Although she's in typically expert vocal form, Underwood doesn't offer much sense of a real emotional or musical personality on her scattershot fourth album

King's album of pre-"Tapestry" classics proves she could've ruled as a singer as well as songwriter in the '60s, too

It's admirable that Monica wants to act her age (31) and eschew hip-hop for R&B. But just one up-tempo club banger wouldn't have killed this collection of droopy ballads

Nicki Minaj's second album is full of adventurous hip-hop for its first third. Then it turns into the season's least interesting, most bloated dance-pop record

Only Sugarland's Jennifer Nettles cuts through the smooth-pop clutter in their duet on "Hello"

The first Shins album in 5 years ditches the group's former propulsion for luscious, listless production. It's not a terrible tradeoff, but what would Natalie Portman say?

T Bone Burnett's quietly wily companion album for the movie eschews pulse-pounding tension for acoustic angst

If you love both Stephen Sondheim and Soft Cell, you're the target audience for Stephen Merrit's latest marriage of '80s-style synth-pop and arch, theatrical wit-eracy

Review: It's hard to complain about Lovett's spate of mostly-covers albums when he resurrects such juicy blues, country, and Texas-music obscurities