Unpredictable actually gets rather predictable over the course of 15 songs, too many of which begin to meld into one another.

Pocket Symphony won't yield any pop hits, but it could be the soundtrack to endless rainy afternoons.

Phair doesn't need her angry-girl persona to prove she has talent, but she may still need it to stand out from the crowd.

Even with its share of jangle-pop gems, the disc also offers a few bland strummers that never quite take off.

Their irritating habits remain as intractable as ever: must every romantic spat be framed against saving the whales (okay, the shrinking water supply) and the fight for clean air?

The F.A.B.O.’s smooth, deadpan flow cruises over benignly commercial beats, and the overall effect isn’t hard enough to stand up to "official" street-issue hip-hop.

All the Roadrunning--while beautiful--seems somehow underwhelming, and without a true centerpiece.

Wincing is neither the clever genre recombinant exercise of their second album nor is it the perfect little self-contained universe of their debut. This is not the Shins' best album; it's their growing pains third record.

It's not likely this music will age spectacularly well, but so what?

For a woman who once used lyrics to shock listeners, there's nothing terribly shocking about this new CD.

When Tool sounds as good as it does on ["Jambi" and "The Pot"] it's hard to get enough. Which makes it all the more baffling that a surprisingly large chunk of the disc is given over to mood-enhancing soundscapes like "Lost Keys" and "Vigniti Tres."

If play-it-to-the-back-rows, unabashed power-pop is what the Ataris were after here, they've delivered it with nigh perfection.

Fans and casual enthusiasts will no doubt be bewildered by the extra experimental outings of an already daunting band--but for completists, this is the last word.

The production seems a bit slick, as if the group was going for some Interpol-type success, while the songs would perhaps be better served at a studio like Easley in Memphis.

It's this lumpy consistency that ultimately lets them down, but this is a laudable effort from a band on a decade-long roll. [Amazon UK]

If her album is musically uneven at times, her artistry and strength continue to shine as undimmed beacons.

Its center becomes weighed down with bland mid-tempo numbers and the final song detracts from the powerhouse close the record might have had.

Fortunately, producer Steve Lillywhite is on hand to clean things up, giving even the most bumbling lyrical experiments, such as "Wordplay" and "Geek in the Pink," at least the illusion of a newfound maturity.

The problem lies in Gore's lack of emotional and musical range.

Has she grown up? Maybe not entirely yet, but Lohan is showing the promise of an honorable mainstream career.

It may still sound beautiful, but too often Amazing Grace comes off as mere formula.

The less successful interpretations simply fail to differentiate themselves from the spirit of the originals.

Over the course of the album, too much of the midtempo material sounds too much the same, more inspired lyrically than musically, failing to sustain the momentum of the opening tracks.

It’s just a shame that the lack of soul in his rotating rap deliveries tends to undermine his masterful storytelling capabilities.

Not quite as endearing as his raw and seductive 2002 debut.

A solid, if not wholly overwhelming album.

Despite Clarkson's sublime vocal talents, excessive gloss at times overwhelms the quirky charm and personality she displayed on Idol.

Little here finds McGraw in a feel-good mode.