Coming off the digital releases of Funk Man, and Automatik Statik comes Golden Era, the last third of the trilogy, which is, frankly, more of the same. But with Del, that's a good thing.

There are some tracks on this record I don't appreciate much now as a college student in my early 20s, but I can guarantee as I get older and more mature, I will find this album more relatable and more enjoyable.

House of Balloons is a surprisingly strong and confident debut for a new artist.

Overall, the album displays an artist in total command of his style and vision, which only makes sense considering how long and accomplished Dennis Coffey's career has been.

The Defamation is one of those records that's just too easy to love; its best moments are simply undeniable.

In the end, the high points here are more than compelling enough to warrant repeated spins, and the weak spots are simply forgettable, not unlistenable.

Though the album hits all the right notes, the muted horns, understated strings and whispery vocalist with major funk potential leaves you nostalgic for something more.

A band exploring a new sound is great, but that's what demos and the studio are for. Some of what The Strokes seem to be aiming for with Angles unfortunately isn't realized.

This record a solid improvement over the excellent Causers Of This, and I am excited for his continued growth as an artist.

Even though there were a few points at which this album dragged for me, (see back to back six-minute songs), there is no doubt that this is not only a strong debut for Saigon, but a strong album that indicates he'll be a force in hip-hop for years to come.

The sheer ferocity of Monch's rhyming is more than enough to bridge any gaps and plow through any detours.

There's not a slacker in the bunch on 21, which is hard enough for many an artist to pull off at 31 – or even 51 – much less at an age when they're still too young to rent a car on their own

While the material on Second Chance is quite straight forward and not very new, the album works, because it's a comfortable move forward for an artist who is trying to make up for lost time. The album is a defining second chance.

If I were asked to document the unrest within Detroit, The Left's Gas Mask would be the backdrop. Journalist 103 and Apollo Brown have created a beautifully ugly masterpiece that seethes with urgency and raises the bar considerably for their peers at home and beyond.

This is a piece of work that raises the bar for all his contemporaries, and I would not be surprised to see this album at the top of many Best of 2011 lists.

Packaged together here, The Fall does not feel like a proper Gorillaz album, but more like a musical scrapbook of the tour. Fortunately for us, even Damon's scraps are worthy of a casual listen.

Bailey Rae's The Love EP is a short, but great listen with some of the finest love songs ever written.

All Day offers a departure of sorts from Night Ripper and Feed the Animals, his previous releases. The composition of those two essentially follow the same furious blueprint, whereas All Day allows the musical ideas a bit more time to breathe and evolve.

While casual listeners may be left scratching their heads a time too often for their liking, connoisseurs of pure MCing will find plenty to admire in Beans' craftsmanship, and long time fans of the Consortium will likely add this project to their collections with no regrets.

Gutter Rainbows may not be promoted heavily due to its independent release, but it should be rotated heavily in our MP3's, it's a definite win for the listener/consumer.

It is readily apparent on Love Me Back that Ms. Sullivan is making a huge push at greater mainstream success.

With My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, Kanye West transgresses paradigms and defies the limitations of genre, thusly granting himself the highest compliment payable to an artist.

While Nothing isn't N*E*R*D*'s strongest effort, it does offer an interesting take on pop music.

In music, the best artists bare their souls and shed light into unknown realities. With Cudi, however, the wounds might still be too deep, since he bemoans his way through the impressive soundtrack and lacks the essence needed to make this project resonate.Life has its ups and downs, but there's no need to implode.

The sad thing is that if this concept had been presented as a one-off concert, it could have been amazing; a fitting tribute from the brightest stars of the 21st century to the man who taught them everything they know. But on record, it simply fails to take off. Quite frankly Quincy Jones, and his legacy, deserve better.

It's a testament to Ghostface's MC bonafides and sheer force of personality that, while easily his weakest solo outing, Apollo Kids is far from a bad album. It just doesn't quite feel like a Ghostface Killah album.