With a vicarious and melodious debut, it's clear that hip-hop's hopeful hasn't shied from his balancing act.

Diplo and Switch clearly cherish the glitches and low-tech glory of vintage Jamaican music. But they’re much better off when re-imagining as opposed to indulging in tongue-in-cheek mimicry.

It's a typically eccentric tour de force from Mos Def. But this time, he recruits producers capable of keeping pace with him.

While The E.N.D may be the farthest The Black Eyed Peas have ventured outside traditional hip hop, the final product proves the group is best at creating their own conventions.

Blaqkout is an audible feast, filled with Quik’s rich production and Kurupt’s tenacious lyricism.

When Relapse ditches Eminem the craaaazzzyyy white rapper, in favor of a maniacal narrator obsessed with graphic rape and violence (subjects much more in line with hip hop’s forgotten horror-core subgenre than anything to do with being a superstar rapper in 2009), Em works wonders with words, expanding the boundaries of the art of rap itself.

The middle-aged MCs have forged an album that reflects their belief that skills will always trump bells and whistles. Don’t mistake it for complacency--blame it on consistency. BO2 passes the smell test.

The superstar’s first album in three years is a solid, if not consistently energized tribute album to Lionel Richie.

In spite of the obstacles--both real and imagined alike--on their second full-length album, Donwill, Ilyas, and Von Pea, collectively Tanya Morgan, have crafted an expansive tour de force.

Chrisette Michele has delivered a consummate R&B album: controlled, beautiful, thoughtful, with some oomph. The cameos are sparse, the up-tempo tracks are still soulful and the perils of love are dominant.

Chester French have deftly balanced the thrills of newness with the reliability of the old--not bad a for a couple of graduates.

Rick Ross is on pace to make his best and most complete album yet. He knows it. And soon hip hop fans will too.

R.O.O.T.S. is a solidification of identity. And when you’re trying to keep yourself in the game, sometimes that’s all a sophomore album has to be.

UGK 4 Life is a fitting end for the Texas boys. It’s classic UGK--temperamental, turbulent, and trill...for life.

It’s a solid offering of tightly conceptualized tunes.

If after swallowing that Elixer, you still have the stamina for more, you will be amply rewarded by Minneapolis Sound, or as Prince spells it, MPLSoUND.

Those looking for timeless music on Pray IV Reign may find their prayers unanswered. But if you’re one of Jones’ longtime disciples, Capo’s got you covered.

The craft is meticulous, and the sound so epic, and at times, operatic, with production from Tricky Stewart (The-Dream’s silent partner in his corporation of hits), that moments on this album comprise some of the best pop music of the decade.

Songs like 'Love, Love, Love,' and 'Can't Live Without You' create the quintessential formula for a classic two-step and Wilson is sure to dazzle longtime fans with the more easygoing numbers. But sleepier tracks like 'One Time,' border on clichéd at times.

It’s Not Me, It’s You cooks up nostalgia for Allen diehards, but the elements have been shuffled and re-imagined with pulsating dance tracks that are surprisingly fitting.

Testimony: Vol. 2, Love & Politics is proof that not only can Arie step out of her comfort zone of relationships and self-appreciation, but she can jog up a few levels as well.

The results are moderately exemplary; a project heavy in power production, but skim on memorable showmanship.

Unlike other albums maniacally programmed to target every pop niche (hello Jennifer Hudson!), Doolittle delivers one of the rarer qualities you’ll find in a contemporary album: a clear sense of who she is.

The Take Over--a post-modern sonic mash-up for Generation O--is Zion I’s best attempt at turning their underground crusade into an overground movement.

The joyful arrangement in The Point of It All enhances Hamilton's storytelling abilities, serving as a lovely mixer to his lyrical depth and sensual, rich voice.

If there’s something the gifted singer-songwriter might want to learn, though, it’s the art of writing more memorable song lyrics.

Tipping a decade long residency within the music industry, Spears’ “comeback” is more so a restoration than a reinvention.

In 2008 Kanye struggled through tragedy so great that it forced him to go left. And ironically, at his darkest hour, Kanye has created his greatest album to date.

Ironically, it's the more tame (and nameless) persona that's the most intriguing, commanding and sexual.

Funhouse is more haunting than amusing, but the solidarity that comes along with her recent divorce serves as the effort's muse and proves to be her best partner in life.

The brothers are nimble lyricists, delivering raps in catch-me-if-you-can fashion, exercising little patience but encouraging repeated listens.

Unexpected is natural, pleasant and brutally honest, opening the eyes of those who slept on Williams' skills.

Something Else--a sharper, more concise follow-up to 2006’s breakthrough but spotty, "The Evolution of Robin Thicke"--songwriter and producer Thicke is using the tones and rhythms of soul music for a bigger idea: dissatisfaction.

His struggles did make for a strong album.

Ne-Yo is a stronger, more confident man than the one many remember licking his wounds on 'So Sick' from his debut album "In My Own Words" and 'Do You' from 2007’s "Because of You."

While the new direction is sturdy and refreshing, there is something comfortably familiar about it. The vintage shoes fit Saadiq, and he wears them well.

Brass Knuckles is standard Nelly fare.

The result is arguably his best work contextually since "Death Certificate" itself.

Impressive without being pretentious, Two Men possesses an urbane strut that’s perfect for jazzheads--and their country cousins.

­This endearing debut from Imani Coppola’s latest side project deftly explores the ferocious singer’s favorite themes--race, two-timers, herself--over programmer Adam Pallin’s sprightly soul interpolations.

Of all the newish dance acts digging on vintage disco and chicago House, NYC-based Hercules & Love Affair boast the smartest cuts and most range. [June 2008, p.66]

Loverly proves once again that she needs no artifice to soar musically. [July 2008, p.60]

Lay It Down is almost indistinguishable from green's past hits. Then again, maybe that was the point. [May 2008, p.74]

II Trill draws its cohesion from its production, a stew of juicy grooves, synth patches, and gumbo-thick basslines. But what makes the album tick is an emotional complexity: Like an old sage, Bun B gracefully vacillates between raw fury and weathered wisdom.

The disco ball might be unplugged, but Summer still shines. [July 2008, p.61]

While MC Naledge and producer Double-O’s impressive follow-up effort The In Crowd continues in a similarly versatile vein, the vibe this time feels less like a greenhorn B-boy coming-out party than it does a self-assured statement of purpose.

It's been a long wait, but like reborn armies in the night, Third has the blare of revolution. [June 2008, p.70]

Lidell reaches back further than he has before, appoximating Sam Cooke, Ben E. King, and even Jackie Wilson, elegantly nodding to his clarion-voiced heroes while never allowing the album to become mired in mere tribute. [May 2008, p.72]

Rising Down bangs like no Roots work since their popular, populist breakthrough "Things Fall Apart." [June 2008, p.65]

Mobb Deep's Prodigy has embraced the chaos, pain and disarray that's cursed much of his life and used to power an angry, pained, and ironically vital album, H.N.I.C. Part 2. Prodigy's physical self may be incarcerated, but his music has never sounded freer. [Apr 2008]

Her debut, which has dominated the charts overseas, is polite to a fault. If Whitney'esque is what she aims for, Lewis hasn't quite found the the F-U-N in fundamentals. [June 2008, p.66]

Five albums in, the Keys' reference points stay the same--Hendrix, Zeppelin, White Stripes--as their sound, now produced by Gnarls Barkley's Danger Mouse, grows even bigger. [May 2008, p.74]

The finished product has glorious results. [May 2008, p.69]

While DK's quest for pop domination falls short, the club-friendly Dollhouse cements their posh appeal. [May 2008, p.70]

They grab hold of genres long stuck in straitjackets and, if only for a few minutes a pop, let them run amok. [Mar 2008, p.99]

Rarely does rock music feel so simultaneously orchestrated and raw. [Mar 2008, p.98]

Vampire Weekend have suceeded in putting the hips back in hipster. [Mar 2008, p.98]

She sounds reawakened by the calm. [Mar 2008, p.98]

Finally the loverman is back. [Mar 2008, p.100]

Face Off is more fun than forced, full of exuberant dance ditties and training -bra snapping lullabies. [Feb 2008, p.86]

The Boatlift solidifies Pitbull's position as one of the most diverse party MCs aound. And little else. [Feb 2008, p.86]

Their lush signature harmonies remain intact, but these pedestrian readings ['Got To Be There' and 'War'] rarely deviate from their inspirations. [Dec 2007, p.112]

Though Exclusive skirts the sophomore slip-up, it leaves its protagonist uncertain: Ease on down the road, or look at the man in the mirror? [Nov 2007, p.91]

His self-titiled debut, a collection of mostly butterscotch ballads, is deliciously liquid in rhythm and blues. [Nov 2007, p.96]

Even while wearing her sexuality like an honor roll sticker, Ndegeocello is dazzlingly delicate. [Nov 2007, p.98]

The album is a celebration of LaVette's vocals--burnished, bruised but resoundingly unbeaten. [Nov 2007, p.96]

He's largely a victim of his own goodwill, sounding consistently exuberant, even when the message--'Politik Kills,' say--seems to beg for more. [Nov 2007, p.98]

His is an intrepid sound, taut and gorgeous. [Oct 2007, p.92]

Suddenly with these [guest MCs] additions, a sound that felt dusty and dilapidated is now exuberant. [Sep 2007, p.137]

Forever captures Common maturing graefully into his--and hip hop's--middle age at a time when many peers are either talking retirement or being forced into it. [August 2007, p73]

A resurgent Prince unleashes his strangest yet most alluring rock project since 1988's astonishing "Lovesexy." [Sep 2007, p.137]

Maybe The Mix-Up woks simply because it does nothing terribily wrong.

Ali fuses formindable mic skills and unvarnished honesty as effectively as Eminem. [Apr 2007, p.130]

Ozomatli's joyful beats... pulse with defiance. [Apr 2007, p.132]

An album that, while imperfect, is nonetheless the best G-Unit release since his own platinum-selling 2004 debut. [May 2007, p.118]

There are crackles of life in his leaden thug poetry. [Apr 2007, p.128]

He's winking, sure, but this time it's through real tears. [Apr 2007, p.134]

This is his most conventional and guest-heavy work, but also a rewarding reminder that independent hip hop was once something more than a curio. [Apr 2007, p.128]

Draft is brisk and jaunty, but also finds Dilla at his grimiest. [Apr 2007, p.132]

Here the production of Chicago post-rock maven John McEntire distends their horns... and fractures their beats. [Apr 2007, p.132]

On Weekend, the group's clearly into its '90s phase, and enjoying it. [Feb 2007, p.124]

Good is comparable in spirit to the everything-is-in-play feel of Clash albums like Sandinista!. [Feb 2007, p.128]

Disorienting and sometimes brilliant. [Jan 2007, p.109]

It feels somehow safe and experimental, foundational and radical. [Jan 2007, p.110]

Despite its frustratingly uniform theme--coke--and Jeezy's inflexible, one-speed rasp, his sophomore effort, The Inspiration, suggests that last year's victories were no fluke. [Feb 2007, p.121]

Together, they paint devastating emotional portraits, and they sidestep tedium by remaining rap's most lyrically inventive group. [Nov 2006, p.155]

A strong statement from a veteran still pushing his artistic boundaries. [Dec 2006, p.170]

A gleeful, idiosyncratic pastiche. [Nov 2006, p.156]

Sure, the DFA treat their sources irreverently, but their updates are better. [Nov 2006, p.165]

Excellent. [Oct 2006, p.142]

It's all tasteful retro treatment for a '60s soul icon, but Burke approaches it with brio. [Nov 2006, p.165]

These are antiheroic, anti-anthemic, antiwar gems of abstraction, full of consistently strange and exotic charms. [Oct 2006, p.146]

The Boys make earnest, delicate and occasionally gloomy synth-pop, but they want the pain to be danceable. [Nov 2006, p.161]

A generally exhilarating marriage of pop songcraft and state-of-the-art rhythms... But the compact and caffeinated B'Day also sounds calculated, as if it were A&R'd by a nervous number cruncher. [Oct 2006, p.137]

Like prior Roots albums, Game Theory boasts top-notch craftsmanship... but it's continuity that makes this album unique. [Sep 2006, p.211]

Still a nimble rapper, he's copped his best beats in years. [Oct 2006, p.142]

Shining brims with clear-cut and fully resolved ideas. [Oct 2006, p.138]

Eminem complements [Trice's] sinister outlook with equally gloomy production. [Aug 2006, p.140]