Not so much the future of hip hop as a giant leap sideways. [Aug 2014, p.86]

An unfussy affair. [Jun 2005, p.108]

Return To The Noon can seem too dense a construct to penetrate. [Dec 2015, p.88]

Tempting to ask for more of this dark night of the soul. [Jan 2018, p.94]

Rebel Heart is the first Madonna album for a while that's at least as much for listeners as it is for dancers. Sometimes this shines too hard a light on what she has to say. [Apr 2015, p.88]

It's a slight concept (and a short album), which may be to the singer's benefit: in the past she could be off-puttingly clever in a very French way. OUI seems to be saying to us: "Yes, I'm simply a singer. Just Come and enjoy the music.". [Jul 2017, p.93]

Here, Scott 'Spiral Stairs' Kannberg's music feels more direct and unguarded than might have been expected given the more crafted, at time arch, music that has hallmarked his two groups. [Dec 2009, p. 90]

A 50/50 new/old split: reworkings, questing solo turns and a rare all-out rocker. [Nov 2021, p.94]

The Shrine deliver a cantering second LP full of heads-down charm. [Jun 2014, p.98]

The LP is a little crammed. [Nov 2020, p.82]

For Gahan, Angels & Ghosts is another opportunity to repeat his therapeutic cycle of guilt-shedding and redemption. [Dec 2015, p.88]

A dense, fervent, riffy drums and electric-guitar driven album. [Nov 2012, p.95]

It is the older material that comes out on top. A Euphoric, feel-good collection, nonetheless. [Apr 2020, p.87]

The absence of between-song chat makes the experience unnecessarily remote. [Mar 2020, p.106]

It's a beguiling mix for the most part, even if they have overly sacrificed melody on the altar of rhythm. [Jul 2022, p.93]

The main feeling it provokes is sincere admiration at a job well done, but a raised pulse, unfortunately, is something Spoon can't craft from scratch. [Apr 2017, p.96]

The gigantic lokombe (slit drum) and buzz drums no longer shock in the way they used to, although the synths suggest one route forward, and the guitars and harmonies look to South Africa for inspiration. [Jul 2021, p.88]

Occasionally the lyrics are wincingly obvious. ... Emerald Valley is blunt truth for dire times. [Jun 2019, p.88]

This is impressive, soul-bearing torch-pop, yet despite some bravura vocal performances, Almond's typically declamatory delivery at times, feels rather awkwardly appended to the airlessly slick soundscapes. [Apr 2015, p.91]

Armstrong's anti-establishment shtick has lost some of its impact. [Jun 2009, p.102]

It's a fine bookend for a man who defined one parochial corner of the music world. [Mar 2011, p.96]

This is not an uplifting listen. [Apr 2014, p.91]

While the guitarist's chops are impeccable and his tone as fiery as ever, the stiff, unyielding charts tend to stifle him, hindering his spontaneity and that of his fellow fine musicians. [Jun 2020, p.95]

Sung tentatively, a la Randy Newman. [Jun 2014, p.98]

Her sinuous, Lady Dayish voice sets her apart. Unfortunately, it's not to be heard in full effect until about a third of the way through Mama's Gun... [Jan 2001, p.104]

Hall explores his anger and depression through mostly downbeat but frequently beautiful ballads. [Feb 2022, p.87]

Many of these 12 songs, eight of them originals, tend towards the reflective. [Jan 2021, p.90]

As with previous Immersion material, analogue synthesizers provide the musical focus here, sporadically infused with electric guitars, often played in the oblique, angular style that Wire Fans will instantly cleave to. [Feb 2017, p.98]