Usher's back at ya with a consistent third album that has a good chance of staying afloat in a marketplace overflowing with crooning R&B clones. [Sep 2001, p.235]

Though So Amazin' is ripe with sexuality, it's also a surface-dwelling effort devoid of any profound insights. [May 2006, p.137]

Makes a fair case that few hip hop beat men can match the prolific musical canon of the RZA. [Dec 2003, p.214]

Subpar sonically... Red Light doesn't push toward something greater. [Feb 2005, p.138]

While a few of these efforts fail in the funk department, the album never sounds derivative. [Sep 2005, p.230]

More solid than spectacular. [Jan 2005, p.83]

Despite its trippy promise, the album sometimes falters because of Quaye's quirky, self-indulgent lyrics. [Apr 2001, p. 170]

Beyoncé's always been a capable singer, and she's grown even more so on Survivor. [June 2001, p.151]

Eardrum lacks cohesiveness. [August 2007, p.75]

Though T3 and Baatin's verbal syncopations punctuate Trinity's big-bottomed sound, their words are consistently trite. [Sep 2002, p.248]

With his latest long player, The Last Kiss, the Yonkers heat spitter’s exquisite rhymes again get lost in an overabundance of boilerplate attempts at hits.

The album falters when it ventures out of party mode. [Apr 2003, p.177]

Ciara is most comfortable in the nook of choreography-driven tracks....What Fantasy Ride lacks are the career-defining highs of songs like 'Promise' and 'Like a Boy,' songs that were romantic and indelible and altogether original.

The album is plagued by too many predictable bass lines and uninspired samples. [May 2004, p.163]

At times... Dangerously In Love sounds desperate to reach every demographic. [Aug 2003, p.150]

It's reminiscent of a time when bumpin' L'Trimm's candy-coated "Cars With the Boom" was the definition of fresh. [Aug 2003, p.154]

His most stoner-friendly album to date. [Apr 2003, p.179]

Shockingly, Paris the vocalist is actually listenable; no Gwen Stefani, but better than, say, K-Fed. [Oct 2006, p.151]

Crackles with anger, energy, and defiance. [Aug 2002, p.156]

There is no doubt that Gwen Stefani is currently the most hyped up singer in the world; nevertheless, that doesn't change the fact that she possesses one of the worst singing voices in pop-rock history.

KRS-One sounds as hungry and passionate as ever.... Unfortunately, a barrage of rigid, same-sounding beats and canned choruses detracts from Attack's effectiveness. [June 2001, p.154]

David's pasteurized pop may not be pleasing to all musical palates, but for many, he remains one of the United Kingdom's tastiest exports. [Jan 2003, p.130]

All pounding drums and rolling keyboards, this is the Three 6 sound at its most dumbed down. The same could be said for the majority of Walk, which avoids the experimental sounds the group dabbled in on 2005’s "Most Known Unknown" and treads more familiar ground.

While she loses herself in Gwen Stefani-like posturing... Furtado masterfully combines Spanish and pop influences in her own unique way. [Jun 2006, p.164]

Though she doesn't add any real depth to her artistic sack, she captivates by revealing another stage in her development--as a woman. [Aug 2003, p.148]

Ultimately, Hilson’s debut is simply okay, not quite the sum of its parts. She has the right juice. Now it’s just a matter of how to keep it flowing.

Ultimately, the moments of bare beauty on such tracks as "Your Cloud" and "Crazy" set Amos apart as a true original. [Dec 2002]

What is missing from Intuition is a balance between the party records and the slow jams. The division displays a lack of cohesiveness that separates the effort from being a great album into just a collection of potential singles.

Her fourth, The Element of Freedom, is full of straightforward pleas for affection that are neither outstanding nor run-of-the-mill.

With no real stand out single, All I Ever Wanted will be a hit with Clarkson die-hards, but is unlikely to influence any Top 40 outsiders.

For every legitimate contender like 'Arab Money,' there’s mediocre fare such as 'Shoot for the Moon,' where he prattles over a nondescript synth bleat from Danjahandz.

Each song here is crammed with all kinds of Kool & the Gang hand claps and Chemical Brothers bass drops. [Dec 2003, p.218]

Delivers a spiritual and political message that's both sensual and relevant. [Oct 2003, p.185]

Frustratingly uneven. [Dec 2006, p.165]

When all three work with the group, they invigorate Red Carpet....But when Danja is left to his own devices, problems arise. [Dec 2007, p.108]

Lovage only works some of the time--the record's sense of humor often trumps its music. [Feb 2002, p.123]

While less preposterous than her second album, The Id, this is still a frustrating piece of work. [June 2003, p.154]

Largely sounds like a drug-induced, incoherent jam session. [Dec 2004, p.215]

After that promising start [with 'I Love College' and 'Lark on My Go-Kart'], however, Asher loses focus. He floods the Bread Aisle with a series of interesting pop concepts ruined by bland choruses.

Stylistics paralyze Hudson's debut, but it is her impassioned talent that keeps the album on life support.

When [Fergie] nails it--as she does about half the time on her genre-jumbling solo debut--the result is strange pop that successfully blurs the thin line between annoying and alluring. [Nov 2006, p.160]

[He] sounds stuck in a rut. [June 2004, p.152]

Clever turns of phrase, the reason you go to Banks in the first place, are in lesser supply on Apple, replaced with boilerplate declarations of supremacy. [Oct 2006, p.148]

This once-fiery, if rambling, thinker now sounds like a man cooled off. [Sep 2007, p.130]

Sermon's crisp production maintains a chill vibe, but the tight network of guests can't make up for his inadequate skills on the mike. [Aug 2004, p.141]

But even with all the emo-passion, nearly half of this album is lukewarm.

A decidedly mixed blessing. [Sep 2002, p.250]

Cee-Lo's soulful spirituality is sorely missed. [Jun 2004, p.155]

There are plenty of dull moments on Level II, but the memorable ones keep the proceedings interesting. [Apr 2003, p.177]

Unfortunately, Sweat is affected by some forced collaborations and shallow subject matter. [Oct 2004, p.184]

213's obsolete subject matter offsets otherwise satisfying sounds. [Sep 2004, p.236]

On his sophomore effort, iSoujaBoyTellem (Interscope), the YouTube legend attempts to sound all grown up, but for the most part, sticks to his rather unusual brand of hip-hop for the Google generation.

Grown feels more like an extended elevator ride than a true adult movement. [Sep 2005, p.236]

Occasionally, the chemistry is thrilling... Mostly, though, Shadow picks collaborators allergic to subtlety. [Oct 2006, p.143]

The bigger problem is Paul's unexpectedly anemic production. [June 2003, p.155]

Ludacris never truly breaks through. [Nov 2006, p.158]

Ultimately, he sounds confused--he wants to bare his soul and boogie on, but the boogie isn't nearly enough. [Mar 2008, p.97]

It reeks of generic blandness. [Feb 2008, p.86]

He sings with a quavering, unconvincing tremor, and his lyrics are often awkward and bland. [Apr 2007, p.130]

!!! certainly have talent and energy, but not the heart to self-edit. [Apr 2007, p.130]

On Shock, Timbaland has pushed himself--he's clearly striving for some of the charisma his best collaborators ooze. [May 2007, p.113]

Her ten tracks are disposable, and redeemed only by Prince’s extraordinary production ear.

Timberlake and Timbaland... write frustratingly awkward songs. [Oct 2006, p.142]

[She takes a] new, inappropriately measured approach. [May 2007, p.115]

The music... is tacky and overproduced.... The songwriting here far outstrips Lopez's previous albums, though. [May 2007, p.116]

Aside from a new number (281-206-4336!), Jones offers few surprises--the guest list is robust and his rhymes are still mediocre.

While his lyricism is as sharp and searching as ever, inventive musical moments are scarce. [Feb 2007, p.125]

It's a mixed bag. [Jan 2007, p.112]

Generally, Chingy is blank, as flat as tap water. [Oct 2006, p.150]

The Atlanta MC attempts the melodramatic, but to mostly underwhelming results.

While there's something joyful in the cacophony, the songs remain window dressing on the spectacle. [Oct 2007, p.94]

In fact, the flair that is championed on most Common albums is absent, leaving a vapid display of good ideas with unenthused delivery. This nonchalance has placed Universal Mind Control’s release, regardless of its intentions, in poor form, doing little for progressing Common’s ability.

Without the apocalyptic beats and emotional storm clouds that were once his trademarks, Vulnerable makes Tricky all but dispensable. [Aug 2003, p.156]

Too often these songs either sound recycled or just uninspired.

Something's off... ESG's doe-eyed charm... is missing. [Oct 2006, p.148]

A tepid debut. [May 2007, p.121]

Erratic. [Feb 2007, p.126]