#238 - Imperial Bedroom, Elvis Costello

"Costello's music is complex and intricate, yet it flows so smoothly, it's easy to miss the bitter, brutal lyrics. The interweaving layers of "Beyond Belief" and the whirlwind intro are the most overtly dark sounds on the record, with most of the album given over to the orchestrated, melancholy torch songs and pop singles. Never once do Costello and the Attractions deliver a rock & roll song -- the album is all about sonic detail." (allmusic guide)

#237 - Hounds Of Love, Kate Bush

"Kate Bush's strongest album to date marked her breakthrough into the American charts, and yielded a set of dazzling videos. The material ranges from the sensual to the mystical. This was also the first album produced by Bush entirely at her own home studio, and the results are spellbinding, the layered instruments recalling the Beatles at their most ornate, but also displaying an exquisite timbrel range, bringing out the richness of the individual instruments." (allmusic guide)

#236 - XO, Elliott Smith

"Smith's major label debut from 1998 was also his first album after being nominated for an Oscar. With the shadow of expectation looming, he delivered exactly the sort of lush, song-driven work that his long-term fans had been praising for years. Augmented by strings and brighter production, tracks like "Baby Britain" and "Independence Day" showcase Smith at his poppiest." (real music guide)

#235 - Alone Together, Dave Mason

"Alone Together contains an excellent batch of melodically pleasing songs, built on a fat bed of strumming acoustic guitars with tasteful electric guitar accents and leads. Mason's vocals are embellished with harmonies from Rita Coolidge, Claudia Lennear, and Delaney & Bonnie. Besides the well-known semi-hit "Only You Know and I Know," and which was also a number 20 hit for Delaney & Bonnie, highlights include the bouncy gospel-inflected "Waitin' on You" and the banjo-bejeweled "Just a Song."" (allmusic guide)

#234 - Garden State, Original Soundtrack

"If it wasn't enough to create the lovely Garden State, Zach Braff now puts other music supervisors out of business by assembling a perfect soundtrack. Every track fits the action perfectly and every single one is a winner. From Simon & Garfunkel to Nick Drake to the Shins to Frou Frou, you don't even need to see the film to want this collection." (real music guide)