Reed has lost neither his lyrical bite nor his sonic perfectionism.

The members of the group craft melodic grooves that mesh with unpolished but tuneful guitars and mellow vocals into a lo-fi ambient sound that grows on the listener.

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

Fifth Release is an intoxicating cocktail of beats and colors that swirl and explode like a Roy Lichtenstein collage. When Pizzicato Five gets in this zone, which they do repeatedly here, all the world's a runway, and everyone's a size four and working it on pinpoint stilettos.

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.

Overall, God Bless the Go-Go's is a spirited, entertaining album that was worth the wait.

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.

The music on Return of Saturn... is a bit darker than it was on Tragic Kingdom, but it's no less energetic.

[Glen] Ballard's production, arrangements, and co-writing duties have massaged the 12 songs into a searing rock album.

The blond brothers' creative maturity is evident all over the disc's 13 songs.

God Says No maintains the attributes of its predecessor but also delves deeper into the groove-y psychedelia that's also part of the band's makeup.

But while it contains its fair share of hypnotic pop gems, The Geometrid is missing that extra something...

In a genre that is often as repetitive as it is flighty, the witty and musically well-informed Essential Mix, though unrevelatory, works beyond the club floor, too.

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.

Building on Whitey Ford's organic folk-pop rap, Eat at Whitey's develops the songwriter's street-style troubadour fixation even further. This time, there's more singing than rapping, and his gruff vocals actually sound stylish, especially on the provocative "Black Jesus" and the memorable "Black Coffee."

Time Bomb packs an incendiary wallop that's as noisy as nighttime on the Fourth of July.

The songs, however, are principally concerned with creating atmosphere, as has always been the band's strength. Only this time the atmosphere is centered on Michae [Timmins's] contemplations of his own mortality, and it seeks musical complexity, not simplicity.

A smooth and engaging affair, with consistently strong singing and playing from Clapton.

The band members unleash meditative, self-consciously poetic jams, solidifying their status as the hipster's Phish.

White Pepper may make listeners put off by Ween's crudeness give them another chance.

At nearly an hour and a quarter, the album does feel a little long, especially when it falls prey to the ponderousness that made Adore drag...

Some of Hatfield's best work ever... [v]irtually every track here is memorable, and often heart-rending, revolving around Hatfield's strengths as an artist: her baby-girl voice; her frank, naive lyrics; and her acoustic melodies.

Bright, punchy, and well crafted, it slathers an extra layer of grinding guitars on top of the Vol. One sound while maintaining the group's melodic trademarks.

Though his voice and attitude crosses Pet Shop Boy Neil Tennant's nasally histrionics with Gary Numan's clinical whelp, [Brian] Molko generally keeps his guitar playing tight and tough with Gothic overtones.

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.

An energetic and ambitious collection-

It gets tiresome, sure, but should this Dogg be put to sleep? Not yet. He's still coming up with funky beats and rhymes (like every single day).

Lyrically, they've got a ways to go.... That said, Alien Ant Farm shows some real potential.