Electronic music duo the Crystal Method hasn't lost its flair for funk and style as found on the act's debut release, "Vegas."

Last 2 Walk should satisfy longtime Three 6 fans.

While not as immediately memorable as "Lump" or "Peaches," punchy songs like album opener "Mixed Up S.O.B.," "More Bad Times" and the breezy "Loose Balloon" come across as less novelty-like as a result of songcraft.

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.

Songs so intimate that they sound like singer Margo Timmins could be whispering them in your ear remain the group's hallmark, but the delivery continues to grow more sophisticated. [21 Apr 2007]

Nearly everything here is top 40 or AC radio-ready.

The Fray is a more angst-filled and melancholy set than you'd expect from a group following up a double-platinum debut, populated with songs about lost love and tortured souls. But hand-wringing music sells.

A must-hear recording rich with pleasantly surprising depth.

It's hard to take the band too seriously, but the songs are debaucherous fun. [14 Jan 2006]

An unexpected but dazzling return to the top form of the later Beach Boys years.

Throughout, Berg never loses his appeal.

There's plenty here for old and even new fans to enjoy.

Taut musicianship, well-crafted songs and potent vocals make this a landmark album in an already multiplatinum career.

While the electronic flourishes and arrogant bombast that respectively marred the band's last two efforts are thankfully gone, there's nothing on Heathen Chemistry to suggest that the "Wonderwall" commercial glory days of the mid-'90s are coming back.

Powter firmly establishes himself as a singer/songwriter who sits somewhere between James Blunt and early recordings by Elton John—albeit one who also knows the power of blue-eyed soul. [15 Apr 2006]

I-Empire is a sweeping conceptual piece with a message as big as its sound and just a bit more enigmatic.

Of course, straying from emo's typical lyrical terrain is less risky when it's accompanied by music that fulfills the genre's stylistic requirements as completely (and as satisfyingly) as the hooky, fuzz-encrusted tunes on Lonely Road do.

His hooks can be rock-solid ('Ack Like You Know') and his interest in gleaming synthesizerism (opener 'American Superstar' comes into 'Tubular Bells' territory, really) helps set him off from the legions of rappers clawing over each other to break out of the South.

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.

Jem's Dido-like vocals are consistently a soothing treat, but on the whole there's a sultriness and spark missing from the material.

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."

While not every song is a winner, the title track and sleaze anthem 'This Ain't a Love Song' are standouts.

The 11-track set is unlikely to slow the group's momentum, since it's as polished as a diner countertop.

The band takes its proven peppy rock sound to new heights.

The title of Staind's sixth album is a bit of a misnomer, but there are a few new stylistic directions here.

An ambitious, aurally rich suite of storytelling songs.

A fine return to form.

He shows the abandon and confidence of a long-term artist, not just a one-hit wonder.