While the upbeat Lambchop records of the past are missed, OH (ohio) is a well-paced and engaging trip through Wagner's lush, scenic tunes.

The blues- and country-influenced songs on Break Up the Concrete are an engaging departure from the group's earlier hits, while Hynde's dynamic alto voice gives the set the unmistakable Pretenders identity.

There's nothing here you haven't heard before from Rise Against--or, indeed, from Bad Religion before that. But producers Bill Stevenson (of the Descendents and All) and Jason Livermore keep the music moving at a breakneck pace that gives everything the gleam of urgency anyway.

This North Carolina-based sextet's major-label debut is as rich and diverse as 2006's "Be He Me," unfolding with layers of piano and string flourishes, crunching guitar jams and vibrant pop melodies.

The material from '97 on offers many surprises, particularly a dreamy alternate take on "Someday Baby" from "Modern Times" and the strident "Dreaming of You," which wouldn't have fit at all on "Time Out of Mind. Less essential are the live cuts, which only reinforce how Dylan's unpredictable phrasing and enunciation can render a song transcendent one moment ("Lonesome Day Blues," which sounds sourced from a bootleg), then unrecognizable ("Things Have Changed") or ordinary the next ("Cocaine Blues").

Moonwink is a very good album by most standards, except by comparison to "Nicely Done."

Unexpected does boast a handful of shiny electro-R&B gems ("Hello Heartbreak," "We Break the Dawn") that make Williams' journey from church to club as enjoyable as it was inevitable.

Throughout the 19 tracks, the group comes across as confident and capable of charming in varying motifs across the rock spectrum.

On the first part (Elephants), she sticks to brooding breakup ballads with long, languid piano chords and lush string arrangements, the perfect soundtrack for the lovesick....The mood changes radically on the second part, when Yamagata emerges with gritty, garage-rock tunes a la PJ Harvey, delivering defiant hooks with the energy of someone taking revenge.

Live at Shea rather remarkably captures the band conquering the soon-to-be-demolished stadium, turning the cold, sprawling space into a sweaty Brixton club.

It's an intriguing, somewhat surprising collection of tunes. Oftentimes dub projects can be anchored in a recurrent groove, but Page has created a group of tracks that are quite distinctive.

Although he seems to have rediscovered his panache, the music supporting his narratives is still lacking the originality of his best work.

Hudson is so comfortable with singing--whatever the song might be--that she elevates the material, making it sound like nothing you've ever heard before. All hail the new diva.

The new set isn't without a whiff of schmaltz....Thicke's strong singing--and a few winning uptempo numbers, including the infectious 'Magic' and the R. Kelly-ish 'Sidestep'--right the ship.

He's embodied literature's most popular archetype--the survivor--by transforming his woes into a reflective, enjoyable album.

The 37-year-old singer/songwriter is a new mom in love with her daughter's dad, and the experience has saturated every element of her work, from the warmed-up sound of her voice and guitar, to the lessons learned at the end of her familiar narratives.

Teamed with new producer Chris Lindsey and with more time to create than she did in the rush following her run on "American Idol," Kellie Pickler's second album is another solid step toward country stardom.

It's a pleasingly indulgent collection of songs, stories and detours that will be something of a treasure for longtime fans and packs at least a dozen treats for relative newbies.

There are a few head-scratchers,....but singer Caleb Followill has never been in better command of his beyond-his-years howl, and he's got monster hooks and melodies yet in his bottle of tricks.

It's all well and good, but we've mostly heard it before.

The Dolls' bark is as big as their bite.

Furr is a more consistent body of work, a perfect fall soundtrack rife with woodsy imagery.

While the set could be more dynamic with greater variation in tempo, the producers blend their vast range of influences in innovative ways.

[He said] wanted to take a different direction on Year of the Gentleman. However, it seems he still has a heavy--yet welcome--case of the (rhythm and) blues on the finished product.

Mac minions will find this electric-flavored, band-sounding album pleasing, but there's also the avant ambience that's Buckingham's stock in trade.

If there were any doubts about how Darius Rucker would fare in the country world, the Hootie & the Blowfish frontman puts them solidly to rest on his genre debut.

On his third solo outing (and first for Columbia), songwriter/producer Raphael Saadiq takes the listener on a smooth carpet ride that seamlessly weaves the feel-good essence of soul music's storied roots.

Skeptics might wonder if the sprawling guest list is an admission of fading commercial prowess. So, it's to the MC's credit that Brass Knuckles still feels like a party.