, and White fanatics looking for a new White Stripes record should temper their expectations. But as far as side projects go, this is as good as it gets.

Despite it being more rock-oriented than 2005's "The Beekeeper," this album isn't much of a sonic progression, and it takes a while for "Posse" to find its voice. [5 May 2007]

While "Golden Greats" features some intriguing tracks and a healthy dose of Brown's trademark bravado, it doesn't come close to ringing in as powerfully as that of the Roses' era-defining sound.

Outer South is a decently stocked serving of rambling, saloon-joint alt-country, but one that finds the freewheeling Oberst and band in need of a little focus.

An old-school alternative rock album full of oversized riffs and open-hearted hooks.

It comes across as unnecessarily tame.

While not a completely lovable effort, "1968" extends Pajo's varied lineage.

On first listen, it might seem too derivative, even dull, but Jeff Tweedy's intricate vocal melodies and Nels Cline's ferocious guitar work keep things interesting. [19 May 2007]

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."

Simon LeBon and company have a lot of baggage, and their latest effort doesn't match the neon-lit glory days of yesteryear.

These tracks lack the magnetism of Miller's material with the band.

There are clunkers, like the half-there torch song "Life Is Hard." But the great thing about 67-year-old Dylan is that even when it's not working, it's working.

Overall, the album plays too stiffly for these experts of synth-hewn dance/pop.

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

The lack of big-name guests may make it hard to woo new fans, but those who preferred Paul's earlier work will be happy to hear he has returned home. [1 Oct 2005]

For greatness, look to the irresistibly melodic "Twentieth Century," the New Order-hued "Minimal" and the Diane Warren-penned ballad "Numb."

Over the course of 14 cuts, the record gets a tad repetitive, with nary a fiddle or steel break within earshot.

While the all-original material is not strong enough to qualify this as the instant classic some have suggested, heartfelt tracks like the jubilant "Delirious Love," the rousing "Hell Yeah" and the string-tinged love song "Evermore" are outstanding. [12 Nov 2005]

This sophomore set likewise has moments of indelible pop bliss, but too often veers off track with unnecessarily long songs and dull arrangements.

The songwriting grows less challenging as the album unfolds, often lacking the kind of vocal performances that provide real traction.

The extremes offer up a portrait of a man far more complex than what we get from many of Banner's peers, and the inventive beats (by Banner, Cool & Dre, Akon and others) add vital life to his gruff flow. But you have to wonder if some of these tracks simply reflect the rapper's desire to be all things to all consumers.

Even Björk's misses are more exciting than most of what we currently call hits. [12 May 2007]

Too frequently on the band's third album, the fun gets lost in difficult song structures and chord changes that deliver less than we have come to expect. [14 Jan 2006]

The album sounds cool, but it also sounds cold.

Thursday's Epitaph debut melds the band's hardcore influences with shoegaze and atmospheric elements, with mixed results.

"The Listener" is a low-key, early morning album, perhaps something Lou Reed would have created had he spent his career playing saloons in Tucson, Ariz.

At times compelling in its eccentricities, this record emphasizes experimentation rather than tunefulness.

While over-produced and quite sentimental, this is a very sweet record.

"Compound Eye" is difficult as a complete listen but works well in smaller chunks. [28 Jan 2006]

It's a very sexually explicit R. Kelly who greets fans on this outing. [2 Jun 2007]

On 'High Price,' where she takes her vocals to an opera-like pitch, and her collaboration with the-Dream, 'Lover's Things,' whose faint tenor would seem like an ideal match, Ciara seems to go almost unnoticed. Thankfully, 'Work,' featuring Missy Elliott, has Ciara showing fly-girl antics over a house-like, clap-laden production, and the breakup song 'Never Ever,' featuring Young Jeezy, which samples 'If You Don't Know Me by Now,' pick up the slack.

Enigk's vocals here are as translucent as ever.

Sweet and pretty. [25 Nov 2006]

There aren't enough original ideas here to know if Rooney can shine as a relevant, modern rock band.

Son Volt may be playing it too safe on American Central Dust, but the songs are still woven together with a feeling of comfort and familiarity.

The Coral's trade has made them less rumbling and more meandering, more coherent but less mysterious.

"Shut Up I Am Dreaming" is a grower, and doesn't grab you by the ears like Wolf Parade's debut did.

A respectable effort.

The new set goes just far enough beyond the call of duty to warrant repeat listens.

"The Mix-Up" is thematically sound and feels like a comprehensive piece instead of a self-indulgent scheme. [30 Jun 2007]

While superbly recorded and at times a hoot to crank (largely for the shameless rips of Kiss, Joan Jett and Def Leppard), Bitchin' is too light on hooks.

Mobb Deep often sounds like a guest at its own party.

There are potent moments like the rise-and-fall ballad 'Kristy, Are You Doing Okay?' and the fierce 'Nothingtown,' but 'Rise and Fall, Rage and Grace' sounds more like a tentative step in the Offspring's new direction.

"Machine" is ultimately flawed when the Kahuna boys abandon uptempo techno for atypically hymnal pastures.

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

If parts of "Shock City" shudder under the weight of seeming too cool for school, much credit is due Beans for being one of the producer/MCs desperate to stretch out the rubbery boundaries of the genre.

The Americana is first-class, be it on crunchy, boozy romps with stinging solos or the slow-burning acoustic fare, but this batch of tunes proves far less memorable.

[It] works best when he's rapping alongside guests.

Often falters distressingly.

On the synthy, Darkchild-produced 'So Over You,' Ashanti croons about getting past a former relationship, while the Jermaine Dupri-mixed 'Good Good,' featuring elements of Michael Jackson's 'The Girl Is Mine,' finds her confidently belting about her abilities to please in bed.

The band's first new set since 2002 is full of these well-intentioned attempts to recapture some of that '80s pyromania (or in the case of the absurdly large power ballad 'Love,' herculean '70s prog-rock balladry), but without producer Robert "Mutt" Lange, who left for the much more profitable world of country years ago, the results are solid if unspectacular.

Sadly, the album is reminiscent of everything he has already done.

A disjointed affair on first listen, "Security Screening" eventually reveals itself as the mirror image of main man Scott Herren's multiple musical personalities. [11 Feb 2006]

When the World Comes Down doesn't evince much growth, proffering more of the same hooky pop/rock centered around adolescent love and heartache.

One wishes they would spend a little more time plowing through the album while kicking amps and knocking over mic stands rather than changing things up.

"Me First" is an easy listen, but Sennett is not nearly as captivating a leader as Rilo Kiley's Jenny Lewis, and the coming-of-age tunes aren't always strong enough to account for the album's lack of tempo change.

At 22 tracks, "Damita Jo" has its fair share of hits and misses.

Unfortunately, he's traded some of his cutting-edge British mergings (R&B, hip-hop, two-step, rock) for a more crossover-friendly (read: formulaic) approach that doesn't fire on all cylinders.

For most of "Saturday Night Wrist," Deftones contentedly let their instruments wander, inventing a meandering soundscape that broods in near darkness. [4 Nov 2006]

If Hawthorne Heights stopped trying to please several different audiences and decided whether it wanted to be a pop band or a post-hardcore group, it could make a more definitive musical statement. [4 Mar 2006]

Although he seems to have rediscovered his panache, the music supporting his narratives is still lacking the originality of his best work.

From the ugly album art to the stupid title to the strange, messy songs, it's hard to tell if the band is growing up or just goofing off.

Their technically adventurous playing occasionally gathers some spooky steam, but this is definitely a fans-only affair.

Even though "Doctor's Advocate" has its failings, it's a prescription that comes recommended. [18 Nov 2006]

The Memphis five-piece sometimes lacks a definitive sound... Yet the band excels at its straightforward, meat-and-potatoes sound.

The project just doesn't offer as many gems as "King," which pushed T.I. to new commercial heights.

While the overlong album sometimes threatens to bury C&C with its own excess, the craftsmanship suggests the band is more than capable of breaking into the mainstream. [24 Sep 2005]

"Play" is light-years more enterprising than Diddy's sample-happy history might suggest.

Too much here sounds like Coldplay-by-numbers, and the lyrics lack the deeper meaning the album seems desperate to provide.

100th Window meanders along, emotion-less and soul-less—albeit with haunting Middle Eastern flourishes.

The album is hampered by needless skits and, at times, too slick production.

That overstuffed guest list doesn't necessarily work to the exclusive benefit of The Spirit of Apollo, as sometimes the clutter makes it hard to hear precisely what kind of music Zegon and Spiegel are trying to make here.

Those looking for "Marquee Moon"-style guitar heroics will be disappointed.

If Tangiers perfects its poppier maneuvers and smartens up a bit lyrically, something special could be down the road. [10 Dec 2005]

Much of the material on the quirky "Show Your Bones" is more intimate and, at times, tentative. [1 Apr 2006]

Lerche seems headed in a promising musical direction, but not all the songs here pack the expected punch. [10 Feb 2007]

Focusing more on catchy hooks and Fergie-style chants than lyrics helps disguise her vocal limitations. [9 Jun 2007]

To be sure, the quiet side is the more powerful.

Mostly, this is by-the-numbers stuff.

The entire record is a disquieting trip.

Touching Down is a fluid set that moves from track to track with little or no delineation. As a result, the album is, at times, redundant.

'Social Development Dance' is an accurate representative of Back and Fourth as a whole--an introspective, guitar-driven effort that's worthy of praise, despite some minor missteps.

Another satisfying collection of quick, riff-happy new wave/punk rock that, while no match for its first album, was nonetheless worth the wait.

A mixed bag of pure-pop lyricism and throwaway covers.

As was the case with John Legend, who beamed into the club on his latest, the initial effect is jarring, even in its star's capable hands. But it also settles in nicely.

For every piece that sounds like aimless noodling, there are keepers like the strutting "Wheel Broke," the guitar-only "Mountain," the Tortoise-style "Balcony" and the absolutely gorgeous "Eighty Eights."

For the most part, the producers simply add audio garnishing to Korn's signature sound via loops and Pro Tools trickery. [10 Dec 2005]

"Life in Cartoon Motion" is like Scissor Sisters-lite: Retro disco with heavy doses of rollicking piano and funk. [31 Mar 2007]

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.

Cease falters when it dips into mediocre balladry ('Detlef Schrempf,' 'Marry Song'), and at a scant 35 minutes, the album at times hints at greatness but ultimately leaves you wanting more.

Although "Parachutes" brings nothing new to the table, Coldplay seems talented enough to transcend this early identity crisis.