Overall, the material feels more human, more honest, more assured.

Yet another brilliant pop record for the college radio crowd.

The only disappointment is the one new song, "Music Is My Radar," a rather pallid foray into disco.

The true star is Antony's raw, emotional voice, one in which you can almost hear actual feelings being conveyed.

Overall, "Fishscale" is strong, with archetypal beats creating the definitive Ghost. [1 Apr 2006]

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

One of the most valuable qualities of good music is its ability to transport you to a moment in your past, a place you'll never see or somewhere that doesn't even exist. Thanks to their gloriously retro (and occasionally eerie) three-part harmonies, Seattle's Fleet Foxes accomplish all the above with their self-titled debut.

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

At over an hour, "Decoration Day" does feel a little unwieldy. But for better or worse, there's simply not a single song here that wouldn't be missed.

This is hip-hop for another era, one that makes the present day commercial U.S. material seem even more flat than it already is.

These are songs riddled with illiteracy, cancer, unemployment, crime and consequence, fashioned by the brutal pen of one of the most promising American songwriters of the last decade.

She is simply magnificent.

Key to the magic is the delicious harmony vocals of the unlikely duo, best-displayed on the swaying 'Killing the Blues,' given trad-country depth by steel pedal ace Greg Leisz.

Quick, breezy and fun.

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]

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

The band's most challenging--and rewarding--album.

Overall, this dynamic collection has something unexpected at every turn. [10 Feb 2007]

A consistently moving, subtly beautiful experience.

Even more so than her arresting 2005 indie debut, "Arular," M.I.A. comes off as a globetrotting activist on sophomore effort Kala.

A diverse collection of intricately composed pop music, in the broadest sense of the genre.

The lyrics brim with grouchy wit. [24 Mar 2007]

Welcome to Mali showcases the duo at some distance from its original, more elemental sound, but the overall feel is that of musical progress.

From the cheeky hip-hop of 'Konichiwa Bitches' and the warped bass underpinning her cover of Teddybears' 'Cobra Style' to the Kylie Minogue-esque 'With Every Heartbeat' and sweeping strings carrying 'Be Mine,' the album holds 14 sassy and sweet dance pop gems.

"Separation Sunday" is not only these Brooklyn transplants' best work to date (far surpassing the critically mis-hyped debut from last year), it is one of the grittiest, realest New York rock albums to come out since the Trouser Press folded.

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.

With the addition of trumpet, trombone, and alto sax to his quartet sound, however, Frisell is on the job with a jumbo-sized sonic palette. The results, tune by tune, are as eccentric as they are intriguing.

"People" boasts an uncommon beauty and originality, brimming with tunes that glimmer with pure magic.