Though it's no "Bloodletting," it does make for a satisfying reminder of that masterpiece.

The band, while heavy on charm, is light in its ability to demonstrate any diversity in its songs.

Unfortunately, the record is burdened by a pretentious, overarching narrative about "the Wise One" and his struggle with "the Banished Ones."

Track after solid track, "Motherland" is a collection of pure, soulful offerings.

As always, Kravitz infuses his rock with enough funk to get you moving, and his catchy choruses will echo in your head long after the album ends.

The album may not break much new ground, but the band's performance is more dynamic than on previous releases.

"Cuttin' Heads" isn't covering much new ground.

Demonstrates a virility missing from [1993's "Republic"].

Hype for the Strokes is well deserved--it's hard to imagine a more vital American rock band.

"Gold" proves that Ryan Adams is capable of blending a myriad of styles and influences.

Pierce enhances his trademark electro-scapes with rich gospel choruses and grand orchestral flourishes for operatic effect.

A platter of hot-buttered R&B popcorn, liberally sprinkled with salty social critique, "The Id" finds Gray getting disco-freaky while instigating her "Sexual Revolution," and playfully rapping about her kids with Slick Rick on the funky burner "Hey Young World II."

"Strange Little Girls" is not a pretty album, but that's the point: the ugliness of male-female relations, which she exposes bit by bit with each cover, is a fact that is--in both pop music and pop culture--all too often ignored.

It doesn't really break any new ground, but that's not the point. This record is about Dylan cutting loose and celebrating the richness of American music.

Slayer remains an elemental metal band, continuing to surge on something high-grade and uncut.

Ultimately, the record is kept from wonderfulness by too much drowsy material--it lacks [Neil] Young's screwball conviction or the hallucinogenic intensity of the VU.

Pulling it all together is her beautifully rough voice, which has grown more precise without losing any of its raw, bluesy power.

The most introspective and slow-tempo collection in Björk's catalog, "Vespertine" proves to be a rousing showcase of her captivating vocal talent.

But, to get right down to it, "Celebrity" is fun, like its predecessors.

Just as little has changed on the radio front, so has Cake stuck with its market-proven formula on "Comfort Eagle."

When it clicks, "Aaliyah" transforms the confusion of young adulthood into exhilarating freedom

The quartet has cooled its eclectic babbling, and "Hot Shots II" whirrs and purrs like a gleeming silver sports car.

Songwriter Doug Martsch again succeeds in striking an impressive balance between guitar-saturated bombast and impeccable melodic taste.

X.O. Experience is more commercial and polished than the group's previous three efforts.

By delivering pert '60s-esue pop numbers with a twangy drawl, and by playing rockabilly riffs on torchy blues odes, Jack and Meg balance their divergent influences well.

Sisqo proves he's more than a flash in the pan.

There's nothing on this album quite like the guilty pleasure of "Candy," her textbook pop number from "So Real."

Its touchy-feely lyrics maintain the brooding undercurrent that runs beneath the bulk of the band's catalogue.