Bombay the Hard Way - Kalyanji, Anandji and Dan the Automator
Pop/Rock
This selection of Bombay film soundtrack music set to hip-hop beats is both shamefully derivative and proudly original.
(01/06/99)

"K.K.K.K.K." - Kahimi Karie
Pop/Rock, review by Lydia Vanderloo
The girlish and irresistible Kahimi Karie spins delicious pop confections. (11/15/99)

Passport - Kahn
Pop/Rock, review by Michelle Goldberg
On the scattered "Passport," Kahn's musical shortcomings upstage a compelling multiple-personality crisis. (02/01/00)

"Portrait of a Lady" Original Motion Picture Soundtrack - Score by Wojciech Kilar
Soundtracks, review by Paul Festa
Soundtrack to Campion's "Portrait of a Lady:" Bring many onions. (12/17/96)

Jet - Kattell Keinig
Pop/Rock, review by Heather Havrilesky Although Katell Keineg's lastest offering, "Jet," is unpredictable, at her best she sounds like a combination of Sinead O'Connor and PJ Harvey, with only a simple acoustic strum accompanying her haunting voice. (09/09/97)

Slow Down - Keb' Mo'
Jazz/World
A slide guitar prodigy buries his blues in studio saccharine.
(09/02/98)

This or That - Sway and King Tech
Hip-hop/R & B, review by Michelle Goldberg
DJs Sway and King Tech spin like true old-schoolers. Too bad "This or That" props snotty gangsta bullshit like NWA instead of Afrika Bambaattaa. (06/21/99)

One for the Road - The Kinks
Rock/Pop
This live comeback wasn't one of unplugged storytellers, it was loud arena rock, pop subtlety blown out with power chords. (05/04/99)

A Standing Eight - Rahsaan Roland Kirk
Jazz/World
A three-album set from a jazz master unappreciated in his own time.
(09/09/98)

The Well - The Klezmatics with Chava Alberstein
Jazz/World
The klezmer (Jewish jazz) group mix reverence and vaudevillian slapstick in a delicious, earthy stew.
(09/09/98)

What Makes it Go? - Komeda
pop/rock
Retro served up in the unmistakable style of this Swedish pop foursome (07/08/98)

Lost in Space/Black Elvis - Kool Keith
Hip-hop/R & B, review by Alex Pappademas Kool Keith is an alien. Kool Keith is Elvis. But why isn't the rapper weird anymore?
(08/20/99)

"SSAB Songs" - Harmony Korine
Pop/Rock, review by Andy Battaglia
Semiotics and narcotics guide filmmaker Harmony Korine's debut record. (12/02/99)

Life is Peachy - Korn
Pop/Rock, review by Hans Eisenbeis
Canned Korn: Just a little too psychotic to be believed (12/18/96)

So Long, So Wrong - Alison Krauss
Country/Folk, review by Keith Moerer
Bluegrass belle Alison Krauss returns to tradition on "So Long, So Wrong," a slightly defensive statement of purity that should win back those moldy figs who've abandoned her. (04/03/97)

Le Cinema - Gidon Kremer
Classical
From the most musically adventurous classical violinist around, a tribute to movie music that features international composers (03/16/99)

Dracula - Music by Philip Glass, performed by the Kronos Quartet
Classical, review by Stacey Kors
With a new score for the original "Dracula," Philip Glass and the Kronos Quartet allow the children of the night to sing once again.
(09/07/99)

Hommage a Piazzolla - Gidon Kremer
DiMeola Plays Piazzolla - Al DiMeola
Jazz/World, review by Keith Moerer
Tango 'til you drop: Two CDs pay tribute to Astor Piazzola. (11/22/96)

Rebel Music - Fela Kuti
Pop/Rock, review by Milo Miles
Fela Anikulapo-Kuti of Nigeria, usually called just Fela, was the first African rock star and still the grandest. He died on August 3 at age 58 of AIDS, after a long career battling giant enemies he made look small. (08/06/97)

The Beauty Process: Triple Platinum - L7
Pop/Rock, review by Jennie Yabroff
The SoCal punk band's fifth album delivers fast-food for thought. (3/6/97)

Easy Listening For Armageddon - Mike Ladd
Pop/Rock, review by Roni Sarig
While "Easy Listening" is full of trip-hop's musical signposts, the tracks are always spare and elastic enough to accommodate what's really trippy: Ladd's free-form, stream-of-conscious, over-the-top and deep-down-inside verse. (07/24/97)

The Albemarle Sound - Ladybug Transistor
Pop/Rock
The band's got its style down fine -- with stately instrumentation and impressive arrangements. It's just still working on the songs to apply it to (03/30/99)

Sounds of the Satellites - Laika
Pop/Rock, review by Josh Klein
A longtime staple of England's trendsetting indie label Too Pure (who introduced us to PJ Harvey and Stereolab, among others), Laika is still breaking ground in electronic music with "Sound of the Satellites," offering a taste of things to come. (05/23/97)

Lie to Me - Jonny Lang
Pop/Rock, review by Keith Moerer
Looking at the teen stars of Hanson and Radish as well, as 16-year-old blues prodigy Jonny Lang, it's clear that the youth of these teen idols is supposed to grab our attention -- but they'll be damned if they're confined by it. (06/06/97)

"Drag" - k. d. lang
Pop/Rock, review by Natasha Stovall
k.d. lang knows that when it comes to love we all have addictive personalities: "Everyone thinks that they know what they want," she breathes on "Drag," her new album of covers. "But sometimes your drug chooses you." (06/16/97)

"Le Tigre" - Le Tigre
Pop/Rock, review by Carlene Bauer
Kathleen Hanna and Le Tigre say dance first and theorize later.(11/09/99)

Isolation Party - Tommy Keene
Pop/Rock, review by Gina Arnold
You must buy this album now and indulge it as if was a big ol' box of bad-for-you chocolate; as if you'd never heard the Beastie Boys, DJ Shadow or Beck
(02/26/98)

The Northeast Kingdom - Cheri Knight
Pop/rock, review by Meredith Ochs
With "The Northeast Kingdom," Cheri Knight reveals the inner life of a country woman weened on rock 'n' roll
(03/09/98)

Nixon - Lambchop
Country, review by Seth Mnookin
Nashville's Lambchop mixes Salvation Army band arrangements with '50s Stax R&B and country torch and twang. (02/16/00)

Dose - Latin Playboys
Pop/Rock
the Playboys specialize in fantasias, matrixes of sounds and grooves that coalesce for reasons that the musicians themselves are probably still trying to comprehend. (04/13/99)

"Panthalassa: The Music of Miles Davis 1969-1974 - Bill Laswell
Pop/Rock
Laswell honors Davis' legacy by forgetting about this "legacy" business and playing it loose (05/13/98)

Sisters of Avalon - Cyndi Lauper
Pop/Rock, review by Michelle Goldberg
Once a New York City new-wave goddess who had legions of pre-teen girls singing along to a song about masturbation, Cyndi Lauper's no longer enough of a chameleon to pull off an album this eclectic. (04/02/97)

Smoke Follows Beauty - The Leaving Trains
Pop/Rock, review by Gavin McNett
They have no ambition and they'll never amount to squat. (01/28/97)

Breathing Tornados - Ben Lee
Pop/Rock
If there's a downside to the precocious pop of this album, it's that finding true love with Clair Danes has left Lee a little tepid in his lyric sentiments (03/23/99)

Punishing Kiss - Ute Lemper
Pop/Rock, review by Michelle Goldberg
The vision of a Valkyrian dominatrix, Ute Lemper steps into a smoky cabaret with songs by Tom Waits, Kurt Weill, Nick Cave and Elvis Costello. (04/14/00)

Wonsaponatime: Selections form the Lennon Anthology - John Lennon
Pop/Rock
A grossly contrived marketing scam full of greatest misses is not, for my money at least, how I want to remember one of the most enigmatic musicians of our time.
(11/18/98)

Into The Sun - Sean Lennon
Pop/Rock
"Into The Sun" is Sean Lennon's unabashed sonic valentine to his girlfriend and producer, Yuka Honda of Cibo Matto (05/20/98)

The Complete Trios Plus (1936-47) - Les Paul
"The Complete Trios Plus" reveal Les Paul as a highly talented and stylish, though fairly conventional, pop-jazz player. (01/05/98)

Songbook - Gordon Lightfoot
Country/Folk, review by Seth Mnookin
Gordon Lightfoot's "Songbook" delivers timeless tunes and a little bit more. (06/29/99)

Significant Other - Limp Bizkit
Pop/Rock, review by Jon Dolan
Why Limp Bizkit's idiotic rap-metal represents a cresting wave of alt-rock conservatism. (08/05/99)

"Prize" - Arto Lindsay
Rock/Pop, review by Seth Mnookin
Arto Lindsay graduated from horrible noise to gently beautiful music. It only took 20 years. (10/28/99)

Every Other Day at a Time, Something Special for the Kids Liquor Giants
Pop/Rock, review by Gina Arnold
Liquor Giant Ward Dotson's got one of those clever but twisted minds which can make the dopeyist lyric sound poignant -- which is a great help when it comes to imbuing Dusty Springfield covers with meaning (04/30/98)

Firecracker - Lisa Loeb
Pop/Rock review by Michelle Goldberg
Strange that Hatfield should be complaining about her lack of success after 10 years and eight recordings, while Loeb already has already had a number one single, a Grammy nomination and a Brit award. Isn't it ironic? (11/18/97)

"Trike" - Bob Log III
Pop/Rock, review by Jason Ferguson
One-man band Bob Log III makes the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion look like blues night at the local jazz club. (11/02/99)

Buzz Me In - Jack Logan
Review by Stephanie Zacharek
"Come on, baby, let me pay your rent": Songwriter Jack Logan wrote the year's most romantic verse. (07/26/99)

The Geometrid - Looper
Pop/Rock, review by Joe Heim
Belle and Sebastian spinoff Looper's billowy songs float on groovy rhythms, electronic beats and laid-back vibes. (05/09/00)

Coming Up - London Suede
Pop/Rock, review by Charles Taylor
With a pop craft so confident, it's hard to resist, the London Suede attempt to navigate the fine line between the discontents of pop culture and its pleasures on "Coming Up." (04/18/97)

On the 6 - Jennifer Lopez
Pop/Rock
Baby got back, but can Jennifer Lopez sing? (06/10/99)

This World Is Not My Home - Lone Justice
Pop/Rock
Fifteen years later, this set of tracks reveals a great bar band whose L.A. energy never translated to wax. (02/23/99)

Unboxed - Los Angeles Free Music Society
Rock/Pop
A magnificent single-disc distillation that should cement the Society's place in the history of West Coast outness. (04/27/99)

"Vol. 2" - Los Hombres Calientes
Jazz/World, review by Philip Booth
Steeped in Crescent City musical voodoo, Los Hombres Calientes reconfigure jazz in the city where it was born. (11/16/99)

Colossal Head - Los Lobos
Pop/Rock, review by James Marcus
Los Lobos gets wild and crazy on "Colossal Head." (4/22/96)

Philadelphonic - G. Love and Special Sauce
Hip-hop/R & B, review by Joe Heim
Wigga wit attitude: Why white hip-hopper G. Love needs to ditch his "Amos 'n' Andy" routine. (08/03/99)

Live in Texas - Lyle Lovett and His Large Band
Country/Folk, review by Seth Mnookin
Lyle Lovett and His Large Band offer a bracing live set of cosmopolitan country -- and an alternative to all that Nashville pap. (06/24/99)

Step Inside This House - Lyle Lovett
Country/Folk
An all-covers album that's one of Lovett's best.
(10/07/98)

Road to Ensenada - Lyle Lovett
Country/Folk, review by Sam Hurwitt
With his new "Road to Ensenada," Lyle Lovett, the country singer for people who hate country music, continues to transcend his genre. (6/24/96)

Record No. 1 - The Mary Janes
Country/Folk
Even when the Mary Janes' Janas Hoyt sings something upbeat, darker straits lurk below, and even when she's being optimistic the atmosphere quivers with ambiguity. (04/20/99)

Got No Shadow - Mary Lou Lord
Pop/rock, review by Joe Heim
For those not yet familiar with Mary Lou Lord, "Got No Shadow" works quite well as an introduction -- but longtime fans want more, not less, of her signature writing style
(02/03/98)

Days for Days- The Loud Family
Pop/Rock
Scott Miller's exploding-thesaurus verbiage match his springwater pop melodies like a clown nose on a pedigree poodle. (05/13/98)

Flying Colors - Joe Lovano and Gonzalo Rubalcaba
Jazz, review by Michael Ullman
Both these musicians are virtuosos and can play powerhouse jazz, but together they're more thoughtful, carefully engaging with their compositions and with each other
(02/25/98)

"Days of Our Nights" - Luna
Pop/Rock, review by Seth Mnookin
Luna's latest album got the band dumped by Elektra. For once, a major label made the right call. (11/12/99)

Pup Tent - Luna
Pop/Rock, Interview by Cynthia Joyce Pop rocks: Members of New York's Luna poke their heads out of "Pup Tent." (08/21/97)

Electric Honey - Luscious Jackson
Hip-hop/R & B, review by Andrew Strickman
On Luscious Jackson's new record, "Electric Honey," the all-female hip-hop trio turns 30. And evolves. (06/30/99)

I Am Shelby Lynne - Shelby Lynne
Pop/Rock, review by David Hill
Shelby Lynne offers a fresh start from someone who's been burned before. (01/25/00)

Seven and Seven - MC Lyte
Hip-Hop/R&B
A forced attempt at party-friendly jiggy-ness lets Lyte's bad-ass power go to waste.
(08/19/98)

Ice Pick Slim - The MC5
Pop/Rock, review by Aidin Viziri
Will the real MC5 please stand up -- and kick out the jams! (01/20/97)

Nomad Soul - Baaba Maal
Jazz/world
Afropop is all about experimentation, but Maal should chock this one up to experience.
(07/15/98)

"See It Another Way" - Macha
Pop/Rock, review by Funke Sangodeyi
Macha rides a rickshaw loaded with esoterica to the top of the college charts. (10/07/99)

The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack of "Evita" - Madonna
Soundtracks, review by Joyce Millman
You must love her. You MUST. (11/14/96)

Ray of Light - Madonna
Pop/rock, review by Gina Arnold
Madonna, despite all her innovations and subversions and gender groundbreaking, is nothing more than a slightly rattled femme fatale, the kind of woman who dresses too young for her age.
(03/06/98)

Holiday - The Magnetic Fields
Pop/Rock
This reissue from Stephin Merritt's bubble-gum band is permeated with radical electronic experiments
(01/26/99)

The House of Tomorrow - The Magnetic Fields
Pop/Rock
A reissue from Stephin Merritt's bubble-gum band, this high-concept experiment is a small treat for fans
(01/26/99)

3 Russian Fairy Tales - Natalia Makarova
Classical, review by Paul Festa
A ballerina speaks: Revelatory narration brings Stravinsky to life (01/10/97)

"Magnolia: Music From the Motion Picture" - Aimee Mann, Various Artists
Pop/Rock, review by Stephanie Zacharek
On the "Magnolia" soundtrack, beleaguered singer-songwriter Aimee Mann comes into full bloom. (01/12/00)

I'm With Stupid - Aimee Mann
Pop/Rock, review by Stephanie Zacharek
Singer Aimee Mann scorns twiddly hippie-girl poetry. (1/27/96)

"1212" - Barbara Manning
Pop/Rock, review by Stephanie Zacharek
Unlike gloomsters like Nick Cave, Barbara Manning doesn't distance herself from the misery of the characters in her songs on "1212" -- she collapses that distance, moving right in like a zoom lens to show us what makes these people tick. (06/13/97)

Pretty Strange - Mannix
Pop/Rock, review by Dawn Eden
The New York City duo Mannix crafts timeless power pop driven by sad songs that sound happy.
(07/19/99)

Mechanical Animals - Marilyn Manson
Pop/Rock
Manson is softening up, turning away from his dour preoccupation with religious fascism and toward space-age genderfuck chic.
(09/23/98)

Kids in Philly - Marah
Pop/Rock, review by David Cantwell
Endorsed by Steve Earle, compared to Springsteen, Marah map out the streets of South Philly with an out-of-breath rock 'n' roll rush. (05/01/00)

"Chant Down Babylon" - Bob Marley, with Various Artists
Pop/Rock, review by Michelle Goldberg
Lauryn Hill and Bob Marley, together at last. But what's Aerosmith doing on this shameless collection of posthumous duets? (11/23/99)

Sweet Release & Ghost Story - Wynton Marsalis and the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra
Jazz/World, review by Seth Mnookin
Wynton Marsalis was born with a silver trumpet in his mouth. Maybe that's why his jazz compositions are so stiffly academic. (08/17/99)

Marsalis Plays Monk: Standard Time Vol. IV - Wynton Marsalis
Jazz
It's Monk's very nature -- his stubborn individualism, his incessant innovation -- that both made him a master and ensured that Marsalis would stumble in his interpretations. (05/04/99)

The Lateness Of The Hour - Eric Matthews
Pop/Rock, review by Mark Athitakis Now that time and various reissues have saved Brian Wilson et al from the dustbin of history, the world is Eric Matthews' for the taking. But on "The Lateness of the Hour," it becomes clear that no matter how hard he's trying, he's not quite worthy of that '60s pantheon. (09/04/97)

Blood On The Fields - Wynton Marsalis
Jazz/World, review by Andy Gilbert
"Blood on the Fields," the triumphant jazz symphony for which Wynton Marsalis recently became the first jazz composer to be awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Music, finds transcendence in the brutal story of American slavery through love and community. (07/10/97)

Twelve's It - The Ellis Marsalis Trio
Jazz
The youngest Marsalis shares the spotlight with his now-famous father (06/24/98)

Mezzanine - Massive Attack
Pop/Rock
At its best, Mezzanine is both blase and astoundingly sad, like modern life at its worst. (05/13/98)

The Secret Handshake - Geoff Muldaur
Country/Folk
Muldaur's whispery wail of a voice and his sublime musicianship are the thumbprints that bind together this varied country blues repertoire.
(12/09/98)

Trampoline - The Mavericks
Country, review by John Milward
It's not too tough to stand out in the conformist culture of country music, but the Mavericks tread a radically conservative line that offers a new twist to the word "rebellious."
(04/14/98)

New World Order - Curtis Mayfield
Hip-Hop/R&B, review by Michael Ross
After a tragic accident, Curtis Mayfield returns with a triumphant new R&B album.
Text-only version. (10/14/96)

Summertown - The Mayflies USA
Rock/Pop
Summertown" is punchy enough to unite power popsters and indie rockers at the altar of the three-minute pop song. (05/04/99)

A Family Affair - Christian McBride
Jazz/World
The jazz bassist's uneven foray into R&B and funk.
(07/29/98)

Evolution - Martina McBride
Country/Folk, review by Charles Taylor
Martina McBride may be capable of more genuine emotion than any female singer working in country pop right now, and her latest album, "Evolution," is a set of empowerment songs delivered by a singer with the chops -- and, what's more important, the passion -- to plumb romantic loss and confusion and resentment. (09/18/97)

"Run Devil Run" - Paul McCartney
Pop/Rock, review by Geoff Edgers
Paul McCartney used members of Pink Floyd and Deep Purple to help him get back to rockabilly on "Run Devil Run." The real surprise? It worked. (10/05/99)

Silly loved songs - Paul McCartney and Wings
Pop/Rock
"Band on the Run" may have aged badly, but 25 years later, it still sings (03/31/99)

The Family - The Del McCoury Band
Country/Folk
A primer for the bluegrass-curious and a refresher for the jaded
(02/16/99)

The McGarrigle Hour - Kate and Anna McGarrigle
Pop/Rock
Harmonies that sound beautifully sweet yet induce almost instant despondency.
(11/04/98)

Building a Mystery - Sarah McLachlan
Pop/Rock, review by Michelle Goldberg
Sometimes, its the simplest pop-music banalities that are the most sublime. It's not just Sarah McLachlan's pain that seems more real on "Surfacing" -- her voice sounds even more sensual and more sultry than it did on 1994's "Fumbling Towards Ecstasy." (07/29/97)

Walk Between the Raindrops - James McMurtry
Country/Folk
Songs that catch people in positions of exasperating uncertainty.
(08/26/98)

It Had to Happen - James McMurtry
Country, review by Mark Athitakis
On James McMurtry's fourth album, "It Had to Happen," the same world-weary characters appear again -- but this time the son of novelist Larry McMurtry has run out of compelling ways to tell their stories. (06/25/97)

Silent Pool - Marian McPartland with Strings
Classical, review by Andrew Gilbert
Masterpiece by a forever-young pianist (01/09/97)

Live in Montana - Meat Puppets
Pop/Rock
A never-before-released '88 recording of one of the corniest bands to ever flirt with transcendence. (02/23/99)

Combustication Remix - Medeski, Martin & Wood
Pop/Rock
A collection of trip-hop influenced mixes oftunes released on their 1998 album lands right in the middle of the remix debate. (04/20/99)

Combustication - Medeski Martin & Wood
Jazz/World
The organic trip-hop and eerie funk tunes are really launching pads for extended improvisation.
(09/09/98)

Me - Mekons
Pop/Rock
With all their deep thinking weighing down on the music, "Me" is rough going, both as rock album and political tract (05/20/98)

"Northern Star" - Mel C
Pop/Rock, review by Mac Montandon
Sporty Spice breaks out of the pack. Who knew Mel C was an L.A. rocker at heart? (11/05/99)

John Mellencamp - John Mellencamp
Pop/Rock
A plush mix of guitars and fiddles tethered to a colorful rhythm section and Mellencamp's raspy lead vocal -- a familiar sound in search of something to say.
(10/28/98)

Ophelia - Natalie Merchant
Pop/Rock
Big on concept, "Ophelia" is unfortunately short on the buoyant rhythms that could carry you through Merchant's melancholy songs (06/03/98)

Trio 99>00 - Pat Metheny
Jazz, review by Mike Britten
On "Trio 99>00," Pat Metheny's stipped-down outfit rips and soars above off-the-metronome grooves. (02/04/00)

Older - George Michael
Pop/Rock, review by Michael E. Ross
Pop smoothie George Michael returns from a rough trip through corporate no-man's-land. (5/20/96)

The Complete Columbia Studio Recordings - The Miles Davis Quintet
Jazz, review by Geoff Edgers
The Miles Davis Quintet: The reissue market has become jazz music's saving grace, but no player, dead or alive, has been given a star turn like Miles Davis
(03/23/98)

Cruel Moon - Buddy Miller
Country/Folk, review by David Hill
On "Cruel Moon," Steve Earle and Emmylou Harris back Buddy Miller, an unheralded singer-songwriter establishing a graceful link between country and soul. (10/19/99)

Wild, Cool & Swingin' - Mrs. Miller
Jazz, review by Geoff Edgers
1960s socialite Mrs. Miller sang the Beatles and Sinatra worse than anyone. For the first time, her ungodly awful -- and hilarious -- repertoire appears on CD. (07/06/99)

Revenge! - Charles Mingus
Jazz/World, review by Michael E. Ross
A rare recording captures Charles Mingus and his group at a pivotal moment -- in 1964 Paris, on the eve of saxophonist Eric Dolphy's departure from the band. (7/1/96)

Live in Time - Mingus Big band
Jazz/World, review by Andrew Gilbert
Channeling Charlie: The Mingus Big Band live in New York (12/9/96)

Que Viva Mingus - Mingus Big Band
Pop/rock, review by Michael J. Agovino
Mingus Big Band's latest offering, "Que Viva," is a collection of master Mingus' Latin compositions
(04/02/98)

Exotic Dances from the Opera "Stravinsky" - The Minnesota Orchestra
Classical, review by Paul Festa
A "Firebird" so lascivious you want to get to know the violinist better (12/23/96)

In Memoriam: Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan
Jazz/World, review by Banning Eyre With a voice that could move a crowd like no other, qawwal Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan was a national treasure to his native Pakistan and a world-reknowned singer. Banning Eyre remembers the experience of seeing Nusrat, who died of a heart attack in London on August 16, live for the last time. (08/22/97)

"The Horrible Truth About Burma" - Mission of Burma
Pop/Rock, review by Gavin McNett
Mission of Burma is one of those seminal rock band one hears about who never got their due until after they were gone, but now Rykodisc's new box-set is proof -- music really was better 15 years ago. (07/28/97)

Taming the Tiger - Joni Mitchell
Jazz/World
Mitchell proves herself a seasoned jazz vocalist on one of the loveliest suites of songs she has ever recorded.
(09/30/98)

"Hits" and "Misses" - Joni Mitchell
Country/Folk, review by Joyce Millman
Both sides of the greatest confessional singer-songwriter of our time. (11/4/96)

Play - Moby
Pop/Rock, review by Scott Marc Becker
Moby draws a bold line straight from the Mississippi Delta to the South Bronx, connecting the dots of black music in a search for the roots of his electronic craft. (06/08/99)

Animal Rights - Moby
Pop/Rock, review by Douglas Wolk
Thar she blows: Moby's guitar rock is a monumental misfire (2/13/97)

Building Nothing Out of Something - Modest Mouse
Pop/Rock, review by Joe Heim
Modest Mouse builds a singles collection -- nothing out of something -- and all sorts of other contradictions. (01/31/00)

Stars Forever - Momus
Pop/Rock, review by Wendy Mitchell
On "Stars Forever," British cult singer Momus offered fans personalized, one-of-a-kind songs -- for $1,000 apiece.
(08/24/99)

Volcano Songs - Meredith Monk
Classical, review by Matthew Daines
With punchy good tunes, "Volcano Songs" resurrects a more primal element of the eccentric singer/composer's best music from the 1980s. (05/07/97)

Big Calm - Morcheeba
Pop/rock, review by Frederick Woodruff
Classify Morcheeba under "Neo-pop, country/blues shoegazing with a trip-hop tap root that aims to please" -- and for the most part does
(03/24/98)

The Night - Morphine
Pop/Rock, review by Seth Mnookin
Morphine's last record, completed just before singer Mark Sandman's death, bids farewell to the rocker who wanted to walk across a carpet of stars. (02/03/00)

Like Swimming - Morphine
Pop/Rock, review by Lori Leibovich
The rock band without a guitar serves up more of the same steamy mood music on "Like Swimming -- now they just need to figure out something else to do. (04/01/97)

Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie - Alanis Morissette
Pop/Rock
Mellowed from an angst-filled demoiselle to a more reserved woman, her self-absorbed songs are broadcast friendly, mid-tempo ballads that still follow the formula that gave her a mortal lock on the pop charts.
(11/11/98)

The Healing Game - Van Morrison
Pop/Rock, review by Stephanie Zacharek
Morrison's moony-eyed mystical romanticism is among the best of his latter-day work. (3/4/97)

"EP + 2" - Mogwai
Pop/Rock, review by Carlene Bauer
Mogwai's migrainous wankery has absolutely no potential for popular appeal. (12/15/99)

Come On Die Young - Mogwai
Pop/Rock
This once-rowdy hybrid Scottish ensemble has defected to the artiste side with a sentimental album and a case of the blahs. (04/08/99)

"March to Fuzz" - Mudhoney
Pop/Rock, review by Mac Montandon
If Nirvana was tight and Mudhoney was a disaster, why is the other grunge band still around? (01/18/00)

Happy Birthday to Me - The Muffs
Pop/Rock, review by Patricia Romano
With Courtney Love having shed her smeared lipstick and baby-doll dresses for Armani suits and a nice disposition, The Muffs' Kim Shattuck takes over as punk Princess. (05/24/97)

Royal Astronomy - µ-Ziq
Pop/Rock, review by Alex Pappademas
µ-Ziq's forbidding electronic music paraphrases the cool minimalism of Philip Glass.
(08/06/99)

Comatised - Leona Naess
Pop/Rock, review by Carrie Havranek
Another solipsistic chick with an airy voice? Leona Naess proves that's not such a bad thing. (05/15/00)

Tenth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition - Jon Nakamatsu, Gold Medalist
Classical review by Douglas McLennan
Imagine the shock in classical music circles last summer when the last contestant left onstage at the Cliburn Competition was a young American who had never been to music school -- at last, here's a performer who understands music of our time from his heart rather than his head (11/10/97)

"Nastradamus" - Nas
Pop/Rock, review by Joe Gross
Nas' career has a Wellesian scale. The rapper's gone from "Kane" to Gallo in five records. (01/07/00)

I Am - Nas
Hip-hop/R&B
On "Hate Me Now," Nas detonates the first summer bomb, but the rest of "I Am is a dud. (05/11/99)

Great British Film Music - National Philharmonic Orchestra
Soundtrack, review by Paul Festa
"Great British Film Music: Almost as good as their food (1/6/97)

Bitter - Me'Shell Ndegeocello
Hip-hop/R&B, reviewed by Alex Pappademas
Unable to translate critical success into mainstream sales, Me'Shell Ndegeocello ends up "Bitter." (09/10/99)

Peace Beyond Passion - Me'Shell Ndegeocello
Hip-hop/R&B, review by Michael Ross
Me'Shell Ndegeocello's "Peace Beyond Passion" gives society's hot buttons a polished push. (7/22/96)

Country Favorites -- Willie Nelson Style - Willie Nelson
Country, review by David Hill
Never before released on CD, "Country Favorites -- Willie Nelson Style" introduces the quirky singer before he became the Red Headed Stranger. (02/11/00)

"Stardust" - Willie Nelson
Country/Folk, review by Seth Mnookin
Willie Nelson's 20-year-old masterpiece of classic songs, "Stardust," is re-released. (10/29/99)

Teatro - Willie Nelson
Country/Folk
A stark meditation on love that mixes new Nelson songs with tunes from his early-'60s catalog.
(09/02/98)

In the Aeroplane Over the Sea Neutral Milk Hotel
Pop/Rock, review by Caterina Fake
Like watching someone fly: Neutral Milk Hotel's "In the Aeroplane" (04/20/98)

Punk Singles Collection - Newtown Neurotics
Pop/Rock
The blazing power-trio energy and snap-tight combo arrangements of these songs prove the Neurotics to be on the of the great punk bands of all time
(01/26/99)

New York Legends: Recitals With Principals From The New York Philharmonic - Joseph Alessi, Principal Trombone
Classical, review by Matthew Daines
'Bone up: NY Philharmonic's trombone master shines. (3/5/97)

From the Muddy Banks of the Wishkah - Nirvana
Pop/Rock, review by David Fenton
"From the Muddy Banks of the Wishkah" doesn't lay Nirvana to rest -- it springs them, live and electric, from the tomb.
Text-only version. (9/30/96)

Gourmet - Nixon's Head
Pop/Rock
A 14-course ear candy pig-out courtesy of some exceedingly choosy epicures of pure pop (03/30/99)

Meet the Real You - Noise Addict
Pop/Rock, review by Charles Taylor
The sound of 10,000 kids with guitars (1/27/96)

Life After Death - Notorious B.I.G.
Hip-Hop/R&B, review by Laura Jamison
Listening to Notorius B.I.G.'s posthumously released "Life After Death" is a predictably eerie experience, but one that suggests his final album would have been just as compelling without his passing. (04/08/97)

New Dreams for Old: 1984-1998 - Gary Numan
Pop/Rock, review by Mac Montandon
A new Gary Numan retrospective fills in the gap between "Cars" and an era when one man and a keyboard actually became cool. (01/26/00)

"San Lorenzo's Blues" - Nuzzle
Pop/Rock, review by Mac Montandon
Nuzzle's plaintive rock comes on as unexpectedly soft as a full-count change-up. (11/19/99)

Sharps & Flats By Andy Battaglia
What happens when a band like Oasis, known for youthful swagger and insouciance, actually grow up? You fall asleep of boredom. (03/14/00)

Be Here Now - Oasis
Pop/Rock, review by Stephanie Zacharek Oasis' third album, "Be Here Now," is a massive, angry woolly mammoth of a record, sounding less like pop music than some kind of sonic fantasy conquest. (09/02/97)

Farewells & Fantasies - Phil Ochs
Pop/Rock, review by Dawn Eden While many of his fellow Vietnam-era activists believed that the country was rotten to the core, Phil Ochs, like his idol Woody Guthrie, had an almost Capra-like faith in the American people's essential goodness.Rhino's long-overdue triple-CD Ochs box, "Farewells & Fantasies," attempts to place his music within a historical context. (09/03/97)

Gospel Oak EP - Sinead O'Connor
Pop/Rock, review by Sam Hurwitt
No, Sinead hasn't converted to Christian Rock. The 30-year-old Irish Catholic-cum-Buddhist's new six-song EP of original spirituals points rather toward a vague pagan pantheism, with no ready answers but a dogged conviction that things will somehow turn out for the best. (06/11/97)

Ixnay on the Hombre - The Offspring
Pop/Rock, review by Mark Athitakis
Kenny Loggins in a Germs T-shirt. (2/10/97)

Nasty business new albums from Ol' Dirty Bastard, Akinyele and Blowfly
Hip-Hop/R&B , review by Jon Caramanica
Ol' Dirty Bastard, Akinyele and Blowfly deliver sextastic anthems, freaknasty odes to oral sex and chocolate dildos for Christmas.(01/14/00)

Guarapero: Lost Blues 2 - Will Oldham
Pop/Rock, review by Seth Mnookin
"Guarapero: Lost Blues 2" collects Will Oldham's stream-of-consciousness rants and odd tales of sexual dysfunction. (02/25/00)

Too Far To Care - Old 97's
Pop/Rock, review by Roni Sarig
Sure they've got the Texas pedigree, the Western shuffle beat, and the blue yodels to qualify them for coverage in the No Depression zine, but based on their major label debut "Too Far To Care," the Old 97's is pop, not alt-country. (08/18/97)

Oranj Symphonette Plays Mancini - Oranj Symphonette
Jazz/World, review by Andrew Gilbert
Mod Moon River: Oranj Symphonette plays Henry Mancini. (11/20/96)

Pieces in a Modern Style - William Orbit
Pop/Rock, review by Michelle Goldberg
For all its pretentions, William Orbit's "Pieces in a Modern Style" makes for seductive secret listening. (02/15/00)

Middle of Nowhere - Orbital
Pop/Rock
Orbital's impaired glimpse into the greater possibilities of techno will hypnotize you right to sleep. (06/01/99)

"When We Were Kings" - Original Soundtrack
Soundtrack, review by Milo Miles
A knockout soundtrack to the Ali-Foreman documentary "When We Were Kings" (2/14/97)

Forever's A Long, Long Time - Orquestra Was
Jazz/R&B, review by Milo Miles
Producer, multi-instrumentalist and former Was (Not Was) ringleader Don Was rejoins some of the old crew to transform Hank Williams and play some post-mod workouts. (04/25/97)

Central Reservation - Beth Orton
Country/Folk
The young English folkie's voice is so disarmingly good that it's worth ignoring her clichéd lyrics
(02/16/99)

"Christmas With Buck Owens and His Buckaroos" and "Christmas Shopping" - Buck Owens
Country, review by Gary Kaufman
Two Buck Owens reissues imagine Christmas as a mostly secular holiday. (12/16/99)