Elliott brings a seen-it-all authenticity to this repertoire while Joe Henry's sympathetic production (aided by guest appearances by Los Lobos' David Hidalgo and Van Dyke Parks) is pitch perfect.

The 11-track set is unlikely to slow the group's momentum, since it's as polished as a diner countertop.

Populating that lyrical forest are knights, goblins, talking animals and ticking (shades of Peter Pan crocodiles), Costas spinning her offbeat tales like a young Suzanne Vega setting Brothers Grimm fables to music. It's all melodically accessible.

In its entirety the album is a great debut, toe-tapping and catchy with just the right blend of familiarity and individuality, and it should send a message to new bands: Simplicity is key.

The Hold Steady's first live disc (and documentary DVD), recorded in 2008 at Chicago's Metro, is a raucous 17-track scorcher that finds Finn's speedily spat monologues working surprisingly well onstage.

Such a musical mind-meld, so expressive of both artists' perspective, is rare.

From the hipster head-bobber 'Nothing to Worry About' to the melancholy closer 'Last Night,' the trio takes a minimalist approach to creating beats and accompaniments, making its simple voices more affecting and the subtle production all the more charming.

Gomez ups the musical ante with A New Tide, a brilliant 11-song collection of lyrical jewels embellished by colorful and unusual textural arrangements that a dynamics-loving jazz band could admire.

Urban hardly rests on his laurels on Defying Gravity, trying some interesting new directions.

As he did on last year's "Mail on Sunday," Flo Rida spends most of these 13 pop-rap confections pondering the finer points of his growing bank account and his incomparable way with women. The best cuts are those that mirror the MC's usual themes with even more familiar sounds.

Between tunes Cohen recites lyrics from the next song to be performed, and these 26 tunes, delivered in his steady rumbling baritone, may have never sounded better, certainly not in one place on one special night.

The threesome is best when trading verses and flaunting its ample talent on strummy singalongs like 'Just About Time.'

Lotusflow3r has Prince channeling his Hendrix spirit guide on a cover of 'Crimson & Clover' shot through with riffs from 'Wild Thing;' on 'Wall of Berlin' and 'Dreamer,' he squeezes the Jimi out of his guitar until you can almost see the hologram.

Mplsound is sometimes stronger still [than "Lotusflow3r"], with the party whoop of '(There'll Never B) Another Like Me,' the delicious dirty mind of 'Chocolate Box' and 'Ol' Skool Company,' which will have you partying like its 1985.

It's about average for albums from Prince proteges.

Welcome to Mali showcases the duo at some distance from its original, more elemental sound, but the overall feel is that of musical progress.

Despite Meloy's lofty vocabulary and penchant for themes of antiquity, Decemberists albums are consistently generous with great tunes and charm, and "The Hazards of Love" is no different.

It's an icy blast of electro-pop that channels the genre's most quirkily beautiful moments and ups the ante with the unmistakable influence of the duo's film-scoring heroes, Vangelis and Angelo Badalamenti.

Though audibly relaxed in their freedom from the label system, the duo delivers a few real emotional stunners.

On her album debut, the 26-year-old singer/songwriter lays her vocal and writing skills over boom-bap productions for a set that is delightfully flirtatious, heartfelt and full of diva antics.

Producer Brendan O'Brien kicks up classics like 'Even Flow' and 'Black' by putting Vedder more upfront and toning down the reverb so listeners can better hear the interplay of guitarists Mike McCready and Stone Gossard. Disc two tacks on six more tracks that represent the real gold for diehards who have traded sludgy bootlegs of the band's early jams for years.

While Marsalis' verse falters, the music beams stellar with lyrical rhapsodies and compelling arrangements imbued with multifarious colors and orchestral textures.

Jim Jones may be rolling out his fourth studio album (and first major-label release) with off-Broadway plays, documentaries and a movie, but don't get it twisted—the Harlem-born rapper hasn't lost his grime.

"This will be a better year," sing the Shakes on 'Strictly Game.' If based purely on the imagination shown in this innovative album, it will be.

Metamorphosis, which follows 2006's commercially stillborn "The Paramour Sessions," is the most polished and wide-ranging of Papa Roach's six releases.

Beware is supremely sequenced, and is possibly Oldham's finest album yet.

The combination of old-school melody and post-mod dissonance is risky, bold, and one of the most exciting releases of the year so far.

This new recording is richer and more daring in its arrangements and choice of material.