A tight collection fueled by glints of the rock, soul and country that came out of FAME Studios in Muscle Shoals, Ala., in the '60s and '70s.

Matthews finds a skillful balance in his lyrics between off-handed whimsy and deeper reflections, and the others back him with a tighter version of the instrumental interplay that has made them one of the most popular American bands of the past 15 years.

The 46-year-old Kentucky native rejoins the production team from her breakthrough on Little Wild One and spins a broad spectrum of rock tapestries married to warm, personal musings centered on a common theme.

You could say the closing, piano-and-strings showcase 'Heaven and Alchemy' borrows from some of them. But as a whole. Mantaray proves it's much more the other way 'round.

The Hives' best tunes are the ones that race pell-mell through churning guitar riffs and pounding drums while singer Almqvist hollers about, well, whatever.

With its varied sound and subtle optimism, Chrome Dreams II stands in marked contrast to Young’s more strident recent efforts, but at least he got around to sharing these dreams.

A subtler, smarter album with a considerable capacity to get you moving.

Although Donkey has a sleeker sound than its predecessor, CSS keeps its focus squarely on booty-shaking beats and pulsing bass on songs alternately about rocking your face off (opener 'Jager Yoga') and overcoming emotional turmoil.

It's a deliberate album that never sounds over-thought, and it's moving without even a hint of cliché.

In Rainbows, the band's seventh studio album and first since 2003's "Hail to the Thief," is dense and thorny, complex and beautiful.

Whether grasping for resolve in the stoutly punctuated pulse of "Now I'm Gone" or taking a sober angle on the rattling flow of "Shining On," she soul searches with the best of them, even when it sounds like she might be searching one that belongs to someone else.

The Way I See It doesn't break any new ground, but it's a very well-executed homage that serves to remind that classic soul is timeless.

The simpler arrangements suit Isbell on songs with an understated but unmistakable Southern rock flair.

The album is a refreshing reminder that, in the right hands, the blues is very much a living genre that need not be stuck in a formulaic 12-bar past.

Waits is fearless in generating atmosphere and relentless in avoiding polish.

Pacific Ocean Blue makes a strong case for Wilson's skill as a songwriter and arranger.

She boils songs down to their bare essences, and colors them in simple, evocative ways.

Throughout the CD's 10 tracks, Wino lets his personality show.

Womack's natural balance of tasteful and evocative shapes each tune it touches, carefully stretching the likes of 'Solitary Thinkin'' to make it sweet-sounding and substantial.

Situation actually represents Terfry at his razor-sharp best; it's a disc that should appeal to any fan of good hip-hop, indie or otherwise.

A savvy storyteller with an acid-tipped language, Newman packages yarns in a voice that is the sonic equivalent of an Emmett Kelly clown face, naturally hangdog while subtly playful as he reminisces about life's rough patches.

The album is a credit to all involved; if merely pastiche, it's a marvelous one.

Aesop's fables still require a decoder ring, but the plainer settings make them more effective as post-Beat poetry.

The band's latest, Reunion Tour, appeals directly to your brain.

She has blossomed into one of contemporary folk's most enchanting voices.

Some of those changes have been for good, and some haven't, but the former wins out on Hiatt's 20th album.

A freewheeling stylistic brew.

Produced by Wilco leader Jeff Tweedy, Staples' latest is a joyous celebration of life and faith on traditional gospel songs and tunes by Tweedy, Allen Toussaint, John Fogerty, Randy Newman and Staples' father, Roebuck "Pops" Staples.