It's all tasteful retro treatment for a '60s soul icon, but Burke approaches it with brio. [Nov 2006, p.165]

These are antiheroic, anti-anthemic, antiwar gems of abstraction, full of consistently strange and exotic charms. [Oct 2006, p.146]

The Boys make earnest, delicate and occasionally gloomy synth-pop, but they want the pain to be danceable. [Nov 2006, p.161]

A generally exhilarating marriage of pop songcraft and state-of-the-art rhythms... But the compact and caffeinated B'Day also sounds calculated, as if it were A&R'd by a nervous number cruncher. [Oct 2006, p.137]

Like prior Roots albums, Game Theory boasts top-notch craftsmanship... but it's continuity that makes this album unique. [Sep 2006, p.211]

Still a nimble rapper, he's copped his best beats in years. [Oct 2006, p.142]

Shining brims with clear-cut and fully resolved ideas. [Oct 2006, p.138]

Eminem complements [Trice's] sinister outlook with equally gloomy production. [Aug 2006, p.140]

In their earnest effort to recharge rap, however, the veterans' pioneer-day rhetoric comes off as heavy-handed. [Sep 2006, p.213]

The album has its puzzling moments. [Jul 2006, p.139]

His cynical and intimate coming-of-age tales are a welcome twist on British rap. [May 2007, p.116]

His delivery is crisp and uncomplicated, but razor sharp, like gangster haikus. [Jun 2006, p.159]

It sounds like Cee-Lo has found his sonic better half in Danger Mouse. [Jun 2006, p.162]

Although there remains a sheen throughout, the body of the set showcases the Mobb in darker, more familiar territory. [Apr 2006, p.150]

A thoroughly entertaining listen. [May 2006, p.138]

L.L. still has a few tricks up his sleeve. [May 2006, p.135]

Though he abandons Deliverance's eccentricity, Bubba's lyrics still engage. [Jan 2006, p.138]

The sample-heavy results are cohesive yet diverse, a proper canvas for Ghost's finest effort since Supreme Clientele. [Apr 2006, p.151]

Sure, King's occasional lack of originality and sometimes sluggish wordplay could be cited. But that, of course, would only amount to throwing rocks at the throne. [May 2006, p.136]

Though a few recycled cliches stall the disc... Murs's payback is a big payoff. [Jun 2006, p.164]

Despite a few failed revolutionary anthems, DP still has enough verbal ammunition to ignite the mind. [Feb 2006, p.130]

Even when his words don't move you, Jaheim's gorgeous voice is a rare gift that anyone--male, or female, teenaged or middle aged--can appreciate when they hear it. [Mar 2006, p.185]

Even cameos by today's hottest rappers can't shake Blige's nostalgic flair. [Mar 2006, p.186]

Contrary to the disc's title, however, Foxx grinds out by-the-numbers do-me anthems. [Mar 2006, p.188]

Though it lacks the element of surprise, The Day After secures Twista's star status this time around. [Nov 2005, p.148]

Sean Paul blasts off confidently into the future with The Trinity. [Nov 2005, p.147]

Truth validates the Queen Bee's position as the definitive rap vixen. [Dec 2005, p.210]

When at his best, Banner creates powerful American folk music. [Sep 2005, p.231]