#633 - Still Life (Talking), Pat Metheny Group

"A master of uniting seemingly disparate elements as a cohesive whole, the imaginative guitarist effectively combines Brazilian-influenced harmonies and rhythm with jazz, folk, and pop elements on "So May It Secretly Begin," "Third Wind," "Minuano (Six Eight)," and other celebrated gems included on Still Life (Talking)." (allmusic guide)

#632 - Hot Fuss, The Killers

"These Las Vegas-based Anglophiles serve up ambitious, drama-laden indie pop with touches of synthetic glam and plenty of romantic longing. You can hear echoes of the Strokes, Pulp and even that U2 period when Adam Clayton had an afro. "All These Things That I've Done" is the band hitting its early stride." (real music guide)


#631 - From The Choirgirl Hotel, Tori Amos

"From the Choirgirl Hotel is considerably more accessible than its immediate predecessor, Boys for Pele. Tori has opened up her sound by working live with a full band, bringing an immediacy to her sound that has never been heard before. Added to that are samples and drum loops, ballads supported by eerie, sweeping strings and heavy guitars -- everything she played with on Pele has come to fruition here." (allmusic guide)

#630 - Steady On, Shawn Colvin

"Vocally, Colvin's tender, sometimes whisper-like performances are astonishing and haunting, provocative and seductive all at once. Then there are the songs that flow so effortlessly into one another that to remove even one would seemingly upset the entire balance of the cosmos as we know it. The sly Colvin adeptly plays with words, beats, phrasing, and rhymes, focusing not just on the meaning, but also the feel and rhythm of the lyrics to great effect." (allmusic guide)

#629 - Mutations, Beck

"By trimming down the excess and genre-jumping songs, Beck made one of (if not the) best album of his career. Simple, natural songs get by on the strength of the writing and organic production. While distinctly and definitely a Beck record, what exactly a Beck record could be (i.e. a simple set of songs) is broadened with this album." (real music guide)

#628 - Oh Mercy, Bob Dylan

"The songs make Oh Mercy noteworthy; they find Dylan quietly raging against the materialism of President Reagan and accepting maturity, albeit with a slight reluctance. So, Oh Mercy is finally more interesting for what it tries to achieve than for what it actually does achieve. At its best, this is a collection of small, shining moments, with the best songs shining brighter than their production or the album's overall effect." (allmusic guide)