Minimalist yet incredibly expansive. [Jan 2003, p.74]

The album's edgy urban vibe, psychedelia and reggae find the Armada merging all of their varied influences into a collection that pounces with monster grooves and purrs with low-slung downtempo tunes. [Jan 2003, p.72]

A wobbly collage of sampledelic disco dementia. [Jan 2003, p.73]

A hip-hop record brimming with soul and artistry. [Jan 2003, p.74]

Ultimately, Evil Heat is more evocative than innovative, but why rewrite the book when it's already a compelling read. [Dec 2002, p.80]

Anyone interested in thoughtful, moody downtempo instrumentals will definitely enjoy this. [Dec 2002, p.76]

Undoubtedly the toughest music yet from the six-member crew, Phrenology may also be their best work, characterized by a powerful, head-nodding groove that carries through the entire album. [Nov 2002, p.78]

Riding a delicate balance of acid house and electro, Machine Says Yes is as cold as it is hot. [Dec 2002, p.76]

One of the most thought-provoking hip-hop albums in recent years. [Dec 2002, p.75]

Clever and catchy at every turn. [Jan 2003, p.74]

The textured ambience is a simple, sumptuous recipe that is not wholly unprecedented, but certainly welcome. [Dec 2002, p.80]

One of the year's best drum 'n' bass albums. [Dec 2002, p.74]

Suicide have rounded the edges on their metal machine music and jettisoned some rubbery retroisms. [Nov 2002, p.77]

[Eminem's] three solo offerings... are the strongest cuts from a very strong album. [Jan 2003, p.84]

It's his lyrical earnestness that makes his decidedly British experience so universally appealing. [Nov 2002, p.76]

Admittedly, the album drags in parts, but Out Where is still a success. [Oct 2002, p.88]

A work of exquisite, afterparty brilliance. [Oct 2002, p.84]

Manages to be simultaneously more minimal and more menacing. [Nov 2002, p.79]

Multi-hued melodies flow like lava and threaten to swallow foothills of funk. [Nov 2002, p.78]

The best sex-obsessed album since Prince's Dirty Mind. [Nov 2002, p.78]

An eyes-closed, head-bobbing masterpiece. [Oct 2002, p.86]

Fans of Squarepusher's trademark schizophrenic d'n'b beats will enjoy the title cut.... Other tracks completely disintegrate into severe experimentalism, changing from music to art-sound installations. [Oct 2002, p.81]

More Michael Caine chill than Sean Connery cool, but equally suave. [Oct 2002, p.88]

Intelligent, rugged and moving, Lost Tapes is everything Stillmatic should have been. [Dec 2002, p.76]

[Emerson's] absence has liberated rather than weakened Hyde and Smith. [Sep 2002, p.74]

Darker and edgier than their past venture. [Oct 2002, p.80]

As good at home as in the clubs, the Beings don't compromise integrity for catchiness, managing to offer healthy helpings of both. [Sep 2002, p.76]

While Layo & Bushwacka! could have pieced together a compilation of their bountiful peak-time material (and easily sold it), they chose to expand their artistic scope by revisiting the art of the proper artist album. And in those terms, Night Works works wonders. [Sep 2002, p.76]