Not since 1966's Blonde on Blonde has Dylan sounded so happy and alert. [Oct/Nov 2001, p.102]

Ever since he figured out how to write tough-buzzard songs, on his 1997 comeback Time Out of Mind, he’s been knocking them out of the park. This one leans hard on ready-made blues in the citified-country-ways style of Chess Records.

Some of the most gripping singing you're going to hear all year.... A brave, unrepeatable record that speaks to her whole life. [May 2004, p.123]

His new take scythes through the original, revealing growls and guitars long obscured—sometimes it’s distracting, but often it lends the songs a newfound jolt.

This 'boxxx holds an explosion of creativity that couldn't have been contained in just one LP. [Nov 2003, p.118]

S-K swagger like they never have before, eschewing the filler that made their last few records drag. [#9, p.157]

Murphy pushes the near-immaculate music into the realm of genius with witty lyrics and wonderfully tetchy vocals. [Mar 2005, p.141]

Phrenology is a celebration of self-determination, a nonstop joyride through some very complicated brains. [#12, p.149]

A nearly flawless collection of hummable overtures. [#17, p.138]

This is Love’s ultimate achievement. A band long broken up, and so majestic they’ve been relegated to history books, has been refashioned in a way that makes a fresh and startling presentation of songs as familiar as the Ten Commandments.

Reveals added nuance with every listen. [Jan/Feb 2005, p.102]

Any collection that encompasses A Guy Called Gerald's peerless dance anthem "Voodoo Ray" and Joy Division's exquisite "Atmosphere" is "double double good," as the Happy Mondays' drug-addled singer Shaun Ryder used to quip. [#9, p.158]

[Coldplay] have made their masterpiece. [Jun 2005, p.112]

This is one helluva piece of singer-songwriter art. [Nov 2005, p.129]

Not since the Clash has a band evoked so precisely the grime and thrill of young London. [#15, p.124]

Marred only by incredibly pompous liner notes and a lack of worthy rarities. [#23, p.122]

Their best, most expansive album. [#8, p.112]

With Rock N Roll, Ryan Adams has thrown off the trappings of underachievement and grabbed for the crown. [Dec 2003, p.132]

Uncommonly rich and unfashionably gynocentric, Scarlet's Walk makes the personal universal, using the stories of women lost, left and unseen to chart a map of the American psyche. [#11, p.124]

Tempering futurism with retro-rap here, [Timbaland and Missy] feed the old through the new and refresh both. [#12, p.142]

What elevates the Monkeys into a class of their own is Turner. [Apr 2006, p.113]

The Bush-Blair era has damaged these guys, and the results rule. [Jun 2007, p.105]

What's amazing about Alright, Still is how similar the girl with the blog is to the girl with the hit record. [Mar 2007, p.129]

They've created the Sgt. Pepper of screamo.

They've been compiled to death, but this two-disc set is the most comprehensive survey yet of the Mancunians' brief, tear-stained blaze through the mid-'80s indie-pop firmament. [Feb 2009, p.67]

Every track is stellar. [Aug 2004, p.133]

The result is something of a songcraft master class.... A career best. [Dec 2005, p.150]

You can only discover fire once, though, so instead of a revolutionary blueprint, Neon Bible makes a triumphant clamor that's nearly as cathartic. [Apr 2007, p.109]