Musically this is more varied and muscular than her debut ... vocally she rocks harder. And though she still ain't exactly perky, she does sound less sullen.

A mind-twisting collision of rock, techno and hip-hop.

He does it all so proficiently, you can't help but want to have the guy hang out in your CD player for awhile.

A less produced, totally honest and much more sparse collection than what fans were dancing to with Omnipop.

Even if it all sounds pretty much the same as their last few, you'd be unwise to turn a deaf ear to this release.

This isn't just a step in the right direction for the band, it's--believe it or not--a good move for the pop-punk genre as a whole.

Sessions is loose and fun and, while not blazing any trails, it doesn't sound like a bad karaoke night either.

Luckily, even with the changes, the Sheik mystique remains and makes this album a worthy new addition to his repertoire.

There are some impossibly fun tunes in the mix.... But will this album really change your life? No.

The Woods seems like a retreat into the '90s, playing up the grunge and angst of the band's Northwestern stomping grounds.

Essential? Not really. Fun as hell? Definitely.

A few more tangible melodies would have gone down well, but the overall mood is magnificent.

There is an army of producers, songwriters and guests that make Thankful's mom-approved hip-hop beats and love songs feel as contrived as Clarkson's perfectly placed highlights.

This is undoubtedly the best excuse for a solo outing since Justin Timberlake's Justified.

It's hard to imagine a set of songs that better reflects every phase the group has navigated through its turbulent career.

Yeah, Issak's tunes are the equivalent of rock comfort food, but they always go down so easy.

Rages and riffs with epic drama.

Indestructible feels a lot less dangerous than their previous discs.

With lyrics that sound like teen soap-opera scripts and music so mellow it makes Dido sound like an espresso junkie, songs like "White Houses" and "She Floats" are tailor-made to soothe the soul.

[Shows] a renewed sense of purpose.

Keys, however, proves to be a better singer than songwriter, as most of the latter half of the album slips into sleepy piano numbers.

The disc's bountiful electric piano, plaintive acoustic guitars and gentle vocals recall old AM radio fare like Cat Stevens or, more currently, an American version of Travis.

The result is a bumpy, self-indulgent ride, sure, but Love's fuming testimony is packed with a scraggily voice screaming to be heard and a bombastic blast of rage, raw power and sarcasm.

The songs lack the emotional depth of Bewilderbeast, but the jaunty folk-pop is just so much fun.

Six albums in, Missy's recipe for success is still pretty fresh.

The frequently acoustic guitars and the frontman's mumbled ramblings on death, politics and love make this a fairly quiet, and deep, Riot.

Country's biggest commodity takes the easy way out with a meticulously picked and produced batch of tunes (see: safe) that would be impossible to screw up.

The Life Pursuit is all swaying tempos and vintage summer-sad melodies that sound like a postcard from home.