Jones' fans may be disappointed at the lack of original material and the shortness of the set -- just over 37 minutes -- but as a showcase for the singer's interpretive talents, it's dynamite.

Harris is making music that stands with -- and perhaps eclipses -- her most well-regarded work.

Every track is at least fleetingly familiar, often having that feeling of the B-side that you haven't heard in years.... Still, adding a few hits wouldn't have hurt the soundtrack's shot at longevity...

Everything, Everything is a solid live album, and a great introduction to the music of Underworld, even if its most transcendent moments prove to be all too fleeting.

Though clever in origin, once these sounds have been identified, the songs themselves are rarely compelling enough to prompt return visits.

Not only does every song here work beautifully on its own, but the recording listens cohesively front to back, from the frosty chime of "Unsound" to the enchanting blues of the closing "Healer."

These 14 tracks forego the polish that distinguishes today's chart-topping fare, but each one bristles with a frisson in which honesty and artifice fuse, fashioning an enduring mini-masterpiece of pop.

Gerald's mastery of his own sound and style generally triumphs over his occasional lapses in focus.

A welcome antidote to the hard rock and bubble-gum pop flooding today's airwaves.

The lyricism is, as always, witty, wry, and full of cleverly deployed twists, along with literary and cultural allusions and smart metaphors...

Teddy Thompson, son of veteran singer-songwriter Richard Thompson, avoids the tracks laid out on his father's Celtic-tinged, guitar-centered folk rock and instead mines a pop-lite style framed in a gentle vibe.... Surprisingly, the results are better than one might expect.

The record succeeds on the strength of Williams' tremendously appealing musical personality and her winning songs.

But while The Mirror Conspiracy is lush relaxation music, it can be too relaxed at times. Some of the tracks, such as "So Com Voce," feel bland and lack the rhythmic ideas driving standout cuts like "Lebanese Blonde" and "Le Monde."

There will be few albums released this year that are as exciting, artistic, and, yes, eclectic as this one, and it's scary to think of what Wyclef will be capable of when he gets all of the elements in their perfect proportions.

Although its moods swing across the dial, it more than delivers on the group's initial promise.

Taken individually, the tracks on G.O.A.T. often stand tall, and as a rapper, LL Cool J is unparalleled -- his delivery is unique and totally familiar. Brought together as a whole, however, the record falls short of the near perfection he's found in the past...

Spring Heel Jack's latest seems so willfully irritating, careening from one idea to the next, with little regard for such pop conventions as melody, rhythm, or harmony, that one can't help but wonder -- albeit fleetingly -- if it just might point toward a whole new style of music.

Like far too many bands whose members bring strong musical pedigrees to the project, Unified Theory's sum is less than its parts -- despite, or perhaps because of, an abundance of adventurous spirit and experimental zeal.

Too often Coxon's sketches-in-song come off as coy experiments -- fascinating to himself, perhaps, but holding little interest for those of us outside the lab.

As always, Alvin's guitar work is wonderfully supple and emotive, and stands out as the centerpiece of his arrangements. But, even more gratifying, a decade after leaving the Blasters, in which his brother Phil handled the vocal duties, Alvin has finally found his voice as a singer.

By most standards, Mosaic Thump would be considered an excellent album, but this is De La Soul.

As best-of joints go, The Evidence is solid, featuring a bevy of T's greatest cuts, as well as a few left-field inclusions.

It seems that the usual brilliant, blunted band has been replaced by an upbeat upstart that's only recently discovered this thing called funk, while also becoming increasingly enamored by rap -- all at the expense of its sultry, seductive star vocalist, Skye Edwards...

Without a doubt one of the best pop records of the year.

But as the songs blow by like so much sonic shrapnel, Rancid runs the risk of trying to say too much too quickly and losing its voice amid the ranting, raging blur.

An energetic and ambitious collection-

A rousing, driving smack in the face of all things pop, punk, and hard rock.

His impressively relentless battle raps offer a barrage of metaphorical violence delivered with a vehement rat-a-tat-tat.