CD REVIEW Wilco is really Jeff Tweedy’s band vehicle. While the line-up keeps changing, Wilco’s quality in output is consistent. This is why every new album is an event for the serious music lover.

CD REVIEW Every so often a small independent film grabs a lot of attention. Juno has followed such surprise hits such as Napoleon Dynamite and Garden State. And much like the latter, on Juno the off-the-wall soundtrack is integral to the film.

CD REVIEW After Edmund’s debut album positions this Georgia-based group into the Christian alt.rock genre occupied by the likes of Switchfoot. Unlike Switchfoot, After Edmund (named after a character in The Chronicles Of Narnia) is not likely to cross over into the mainstream to join the likes of Yellowcard or Jimmy Eats World.

On their third studio album, Casting Crowns continue in the same vein that rocketed them to superstars in the Christian rock genre.

CD REVIEW Katharine Mcphee landed a recording contract on strength of her run on US Idols — she finished second — and her debut album accentuates that starting point. The album title itself suggests a lack of originality, and the songs bear out such expectation. In essence, Mcphee pretends to be other singers: Beyoncé on [...]

CD REVIEW The superb Put Your Records On contributed to the soundtrack of this year’s late summer. An ideal song for hot weather, it should still do the job this summer. It is, however, an uncharacteristically upbeat song for this tuneful but mellow debut album which is best suited for kicking back late at night. [...]

CD REVIEW The king of the middle of the road delivers his third album, and it does not stray far from the formula of the previous two: a bunch of crooners’ classics, a few more contemporary songs arranged to sound like crooners’ classics, and a modern pop number which invariably becomes the lead single.

CD REVIEW Lifehouse are not going to change for the critics. They have a sound their fans love and are not going to tinker with it—even if they do sound like holdovers from the late ’90s (and, hey, what’s wrong with that?). It is slightly ironic, then, that the group took the inspiration for its [...]

CD REVIEW It takes courage to depart from a musical path that has brought success and even some critical acclaim. One-time American Idol winner Kelly Clarkson has that courage, but her gamble to rock a bit more seriously pays off only in part.