Often falters distressingly.

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

At 22 tracks, "Damita Jo" has its fair share of hits and misses.

The band takes its proven peppy rock sound to new heights.

The title of Staind's sixth album is a bit of a misnomer, but there are a few new stylistic directions here.

An ambitious, aurally rich suite of storytelling songs.

A fine return to form.

But if t.A.T.u. represents the tippy-top of the marketing universe, it also represents the bottom third of pop songwriting.

Things hover uneasily somewhere between wholesale reinvention and mere superstar vanity project. [28 Oct 2006]

Many of Angel's midtempo tracks, while well-intentioned, fail to reach the lofty heights to which they aspire.

There's nothing really spectacular about any track, although in a strange way the entire album does have the ability to grow on you.

He shows the abandon and confidence of a long-term artist, not just a one-hit wonder.

Nearly every cut shoots for maximum radio mileage, and the album's lack of stimulation makes such pandering harder to overlook. [20 May 2006]

Halfway between a fraternity kegger and a housewarming party.

May not be as postcard-perfect as I Am Shelby Lynne, but it comes pretty close.

A guilty pleasure.

This London-based crooner emerged in the early '00s as the face of Britain's 2-step scene, but on his fourth full-length Craig David doesn't sound tethered to any one sound in particular.

As was the case with John Legend, who beamed into the club on his latest, the initial effect is jarring, even in its star's capable hands. But it also settles in nicely.

Boomslang is the album Marr fans have been waiting a lifetime for.

Appears and sounds more like a work-in-progress than a finished disc.

Packing an emotional wallop, Chances should quash critics who insist that Dion's voice is stainless steel.

Amid all the pomp and circumstance, Loaf delivers an album fans are going to love. [4 Nov 2006]

[Ashcroft] possesses one of the definitive rock voices and has an undeniable gift for melody, but he pairs those talents here with truly insipid lyrics and uninspired MOR arrangements.

As a singer, J.Lo sounds more confident, as she takes more chances with a voice that is technically limited but well-suited to the material she handles.

Far more '70s-style easy rock than rap/rock bombast.

Even naysayers will have to serve props to Lopez for the considerable growth she reveals as both a performer and tunesmith.

An uneven and ultimately unsatisfying return.

The album is another market-smart collection of radio fodder, rather than Lopez's artistic breakout. That said, no one does classy pop quite like she does.