The Hives seem to have approached Vicious with one aim in mind: to rock – hard -- for 27 minutes straight. Even more impressively, they actually pull it off.

The songs are brilliantly Costello-esque, fairly varied, and don't sound at all dated.

The most honest-sounding collection of songs Westerberg has penned in years.

Like so many great fuzzy rock albums, from the Rolling Stones' Exile on Main Street to R.E.M.'s Murmur, it takes a few listens to seep into your bloodstream.

This is blender pop of the finest order, held together by some of the most high-minded funk in this galaxy.

The Boys unleash some of their most sublime and accessible material in years.

And even though Young laces plenty of signature guitar riffs throughout, Are You Passionate? is for those who appreciate his songwriting as much as if not more than the histrionic fireworks he creates with Crazy Horse.

The CD unfurls a ragged blend of infectious melodies, couched in brisk tempos, and shimmering ballads culled from the blueprint of such past hits as "Name" and "Iris."

Provides a refreshing change of pace from the current formulaic R&B chanteuses.

His most impressive sound collage yet.

The first thirty minutes are a chaotic mess of style over substance, and while Joi's weirdness immediately sets her apart, "It's Your Life" and "Techno Pimp" are cloying and difficult to listen to.

Maas has done what not many others in his class have managed to successfully pull off: making a truly decent, engaging record that is more than just 72 minutes of electronica generica trading on name recognition.

For the most part, Amy Ray and Emily Saliers have abandoned the experimental plugged-in nonsense that bogged down their last two releases, concentrating on pure songwriting this time out.

The group studiously avoids the hackneyed synth-slabs that propelled their ascent up the hip-hop production ranks. In doing so they reveal an unforeseen musical sophistication, healthily cleansing themselves of all familiar bling-bling excesses, and reinventing themselves by delving into the realm of live instrumentation.

Staying true to an Underworld-influenced formula of riff-punctuated house music will inspire new converts to the menagerie, as this record's grooves are simultaneously original and accessible.

An eclectic, enjoyable array of quirky tunes.

A throbbing pop record of schizophrenic highs and lows as hyper-kinetic as its beats.

While the band's sound is unique, too many of the remaining ten songs play like slight variations of each other, and few of them stick.

Injecting the best aspects of Americana to Bragg's inherently British approach makes this one of the early contenders for folk-rock album of the year.

Most of these re-workings preserve the essential nature of the songs; the producers know enough to stay out of the way.

Undoubtedly one of the most infectious records you'll hear this year.

The Guest, for all its flaws, is wise beyond the years of the musicians who made it.

As the disc progresses, her caustic diatribes against men get harder to take.

From Here On In may grab you with a slide-guitar hook here, a tiny melody or vocal quirk there, after repeated listening. But it's hard to justify the five or six hours necessary to achieve such meager nirvana.

While most of the mixing is clean and effortless, it is also often unspectacular. Furthermore, the decided lack of turntable wizardry certainly won't earn him a "DJ Dan" moniker among vinyl mavens. But in terms of selection and overall execution, Monkey is a very nice listen.

May well be Donelly's definitive post-Belly work.

For the most part Bloodsport is carried by a snaking seductive beat and slow-burning, almost sinister melodies that would make Dave Gahan proud.

It's the breath-taking songwriting that clinches the deal here.