Walking into Clarksdale Jimmy Page and Robert Plant
Pop/Rock
The first entirely new album from the Page-Plant collaboration since 1979. (05/06/98)

Absurd Pop Song Romance - Pansy Division
Pop/Rock
The queercore band's least funny record is also their most balanced, hook-wise and contemplative.
(09/16/98)

Buildings and Grounds - Papas Fritas
Pop/Rock, review by Seth Mnookin
On "Buildings and Grounds," Boston trio Papas Fritas prefer precious pretense to prescient emotion. (03/07/00)

Quartet - Pat Metheny Group
Jazz/World, review by Gary Kamiya
A dazzlingly eclectic CD by guitar master Pat Metheny (11/27/96)

An Anthology: The Elektra Years" - The Paul Butterfield Blues Band
Pop/rock, review by Geoff Edgers
The Paul Butterfield Blues Band: Sad deaths, the fire of youth and a brotherhood born of the blues
(02/17/98)

Joan of Arc Mass/Symphony No. 1 - Paul Paray
Classical, review by Paul Festa
Paul Paray's music can be enjoyed for its own sake; but it might also remind you how much you appreciate Brahms, and Franck, and for that matter, Emily Dickinson. (10/22/97)

"Tabula Rasa" - Arvo Pärt
Classical, review by Patrick Giles
In the mid-'80s, people with AIDS lived and died to Arvo Pärt's "Tabula Rasa." A new recording reprises music "like the motion of angels' wings." (11/16/99)

Trio II - Dolly Parton, Emmylou Harris and Linda Ronstadt
Country/Folk
There's a great album to be made by three of pop and country's purest female vocalists, but this effort is ultimately a letdown
(02/02/99)

Pavarotti & Friends: For the Children of Liberia - Luciano Pavarotti and Various Artists
Soundtracks
A live recording of June's benefit concert, featuring Sheryl Crow, Trisha Yearwood, Stevie Wonder and others, giving performances that range from enjoyable to dicey to unbearable.
(10/28/98)

Pavarotti and Friends for War Child - Various Artists
Classical, review by Paul Festa
Pavarotti crushes Clapton, battles Minnelli to draw. (12/02/96)

"Terror Twilight" - Pavement
Pop/Rock, review by Seth Mnookin
Pavement's latest is as polished and refined as the band's early efforts were rough and jagged. (06/07/99)

Live at the Warfield, S.F. - Pavement
Pop/Rock, review by Mark Athitakis
Kicking off their sold-out "Brighten the Corners" tour, Pavement loses some (not all) of the cynicism, and inspires newfound faith. Salon contributor Mark Athitakis reports from the Warfield in San Francisco. (04/19/97)

"Brighten the Corners" - Pavement
Pop/Rock, review by David Fenton
Pavement's irresistibly quirky "Brighten the Corners" (2/17/97)

"The Real Mr. Heartache: The Little Darlin' Years" - Johnny Paycheck
Country/Folk, review by Milo Miles
The best of Johnny Paycheck: White trash alcoholic mayhem (1/7/97)

Payton's Place - Nicholas Payton
jazz
The third album by the Crescent City's third-best trumpeter after Wynton Marsali and Terence Blanchard (06/10/98)

On Two Legs - Pearl Jam
Pop/Rock
The consummate album from a canonized classic-rock band that's always been just exactly as good as they had to be -- and not a bit more or less.
(12/02/98)

Yield - Pearl Jam
Pop/rock, review by Gina Arnold
Pearl Jam has always made an effort to take the road less travelled, and this time, at least, that offbeat route is a distinctly pleasurable one
(01/29/98)

Something in the Way - Pearl Jam
Pop/Rock, review by David Fenton
Eddie Vedder is incandescent — too bad the rest of Pearl Jam won't step aside.
Text-only version. (8/26/96)

Winners Never Quit - Pedro the Lion
Pop/Rock, review by Michelle Goldberg
Pedro the Lion's acoustic pop aims to reconcile evil, pain and weakness with belief and compassion. (03/21/00)

Ubu Roi - Pere Ubu
Pop/Rock, review by Milo Miles
One of America's most eccentric rock bands, Pere Ubu, comes in from the nuclear freeze.
Text-only version. (9/16/96)

Central Avenue - Danilo Perez
Jazz/World
A soloist with a healthy obsession with mambos and Monk also has the maturity to take a backseat to the rhythms.
(09/16/98)

Hans Pfitzner's "Palestrina" - Performed by The Royal Opera
Classical, review by Douglas McLennan
The late composer Hans Pfitzner has always served as the ideal relief pitcher for summer music festivals, but his music was the main attraction at this year's Lincoln Center Festival, where the Royal Opera performed the much-hyped "Palestrina." (07/30/97)

7 Park Avenue - Pete Ham
Pop/Rock, review by Sean Elder
Pete Ham, lead singer of the other Fab Four, offers a glimpse into his more introspective side. (03/26/97)

"Resigned" - Michael Penn
Pop/Rock, review by Charles Taylor
For a (more or less) sensitive-guy/singer-songwriter, Michael Penn has an appealingly untrustworthy side. Combining his self-possessed singing style with orchestrated pop, he becomes both Romeo in black jeans and Casanova in a double-breasted suit on "Resigned." (08/08/97)

Arkology - Lee Scratch Perry
Pop/Rock, review by Roni Sarig
As both a producer and all-around demented genius, the Jamaican-born Lee "Scratch" Perry is without peer. Though "Arkology" captures only a fragment of his career that spans five decades, it includes some of his best work. (08/07/97)

Echo - Tom Petty
Pop/Rock
Even though the Heartbreakers sound as crisp as ever, "Echo" is as digestible and predictable as a "Tonight Show" monologue. (04/13/99)

Au Théâtre Champs-Elysées - Michel Petrucciani
Jazz/World, review by Doug McLennan
Pianist Michel Petrucciani understands that having ugly in your pocket helps you appreciate beauty, and on the live recording of his 1994 concert "Au Théâtre Champs-Elysées," he offers fortunately only a little bit of the former and a lot of the latter.(06/18/97)

Omnipop - Sam Phillips
Pop/Rock, review by Mark Athitakis
Songstress Sam Phillips proves that "pop" is not (necessarily) a dirty word. (8/19/96)

The Moscow Hold - Utah Phillips
Folk/Country, review by Simon Rodberg
Utah Phillips tells Old West tales and hardscrabble anecdotes. But don't call him a folk singer. (08/25/99)

Happy End Of The World - Pizzicato Five
Pop/Rock, review by Michelle Goldberg
This Tokyo trio's combination of disco, lounge, '50s sitcom jingles and techno would scream zeitgeist even if they weren't fronted by a gorgeous supermodel-type who sings in Japanese and French. (09/17/97)

Waved Out - Robert Pollard
Rock/Pop
A handful of gorgeous art-punk hymns tossed off by Guided by Voices leader (06/24/98)

One Left Shoe - Steve Poltz
Pop/rock, review by Keith Moerer
There are times when Steve Poltz's voice is so earnest and his acoustic guitar so soft, you'd swear James Taylor could left-hook him to a pulp
(03/17/98)

Naughty Little Doggy - Iggy Pop
Set the Twilight - Lou Reed
Pop/Rock, review by Sam Hurwitt
Punk forefathers Iggy Pop and Lou Reed show their age. (2/24/96)

Portishead - Portishead
Pop/Rock, review by Michelle Goldberg
Whereas Portishead's fabulous debut "Dummy" hinted at something frightful and dissolute, the self-titled follow-up could be the soundtrack to a horror movie, with unfortunately few sublime moments to be found. (10/08/97)

Salaam - Positive Black Soul
Hip-Hop/R&B, review by Milo Miles
The Fugees, Busta Rhymes and Positive Black Soul take black music back from the gangstas. (5/13/96)

II - Presidents of the USA
Pop/Rock, review by Mark Athitakis
A case for term limits. (11/5/96)

Sunrise - Elvis Presley
Pop/Rock
Another comprehensive look at Elvis lovingly compiles all of his known recordings (03/09/99)

ÁViva El Amor! - The Pretenders
Pop/Rock, review by Joyce Millman
On the most coherent Pretenders album in a decade, Chrissie Hynde proves that she does Chrissie Hynde better than anyone. (06/28/99)

White Sky - Archer Prewitt
Pop/Rock, review by Carlene Bauer
Archer Prewitt's songs sound like they were written on a piece of shag carpet resting in a slice of sun. (10/14/99)

Hints on Light and Shadow - Julian Priester and Sam Rivers
Jazz/World, review by Michael Ullman
Suggestive, challenging, informal and occasional irritating, "Hints on Light and Shadow" is not, as Dexter Gordon liked to say about music he liked, your average B flat. (05/13/97)

Rhinoplasty - Primus
Rock/pop
There's nothing particularly funky about fulfilling a contractual obligation.
(07/15/98)

The Brown Album - Primus
Pop/Rock, review by Ezra Gale
Primus bassist and vocalist Les Claypool has always written some of the craftiest lyrics around, and "The Brown Album" proves he hasn't lost his knack for satire. (07/18/97)

"La Bohème" - Puccini
Soundtracks, review by Patrick Giles
"La Bohème" again? With a revised text and a fine young cast -- yes. (11/05/99)

Chaos and Disorder - Prince
Pop/Rock, review by James Marcus
Prince says Warner Bros. has "enslaved" him, but with "Chaos and Disorder" he's doing his best work in years. (7/22/96)

A Streetcar Named Desire - Composed and conducted by André Previn and performed by the San Francisco Opera Orchestra
Classical
This postmodern "Streetcar" fails Tennesse Williams' play because its music lacks cohesion.
(01/06/99)

Emancipation - Prince
Pop/Rock, review by Patrick Macias
Prince's 3-CD set flaunts his new family values. (11/25/96)

In Spite of Ourselves - John Prine
Country/Folk, review by Rachel Elson
For "In Spite of Ourselves," John Prine enlisted Iris DeMent, Lucinda Williams, Trisha Yearwood and others for a set of great country love songs. (09/24/99)

Live On Tour - John Prine
Country/Folk, review by Mike Britten
In a world where even John Prine can be found on the Information Superhighway, a disc like the good-natured and laid-back "Live on Tour" may be just the thing to calm you down. (04/23/97)

The Fat of The Land - The Prodigy
Pop/Rock, review by BY Gavin McNett
With "Fat of the Land," the Prodigy proves they're a rock band now, though still a techno-flavored one, with enough hip-hop accents and wiggy wibble noises to make them commercial radio format-busters.(07/11/97)

Decksanddrumsandrockandroll - Propellerheads
Pop/Rock, review by Gina Arnold
The mainstream-sounding techno grooves on Propellerheads' "Decksanddrumsandrockandroll" may make it the "Walk this Way" of electronica.
(04/07/98)

"He Got Game" OST Public Enemy
Pop/Rock
The best Public Enemy album in years -- and not just because it's their first in years, either. (05/06/98)

Forever - Puff Daddy
Pop/Rock, review by Jon Dolan
Puff Daddy's audacious "Forever" captures a paranoid success spitting in the face of his own demise. Is the Ebenezer Scrooge of rap losing it? (09/16/99)

This Is Hardcore - Pulp
Rock/Pop, review by Michelle Goldberg
Forget Chumbawamba -- with "This Is Hardcore," Pulp once again prove themselves the kings of prole pop.
(04/15/98)

Feng Shui - Q-Burns Abstract Message
Hip-Hop/R&B
Chill-room ambience that works just as well in cars and living rooms as it does in those trip-hop power centers the artist ignores.
(10/07/98)

"Amplified" - Q-Tip
Hip-Hop/R&B, review by Michelle Goldberg
On his debut solo album, A Tribe Called Quest rapper Q-Tip shores up his street cred. (12/10/99)

The Hot Rock - Sleater-Kinney
Pop/Rock
Sleater-Kinney love rock enough to come up with a new way to play it, incandescing with their own energy, bouncing from sheer power. (02/23/99)

Field Studies - Quasi
Pop/Rock, review by Joe Heim
On Quasi's "Field Studies," the divorced duo sing about romantic disillusionment like they know what they're talking about. (09/15/99)

Featuring Birds - Quasi
Pop/Rock
The third album from this Sleater-Kinney spin-off shows the duo to be in yet another unhappy, reflective mood (05/27/98)

OK Computer - Radiohead
Pop/Rock, review by Mark Athitakis
With "OK Computer," Radiohead has finally hit their stride, crafting a dense, dizzying album that smartly welds their modern ennui to complex, intriguing -- and sometimes genuinely frightening -- pop music. (07/17/97)

Restraining Bolt - Radish
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)

"The Battle Of Los Angeles" - Rage Against the Machine
Pop/Rock, review by Gavin McNett
Why listening to Rage Against the Machine is bad for lefty idealism. (11/22/99)

Fundamental Bonnie Raitt
Country, review by John Milward
What strikes you first about the new Bonnie Raitt album is the unmistakable sound of a band rocking out in real time, and that's why "Fundamental" is reminding everybody of the singer's 1971 self-titled debut (04/23/98)

In Search of The Lost Riddim - Ernest Ranglin
Jazz/world
Off the wall, but totally unpretentious, this global back-porch jazz delivers the goods.
(07/15/98)

How We Quit the Forest - Rasputina
Pop/Rock
The "ladies' cello society" concocts such rich, nuanced chamber rock that it's a wonder boys ever bothered with that guitar nonsense at all.
(08/19/98)

One More Time - Real McCoy
Pop/Rock, review by Michael Ullman
Cynics might expect from this pop trio all the anguish, tragedy and fury of Barbie and Ken dolls dancing to a house beat -- but even cynics will find that wind-up camp works on Real McCoy's "One More Time." (05/14/97)

Californication - Red Hot Chili Peppers
Pop/Rock, review by Seth Mnookin
A resurrected John Frusciante establishes the Red Hot Chili Peppers as the premier white-boy party band of the last two decades. (06/14/99)

Hazel - Red Krayola
Pop/Rock, review by Joe Rosenthal
Art rock pioneers "The Red Krayola:" Drunken, inspired poetry (12/16/96)

Beyond - Joshua Redman
Jazz, review by Philip Booth
Young-lion jazz saxophonist Joshua Redman steps up to roar on "Beyond." (04/19/00)

Perfect Night- Lou Reed
Pop/Rock, review by David Bowman
It's too late for Lou Reed to go Martha Stewart on us now. Although we welcome a temporary "Perfect Night" -- 15 songs perfomred live at London's Royal Albert Hall -- Reed will always be the perfect companion for a proverbial Dark Night of the Soul. (05/01/98)

City Life - Steve Reich
Classical, review by Matthew Daines
Collaborating with conductor Paul Hillier, New York composer Steve Reich embodies both the old and new of his best minimalist works on the colorful "City Life." (04/14/97)

"The Complete Django Reinhardt and Quintet of the Hot Club of France Swing/HMV Sessions 1936-1948" - Django Reinhardt
Jazz, review by Seth Mnookin
A new box set of lesser-known Django Reinhardt cuts illuminates another side of the hottest jazz guitarist in the world. (12/21/99)

Up - REM
Pop/Rock
After 15 years, you'd think they'd show at least a few signs of artistic weariness, but they're raring to go.
(11/04/98)

New Adventures in Hi-Fi - REM
Pop/Rock, review by Stephanie Zacharek
"New Adventures in Hi-Fi" proves once again that REM is impossible to dismiss.
Text-only version. (9/9/96)

I'm So Confused - Jonathan Richman
Pop/Rock
Richman's given up the angst for off-handedly sweet pop, spare and causal in feel.
(10/21/98)

Surrender to Jonathan - Jonathan Richman
Pop/Rock, review by Sam Hurwitt
Jonathan Richman, the celebrity no one has heard of, croons sad, sweet, irresistible songs.
Text-only version.. (9/16/96)

Middlessence - Amy Rigby
Country/Folk
Her sweet voice carries the weight of post-divorce anxieties in songs that move away from her folk and country trademarks.
(09/23/98)

Songs From a Marriage - Amy Rigby
Pop/Rock, review by Joyce Millman
Amy Rigby's superb "Diary of a Mod Housewife" looks at real-life love from the kitchen-sink perspective of great country music. (11/25/96)

Installation Sonore - Rinocerose
Pop/Rock, review by Joey Sweeney
Fronted by a husband-and-wife team of French psychiatrists, Rinocerose introduce house music to post-rock. Yikes! (04/05/00)

Mixing it Up - The concert for the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame
Pop/Rock, review by Lisa Crovo
The concert for the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame showcases rock's wide-ranging family.
Text-only version. (9/2/96)

Contact From the Underworld of Redboy - Robbie Robertson
Pop/rock, review by John Milward
Robertson casts throat singers, peyote healers, an imprisoned activist, computer programmers and his own lead guitar in an ornate soundscape that evokes a John Ford movie without the cowboys
(03/18/98)

Blues Blues Blues - The Jimmy Rogers All-Stars
Pop/Rock
Rogers is the magnanimous host of a sweet Chicago blues party featuring dinosaur rockers such as Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and Jimmy Page. (02/23/99)

The Complete Chess Recordings - Jimmy Rogers
Pop/Rock, review by Pete Golkin
With this long-delayed collection, one could argue that the late bluesman Jimmy Rogers' only error was in working among too many legends
(01/13/98)

Altered States of Drum & Bass - Raymond Roker
Pop/rock, review by Michelle Goldberg
DJ Raymond Roker's bleak and claustrophobic "Altered States of Drum & Bass" crushes the warm beats of hip-hop and strangles the gasping voice of house.
(08/18/99)

Live at Soldier Field - The Rolling Stones
Pop/Rock, review by Rennie Sparks
It was hard not to love the Stones when they played at Chicago's Soldier Field Tuesday night. At the concert that kicked off their long-awaited world tour, the rock icons were clearly aiming to please (09/25/97)

Bridges to Babylon - Rolling Stones
Pop/Rock review by Sean Elder
Maybe it's comforting to know that rock 'n' roll's elder statesmen can still crank out rock riffs and boozy ballads in their sleep -- but it's too bad they have to take that judgment literally. Sean Elder makes an arhument for early retirement.(11/05/97)

Get Some Go Again - Rollins Band
Pop/Rock, review by Christopher Binkley
Smashing fey rockers with one hand, punching complacency with the other, Henry Rollins robotically returns to rock 'n' roll. (02/28/00)

The Freelance Years: The Complete Riverside and Contemporary Recordings - Sonny Rollins
Jazz, review by Michael Ullman
On a magisterial five-CD reissue, legendary saxophonist Sonny Rollins explodes modern jazz. (04/21/00)

Brand New Second Hand - Roots Manuva
Hip-hop/R&B
The South London artist also known as Rodney Smith exploits the link between hip-hop and reggae. (05/11/99)

Trio II - Dolly Parton, Emmylou Harris and Linda Ronstadt
Country/Folk
There's a great album to be made by three of pop and country's purest female vocalists, but this effort is ultimately a letdown
(02/02/99)

We Ran - Linda Ronstadt
Rock/pop
She's still playing dress-up with songs and styles.
(07/22/98)

Dedicated to the One I Love - Linda Ronstadt
Pop/Rock, review by Joyce Millman
Linda Ronstadt joins a generation of rockers with a brand new reason to sing "Baby I Love You." (6/10/96)

Things Fall Apart - The Roots
Hip-Hop/R&B
Every track boasts considerable sonic depth and sophistication, but four breakthrough songs ignite a powerful groove (03/02/99)

Material Girl: The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Plays the Music of Madonna- The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
Pop/Rock
While the ironies inherent in this album are substantial enough to fill a Camille Paglia essay, they seem lost on the orchestra, which reduces the pop icon's music to its most basic, tuneful components.
(12/09/98)

Accelerator Royal Trux
Pop/Rock, review by Gavin Mcnett
Resolved: Ozzy rules; Hanson sucks. These categories are eternal, and are unrelated to issues of quality. But Gavin McNett's favorite band right now is Royal Trux. And he submits that Royal Trux blows. (04/22/98)

Brand New - Salt-n-pepa
Pop/Rock review by Gina Arnold
Salt-n-Pepa is the more empowered, more thoughtful, and ultimately higher artistic expression of the Spice Girls pop-like confectionary -- but to knock either is to be on the wrong side of the argument. (11/13/97)

George Gershwin: The 100th Birthday Celebration - San Francisco Symphony, conducted by Michael Tilson Thomas
Classical
Despite the musicians' brilliant navigation, choices of arrangement and the omission of "Rhapsody in Blue" doesn't leave Gershwin fans with much to celebrate. (10/14/98)

Supernatural - Santana
Pop/Rock, review by Seth Mnookin
Surrounded by multi-platinum young artists, Carlos Santana still sounds like a noodly old hippie. (06/16/99)

distant - Sarge
Pop/Rock, review by Charles Taylor
As a band, Sarge never knew how good they were. Fortunately, their post-break album "distant" makes a decent epitaph. (05/04/00)

The Glass Intact - Sarge
Pop/rock, review by Charles Taylor
"The Glass Intact" offers the exhilaration of hearing a young band find their voice and the satisfaction of feeling you're being talked to honestly, directly, as an adult, free to join the conversation
(03/20/98)

Bach Goldberg Variations - Andras Schiff
Classical
Schiff plays Bach on piano with much of the expressiveness we heard in Glenn Gould, with comparable virtuosity and yet none of the eccentricity.
(11/18/98)

Nature Film - Scrawl
Pop/Rock
Scrawl's not fit for Lilith Fair -- and more power to them for that (05/20/98)

Crown of Jewels - Randy Scruggs
Country/Folk
One of the hidden masters of contemporary Nashville.
(08/19/98)

The Fawn - The Sea and Cake
Pop/Rock, review by Terri Sutton
The Sea and Cake has jilted New Wave bounce and tickle for a more subdued, almost atmospheric groove on "The Fawn." (04/04/97)

Human Being - Seal
Pop/Rock
This pilgrim's progress continues in the previous elegant, winning style, but on Seal's latest song cycle of the human conundrum, the world makes him wanna holler and throw up his hands.
(11/11/98)

If I Had a Hammer: Songs of Hope and Struggle - Pete Seeger
Folk
A best-of drawn from the folksinger's greatest and most galvanizing work (05/27/98)

I'm Telling You For the Last Time - Jerry Seinfeld
Soundtrack
Unlike the best comedy records, poor Jerry's debut doesn't reward especially close attention or come up with a turn of phrase worth remembering.
(09/30/98)

O Jerusalem -Sequentia
Pop/rock review by Brett Campbell
The upsurge in the popularity of medieval and early Renaissance music has produced dozens of albums, but none as compelling as these recordings of the music of German abbess Hildegard von Bingen (12/18/97)

Whereabouts - Ron Sexsmith
Rock/Pop
Singer-songwriter Ron Sexsmith whispers sweetly. (05/26/99)

1+1 - Wayne Shorter and Herbie Hancock
Jazz/World, review by Ezra Gale
On "1+1," Herbie Hancock and Wayne Shorter are at it again, and in contrast to some of the pair's recent solo efforts, it's the kind of work that reminds us of why these two jazz giants are so revered in the first place. (07/23/97)

The Truth - Beanie Sigel
Hip-Hop, review by Jon Caramanica
Hyped hip-hop star Beanie Sigel tells "The Truth," the whole truth and everything but the truth. (03/15/00)

Blueblood - Silkworm
Pop/Rock
A a wry paean to dissipation, a rubbery burble of murky, fuming spirits.
(08/19/98)

American Water - Silver Jews
Pop/Rock
Archetypal slackers set indie rock's angular melodies to prairie rhythms.
(01/06/99)

American Water - Silver Jews
Pop/Rock
Relaxed without undue mellowness, crafted without being stodgy.
(11/04/98)

Heater - The Silos
Pop/Rock
Singer-songwriter Salas-Humara's plaintive voice remains unpretentious, and the soulful folk-pop grooves here are deeper than ever.
(12/02/98)

Old friends - Simon & Garfunkel
Pop/Rock review by Jack Skelley
Captured here, Simon & Garfunkel's tone -- perfectly pre-Nixon, pre-sexual revolution, pre-cultural chaos -- crystallizes a more wistful zeitgeist (11/26/97)

Songs from 'The Capeman' - Paul Simon
Pop/Rock review by Douglas Wolk
It's great to see a pop musician of Paul Simon's caliber reach for something more -- and it's even better to see him sometimes grasp it, as he often does with "The Capeman." (11/26/97)

Songs in the Key of Springfield - The Simpsons
Soundtrack, review by Milo Miles
With its mix of satire, rip-offs and wickedly dark lyrics, "Songs in the Key of Springfield" fine excuse to immerse yourself in the Simpsons universe. (03/31/97)

"You Go-Go Girl!" - Nancy Sinatra
Pop/Rock, review by Michelle Goldberg
Sure, Nancy Sinatra was a lightweight, but 30 years later, the queen of cool still sounds fresh. (01/06/00)

Bruckner: Symphony No. 9 - Stanislaw Skrowaczewski
Classical review by Paul Festa
At the very least, Bruckner's is an Old Testament god, full of fire and brimstone and willing to use it along with a brass section armed with Wagner tubas. This music uses religion the way a Puritan preacher does: to scare the pants off you (11/19/97)

Knock Knock - Smog
Pop/Rock
An almost unbelievable change of heart for the man who built his burning kingdom on bitterness itself
(01/19/99)

"All Sold Out" and "(S)he Smiled Sweetly" - Spinanes
Rock/Pop
The evanescent Spinanes sharpen two songs from the Rolling Stones' catalog, chronicling the impulse to fight emotional weariness and the temptation to succumb to it. (07/23/99)

Arches and Aisles - Spinanes
Rock/Pop
Rebecca Gates proves she doesn't need a backseat driver on this first Spinanes album sans drummer Scott Plouf (06/24/98)

Perennial Favorites - Squirrel Nut Zippers
Jazz/World
Even on this thin endeavor, they're too darn hot to be dismissed as a novelty or revival act.
(08/05/98)

Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and Michael Brook Remixed - Star Rise
Pop/rock, review by Natasha Stovall
The South Asian/British DJs on "Star Rise: Nusrat Fateh Ali Kahn and Michael Brook Remixed," implicitly understand the connection between Qawwali worship music and the modern dance floor
(02/23/98)

1970: The Complete Fun House Sessions - The Stooges
Pop/Rock, review by Don McLeese
On Rhino's exhaustive "1970: The Complete Fun House Sessions," the Stooges obliterate the line between dumb joke and visionary achievement. (03/13/00)

Higher Ground -Barbra Streisand
Pop/rock review by John Milward
Focusing on songs of spirituality and romance, "Higher Ground" aims to be Barbra Streisand's most personal album yet (12/08/97)

Spice World - Spice Girls
Pop/Rock review by Gina Arnold
Salt-n-Pepa is the more empowered, more thoughtful, and ultimately higher artistic expression of the Spice Girls pop-like confectionary -- but to knock either is to be on the wrong side of the argument. (11/13/97)

OX - Elliot Smith
Country/Folk
Songs from this alt-folk success story are true to tradition but shuffle along drearily.
(08/26/98)

"Gung Ho" - Patti Smith; "Both Sides Now" - Joni Mitchell
Pop/Rock, review by Seth Mnookin
Patti Smith explodes on "Gung Ho," the best record since she returned to rock. Joni Mitchell, meanwhile, collapses under jazz pretense and a ravaged voice. (03/23/00)

The Anthology of American Folk Music - Harry Smith
Country/Folk, review by Alex Abramovich
Even today, 45 years after its initial release, an entire generation of musicians inspired by Harry Smith lapse into reverential, religious terms when speaking of "The Anthology of American Folk Music" -- and record stores are having a hard time keeping the Smithsonian's reissue in stock. (10/06/97)

Dots and Loops - Stereolab
Pop/Rock, review by Joshua Klein
On their latest release, "Dots and Loops," England's prolific smart-poppers have found use for things long ago dismissed or discounted as outmoded: antiquated analog synthesizers, cheesy cocktail jazz, crusty Krautrock, even hand-me-down Marxist ideology (09/23/97)

Helicopter String Quartet - Karlheinz Stockhausen
Classical, review by Andy Battaglia
Stockhausen's "Helicopter String Quartet" gives a whole new meaning to in-flight recording. (02/04/00)

Come Pick Me Up - Superchunk
Pop/Rock, review by Michelle Goldberg On "Come Pick Me Up" the once-great power-pop of Superchunk rots with its own complacency.
(08/19/99)

Supergrass - Supergrass
Pop/Rock, review by Lisa Gidley
Hook-filled singles and breezy rock songs about the joy of breezy rock songs -- maybe Supergrass are the new Kinks. (04/03/00)

...Twenty-Five... - Sweet Honey in the Rock
Jazz/World
The group's politics, though clasically PC, form the foundation of unanimity for their tonal richness and dynamism.
(10/21/98)

Factory Showroom - They Might Be Giants
Pop/Rock, review by Sam Hurwitt
More songs about Nixon and girlfriends from alt-rock's original free spirits, They Might Be Giants.
Text-only version. (9/23/96)

Sweet Sixteen - Royal Trux
Pop/Rock, review by Charles Taylor
The Royal scam: '70s boogie from post-punk pranksters (2/19/96)

Sarge - Charcoal
Pop/Rock, review by Staphanie Zacharek
Gentle bravery beyond belief (02/05/97)

SaxEmble - SaxEmble
Jazz/World, review by Milo Miles
Sax appeal for the acid-jazzers, neoboppers and moldy figs (12/6/96)

Quartets for Four Solo Voices - Franz Schubert
Classical, review by Michael Ullman
The vocal quartet was one of the most popular musical genres in Schubert's Germany, and no one but Schubert could have written the gracefully flowing melodies so beautifully rendered here by the New York Vocal Arts Ensemble. (04/30/97)

A Go Go - John Scofield (with Medeski, Martin & Wood)
Jazz, review by Ezra Gale
On his funky new album "A Go Go," John Scofield and his backing band -- acclaimed trio Medeski, Martin and Wood -- mesh so tightly, it's hard to believe this is their first recording together. (04/09/98)

The Beautiful Thing - Stephen Scott
Jazz/World, review by Andrew Gilbert
Thelonius would be proud: Young piano master Stephen Scott comes of age. (01/31/97)

Do It Yourself - The Seahorses
Pop/Rock, review by Natasha Stovall
A passel of English blokes as dedicated to the revival of opulent '60s Brit-pop as John Squire's Stone Roses ever were,the Squire-fronted Seahorses rev up jangly guitars and fat choral vocals like Vespa scooters on "Do It Yourself." (06/24/97)

The Basement Tapes - Sebadoh and Scrawl
Pop/Rock, review by Milo Miles
Persistence pays off for two veteran indie rockers, Sebadoh and Scrawl.
Text-only version. (9/23/96)

Pete - Pete Seeger
Country/Folk, review by Sam Hurwitt
Pete Seeger, the folk legend and onetime Red Scare target, sounds great on his first studio album in 17 years. (5/27/96)

Other Songs - Ron Sexsmith
Pop/Rock, review by Keith Moerer
With his tremulous voice and hushed melodies, Ron Sexsmith proves he knows all about love's rough patches, but that he's stuck it out -- a course with its own mix of sacrifice and reward. (06/23/97)

K - Kula Shaker
Pop/Rock, review by Keith Moerer
They'll feel dumb when hash wears off. (11/26/96)

Pastoral Composure - Matthew Shipp
Jazz, review by Seth Mnookin

Downtown jazz pianist Matthew Shipp takes the A train. (05/16/00)

DNA - Matthew Shipp Duo with William Parke
Jazz
Matthew Shipp reworks clinical self-examination and spiritual flailing into a perfect balance between science and seance. (05/11/99)

Shocked, Shaken and Stirred - Michelle Shocked
Pop/Rock, By Cynthia Joyce
Michelle Shocked talks about declaring war and finding peace. (10/14/96)

Brand New Knife - Shonen Knife
Pop/Rock, review by Michelle Goldberg
In the heydey of sarcasm-sick American bands, no one comes close to Shonen Knife for pure cotton-candy punk exhilaration.(3/25/97)

Sugar in My Bowl: The Very Best of Nina Simone - Nina Simone
Jazz/World
Unbelievably moving, unbearably self-indulgent, sometimes both, in the same song.
(07/29/98)

Anthology: The Colpix Years - Nina Simone
Jazz/World, review by Steven Stolder
Three decades of rage and passion: A sterling Nina Simone collection (12/19/96)

Law of Ruins - Six Finger Satellite
Pop/Rock
In spite of the synths and the Devo and Kraftwerk comparisons, 6FS are a Rock Band, dig?
(09/02/98)

"The Moonman Is Blue" - Sixteen Deluxe
Pop/Rock, review by Christopher Binkley
Sixteen Deluxe got 300 seconds on life's version of "120 Minutes." So why are they still at it? (12/23/99)

Navy Blues - Sloan
Pop/Rock
The spirit of a teenage boy band playing Led Zeppelin tributes in the basement.
(09/09/98)

Machina: The Machines of God - Smashing Pumpkins
Pop/Rock, review by Joe Heim
Message to Smashing Pumpkin Billy Corgan: You are not God. (03/01/00)

Adore - Smashing Pumpkins
pop/rock
The lovely "Adore" is something of a bona fide maturity move for Corgan and his (now two) Corganaires (06/10/98)

The Aeroplane Flies High - The Smashing Pumpkins
Pop/Rock, review by Gavin McNett
New Smashing Pumpkins: Smells like 5-CD hubris. (12/3/96)

Gone Again - Patti Smith
Pop/Rock, review by Stephanie Zacharek
Patti Smith's new "Gone Again" is a meditation on grief that gets richer and simpler each time you listen to it. (7/1/96)

Becoming X - Sneaker Pimps
Pop/Rock, review by Hans Eisenbeis
The trip-hop trio's debut stays true to the po-mo brew (2/27/96)

Winter Pageant - The Softies
Pop/Rock, review by Mark Athitakis
Cuddly punk torch songs (3/7/97)

Solex vs. The Hitmeister Solex
Pop/Rock
The first artist since Liz Phair to sign to Matador based solely on an unsolicited demo tape, Solex articulates by tape loop instead of six-string. (05/06/98)

"Goodbye 20th Century -- SYR 4" - Sonic Youth
Pop/Rock, review by Seth Mnookin
On "Goodbye 20th Century," Sonic Youth refuse to draw a line between pretension and fun. (12/03/99)

A Thousand Leaves Sonic Youth
Pop/Rock
"A Thousand Leaves" is urban renewal planning at its smartest. (05/13/98)

Straightaways - Son Volt
Pop/Rock, review by Jay W. Babcock
Great records come from living life, not from driving by it, and as Son Volt's "Straightaways" suggests, the road and its rigors may be the artistic kiss of death for a band perpetually on tour. (05/12/97)

El Oso - Soul Coughing
Pop/Rock
This album blends deep bass, snappy drums, wild sampling and jungle beats and primes the band for the international recognition it deserves.
(09/30/98)

Good Morning Spider - Sparklehorse
Pop/Rock
Mark Linous' second full album contains the subtext of a kind of terror and pain that can only be explained from behind masks
(02/02/99)

Chocolate Supa Highway - Spearhead
Jazz/World, review by Donnell Alexander
Former Disposable Hero Michael Franti brings his adventurous spirit to Spearhead's head-nodding hip-hop on "Chocolate Supa Highway." (04/24/97)

Baby One More Time - Britney Spears
Pop/Rock, review by Jon Dolan
Teen queen Britney Spears invites you to hit her with your best shot. (08/27/99)

Strand - The Spinanes
Pop/Rock, review by Cynthia Joyce
"Strand," the new album by the Spinanes, proves that Rebecca Gates is not just another Angry Woman Rocker. (2/24/96)

"Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating in Space," - Spiritualized
Pop/Rock, review by Joshua Klein
With "Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating in Space," the third album by Spiritualized, leader Jason Pierce continues his quest for the ultimate musical high. Building upon the heady mix of Suicide, the Velvet Underground and '60s garage rock mined by Pierce's old band, Spacemen 3, Spiritualized incorporates additional elements of blues and gospel, giving the music an even more overt spiritual nature.(08/11/97)

Dusty in Memphis | Dusty in London - Dusty Springfield
Pop/Rock
A Rhino Records compilation of the singer who maintained a profoundly feminine voice within the traditionally masculine idiom of blues and soul (03/23/99)

68 Million Shades - Spring Heel Jack
Pop/Rock, review by Milo Miles
Spring Heel Jack: Non-stop drum 'n' bass head trip (02/03/97)

Looking For The Ghost of Tom Joad - Bruce Springsteen
Pop/Rock, review by Adam Block
Baby, the Boss was born to slum. (12/30/95)

Tie Down that Shiny Wave - Sukpatch
Pop/Rock, review Andy Battaglia
Low-fi electronic indie duo Sukpatch release the fall's best summer record.(09/13/99)

200 More Miles - Cowboy Junkies
Gentle Creatures - Tarnation
Country, review by Sam Hurwitt
Sam Hurwitt mainlines the Cowboy Junkies and Tarnation. (12/2/95)

Second Sight - Kate St. John
Pop/rock, review by Dawn Eden
Like all great chanteuses, Kate St. John is a master of the torch song, and on "Second Sight," her voice captures the wistfulness of one who knows her lover will never return
(02/05/98)

Lisa Stansfield - Lisa Stansfield
Pop/Rock, review by Charles Taylor
On her recent self-titled release, Lisa Stansfield makes mature make-out music and some of the lushest dance music around. (08/01/97)

Dots and Loops - Stereolab
Pop/Rock, review by Joshua Klein
On their latest release, "Dots and Loops," England's prolific smart-poppers have found use for things long ago dismissed or discounted as outmoded: antiquated analog synthesizers, cheesy cocktail jazz, crusty Krautrock, even hand-me-down Marxist ideology. (09/23/97)

When We Were the New Boys - Rod Stewart
pop/rock
Stewart remains a superb singer in a field filled with mediocre vocalists, and this album of covers is one of his very best (06/17/98)

Police Academy - Strontium 90
Pop/Rock, review by Gavin McNett Strontium 90 was, by any sane standards, an unremarkable example of a bad sort of thing. But in the end -- and buried in every track of "Police Academy" is a hint of it -- glory would get her hooks into the boys who would later become known as The Police. (09/10/97)

Stravinsky in Moscow - Igor Stravinsky conducting the Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra and The USSR Symphony Orchestra
Classical, review by Michael Ullman
Because these rare Russian performances were as much political as musical events, Stravinsky didn't say a word about the musical experience. Nonetheless, the concerts were important, if for no other reason than because after this visit, his music began to be played in his homeland once again. (08/20/97)

Static and Silence - The Sundays
Pop/Rock, review by David Bowman
Remarkably similar in sound and texture to their previous albums, the Sundays' new LP "Static & Silence" is as lush and as wistful as a college freshmen's diary, carefully timed to blare out of dorm rooms all autumn. (09/22/97)

How It Feels to Be Something On - Sunny Day Real Estate
Pop/Rock
If anyone ever says anything bad about Sunny Day Real Estate again, I'll kill them. (10/14/98)

Honky-Tonk Operation EP - Sukpatch
Pop/rock, review by Adam Heimlich
"Honkytonk Operation" is so consistently gentle and understated that in a side-by-side comparison to Beck's "Odelay," its closest kin among hit albums, the former loser-turned-critics' poll champion doesn't fare so well
(04/01/98)

Indoor Living - Superchunk
Pop/Rock, review by John Cook Superchunk isn't just run-of-the-mill college band stuff anymore, as they prove on the more polished and produced "Indoor Living." (09/11/97)

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)

99th Dream - Swervedriver
Pop/Rock, review by Michelle Goldberg
Just file Swervedriver's new album, "99th Dream," under "psychedelic alternative" -- and pull it out to use in Volkswagen commercials.
(03/03/98)

Celestial Light (music of Hildegard of Bingen and Robert Kyr) -Tapestry
Pop/rock review by Brett Campbell
The upsurge in the popularity of medieval and early Renaissance music has produced dozens of albums, but none as compelling as these recordings of the music of German abbess Hildegard von Bingen (12/18/97)

Mirador - Tarnation
Pop/Rock, review by Douglas Wolk
When Tarnation lead singer Paula Frazer croons on the band's third release "Mirador," she's so filled with lonesome cowgirl emotion that at times it sounds like heaven itself is crying. (04/16/97)

"From Bone to Satellite" - Tarentel
Pop/Rock, review by Jonathan Lee
Free of lyrical limitations, San Francisco's Tarentel channel the meditative power of music into audio cinema. (12/13/99)

Retreat From the Sun - That Dog
Pop/Rock, review by Stephanie Zacharek
Even though you hear lots of girlish innocence and longing on That Dog's "Retreat from the Sun," the specter of bad-ass desire is never far behind. (05/28/97)

House of Music - Tony Toni Toné
Jazz/World, review by Jennie Yabroff
Tony Toni Toné's latest is all talk, no action. (11/12/96)

Triumph of the Weird - They Might Be Giants
Pop/Rock, review by Sam Hurwitt
More songs about Nixon and girlfriends from alt-rock's original free spirits, They Might Be Giants
Text-only version. (9/23/96)

Sergei Rachmaninov (1873-1943) - Jean-Yves Thibaudet, piano
Classical, review by Paul Fiesta
These performances are technically flawless, lyrical and full of dramatic tension -- and would have been nearly revelatory 50 years ago
(03/25/98)

Abductions and Reconstructions - Thievery Corporation
Pop/Rock, review by Amanda Nowinski
Thievery Corporation's second full-length compiles brutal dissections of songs by remix-friendly hipster outfits like Pizzicato Five, Stereolab and Gus Gus.
(06/04/99)

Michael Tilson Thomas
Classical, review by Douglas McLennan
If classical music is going to survive in the modern culture it has to appeal to new audiences, and Michael Tilson Thomas has demonstrated some encouraging success with that challenge. His Mahler, Copland and Prokofiev discs have all been on Billboard's Best Seller list, and the Prokofiev won a Grammy this year for best orchestral performance. (07/02/97)

Alma Brasileira: Music of Villa-Lobos - Michael Tilson Thomas
Classical, review by Michael Ullman
Michael Tilson Thomas' shining interpretation of Villa-Lobos (2/26/96)

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas - Hunter S. Thompson
Soundtrack, review by Brad Weiners
Drug binges? Road craziness? Yawn. (12/4/96)

In The Doghouse - Throwing Muses
Pop/Rock
The long-promised stateside release of one of the most jarring records of the 1980s -- the Muses's debut.
(10/07/98)

"Curtains" - Tindersticks
Pop/Rock, review by Allen Sheetz
Irony and pathos -- strange bedfellows in contemporary British pop music -- commingle like ingredients in an extra dry martini on the London-based Tindersticks' third full-length release, the crafty and pointillistic "Curtains." (07/16/97)

Tiny Town - Tiny Town
Rock/Pop
These stinging leads, grainy vocals and slip-sliding funk are as comfortable as a good back-scratch.
(08/05/98)

TNT - Tortoise
Pop/rock, review by Marc Weidenbaum
The divisions between "TNT"'s dozen tracks are about as certain as the divisions between genres that Tortoise so easily dismisses -- but then, if it did cohere entirely, it wouldn't be "post-rock."
(03/26/98)

In the Fishtank - Tortoise meets the Ex
Pop/rock, review by Joe Gross
On "In the Fishtank," Tortoise meets the Ex, new prog meets art-noise and boredom meets indifference.
(06/02/99)

Sound Museum - Towa Tei
Pop/rock, review by Michelle Goldberg
Lately, acid-jazz has gotten a bad rap as the muzak of the techno world, and with two exceptions, the songs on "Sound Museum" do nothing to dispel that idea
(03/13/98)

Fanmail - TLC
Pop/Rock
Dense, hectic, sexy, cool and it's already sold a zillion copies. (03/23/99)

Winterland - Emma Townshend
Pop/Rock
Best appreciated with lights out, under shimmering stars or sliding headlights. And you'd do well to flip through the lyric sheet. (10/14/98)

Surrender to the Night - Trans Am
Pop/Rock, review by Robert Levine
Beyond Emerson, Lake & Palmer: Trans Am heads prog rock's second wave. (01/23/97)

The Man Who - Travis
Pop/Rock, review by Wendy Mitchell
England's favorite band, Travis, shakes schizophrenia, embraces bummer folk rock. (04/20/00)

Nearly God - Tricky
Hip-Hop/R&B, review by Charles Taylor
An ominous beat and vague fantasies of utopia from trip-hop artist Tricky (8/5/96)

Angels with Dirty Faces - Tricky
Pop/Rock
Like Tricky's last record, "Pre-Millennium Tension," "Angels With Dirty Faces" is a jumbled, gorgeous hiss of despair (06/03/98)

Trading with the Enemy - Tuatara
pop/rock
A non-noodling album from the rock "supergroup" Tuatara, featuring members of REM, Luna and the Screaming Trees (06/10/98)