The Verve - Forth
Artist: The Verve Review: Two of the best psychedelic rock shows I've ever seen were by this British band, in London and New York, in the summer of 1993, and most of the Verve's fourth record — their first after a decade apart — is a return to that whirlpool-guitar, shaman-song form. "Sit and Wonder" is what they meant by their 1993 album title A Storm in Heaven: the trancelike gallop of bassist Simon Jones and drummer Peter Salisbury; guitarist Nick McCabe's creamy distortion and ascending rings of tremolo... Rating: 4 Stars
Kylie Minogue - X
Artist: Kylie Minogue Review: Kylie Minogue has never commanded the zeitgeist like Madonna or stalked a stage with the queenly cool of Beyoncé or hurtled across octaves like Mariah. But in a two-decade career, the pint-size Aussie has ruled the British and European charts by supplying nonstop fizzy fun — she's pop divadom's party planner in chief. Minogue's tenth album arrives on the heels of her battle with breast cancer; thankfully, the experience hasn't made her music discernibly deeper. X compiles... Rating: 3.5 Stars
The Long Blondes, Couples
The band's second album is not as brilliant as you might hope...
Seal - Soul
Artist: Seal Review: Amy Winehouse, what hath thou wrought? In the wake of the Great Beehived One's world-beating success, it seems everyone is getting in touch with his or her retro-soul muse. The latest bandwagon-jumper is Seal — who, with megaproducer David Foster playing the part of Mark Ronson, has delivered a collection of classic-soul covers, dripping with melodrama and tricked out with swooping symphonic orchestration. Seal is a fine singer, whose flavorful tenor combines the smoothness of old-school... Rating: 2.5 Stars
Foals, Antidotes
Believe the hype, because there won't be a better British debut album this year.
De La Soul
Niedawno świętowali dwudziestolecie działalności muzycznej. Mają na koncie siedem świetnych albumów studyjnych, ogromny komercyjny sukces oraz status żywej legendy....
Martina Topley-Bird
W połowie lat 90. jej hipnotyzujący, unikatowy głos za sprawą płyt Tricky'ego znali wszyscy fani trip-hopu. Dziś Martina Topley-Bird to w pełni samodzielna artystka, realizująca własną wizję muzyki. ...
Nelly - Brass Knuckles
Artist: Nelly Review: Combining Will Smith's friendliness with St. Louis slang and a down-home drawl, Nelly has mastered his own brand of crossover appeal. On his fifth album, he mostly sticks to that pop-rap formula, cranking his distinctly melodic flow to hyper-speeds and playing the good-natured hedonist on cuts like "Party People." But when he tries to come off hard on a handful of Dirty South brawlers, he ends up sounding generic: "U Ain't Him" finds him rhyming about gunplay and warning no one in particular abo... Rating: 3 Stars
Mary J Blige, Growing Pains
One thing's for sure, Mary's still keeping it real.
Music Review | Shelby Lynne: Well-Behaved Covers, Then a Jolt of Originality
Ms. Lynne gave the impression of diligent restraint along with a sort of professional civility.
Edyta Górniak
O Edycie mówi się dużo. O Edycie mówi się różnie. Jedno jest pewne: bez niej polska scena rozrywkowa byłaby o wiele uboższa....
Madonna
Przeciętna wokalistka, niezbyt utalentowana aktorka, niczym niezachwycająca tancerka. A mimo to na jej koncertach długo nie milkną owacje ryczącej z zachwytu publiki....
Nizlopi, Make It Happen
Those who were turned off by the commercial success of The JCB Song may want to give Nizlopi another go.
Billy Joel - The Stranger (30th anniversary deluxe edition)
Artist: Billy Joel Review: In 1977, Joel's fourth and best album replaced Simon & Garfunkel's Bridge Over Troubled Water as Columbia Records' all-time top-seller, establishing Joel as a titan of adult contemporary America's answer to Elton John. The Stranger also launched Joel's longterm collaboration with producer Phil Ramone, who distilled the Piano Man's music to its essence, a hook-packed blend of AM-radio pop-rock and Broadway schmaltz. The hit single was the gooey "Just the Way You Are," but there's impressive... Rating: 4 Stars
Black Kids - Partie Traumatic
Artist: Black Kids Review: It's true: Black Kids know how to get down. The interracial crew's "I'm Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How to Dance With You" was last year's hottest indie-rock tail-wagger — a campy mix of pillow-fight synth-pop and B-52s giddiness. Rerecorded versions of "Boyfriend" and other songs from the band's 2007 EP, Wizard of Ahhhs, make up the best moments of their sugary debut LP — which is a tad worrying. But with Brit-pop vet Bernard Butler behind the decks, these Floridians still toss... Rating: 3.5 Stars
Stevie Ray Vaughan & Friends, Solos Sessions & Encores
Solos Sessions and Encores gives us a perfect opportunity to reappraise the blistering talent of Stevie Ray Vaughan.
Jenny Lewis - Acid Tounge
Artist: Jenny Lewis Review: This Rilo Kiley frontwoman is everything a mother could want in a daughter: She's bright, talented — and ready to slice 'n' dice anyone who's done Mom wrong. "In your honor, I'm going to cut that man in half," she wails in "Jack Killed Mom," an enigmatic domestic fable that segues from chugging rock to a revival-tent rave-up. Lewis is indie rock's most sharp-elbowed songwriter, a crafter of taut meditations on love, sex and politics that are full of violent emotions and, occasionally, plai... Rating: 4 Stars
Black Kids, Partie Traumatic
Great; but only if you're too young to have heard it all before.
Bauhaus
W dobie renesansu postpunkowej surowizny, reaktywacja i nowa płyta Bauhausu powinny wzbudzić sensację. Oczywiście prasa muzyczna odnotowała te wydarzenia, a w dość hermetycznych dziś środowiskach gotyckich temat był szeroko komentowany....
The Subways, All Or Nothing
This former buzz band have missed the boat.
The Zutons, You Can Do Anything
The Zutons are, you'll be relieved to know, on fine form.