Robert Forster
The Evangelist
Yep Roc
Robert Forster's first solo offering in over a decade, The Evangelist, is also his first record since the death of his partner in the Go-Betweens, Grant McLennan, and it features the last three songs that Forster and McLennan worked on together. It also features backing from fellow Go-Betweens bassist Adele Pickvance and drummer Glenn Thompson with production by long-time cohort Mark Wallis. Throughout The Evangelist, Forster's writing is very different from his previous solo offerings; it's elegant, but less concerned with literary allusion, metaphor and third person narrative. Instead, it's nakedly honest and vulnerable, while giving up none of the elegant craft of his finest work.
Alternative Pop/Rock, Contemporary Singer/Songwriter, Indie Pop
Madonna
Hard Candy
Warner Bros.
On Hard Candy, her final album for Warner, Madonna has enlisted the Neptunes, Timbaland and Justin Timberlake as producers to help her make a cold, hard dance record. Hard Candy certainly sounds like recent productions by these two teams but instead of sounding ahead of the curve, Madonna sounds like she's dressed in Nelly Furtado's hand-me-downs -- and she also doesn't sound all that into her makeover, either.
Club/Dance
Portishead
Third
Mercury/Island
After a decade-long absence, Portishead returns with their third studio album, aptly titled Third. Alternately gorgeous and unsettling, Third has surprises at every turn, filled with unexpected juxtapositions and haunting songs. It is that rare thing, an experimental rock album with a messy human heart.
Electronica, Adult Alternative Pop/Rock, Trip-Hop
The Roots
Rising Down
Def Jam
As the Roots are smart enough to realize that the inclusion of the pop-rap song "Birthday Girl," even as jokey bonus track, would've been detrimental to the effect of the entire album, Rising Down remains a powerful statement on contemporary society, a society in which even though the specific issues may have changed over time, the problems are the same. It's an album that's both revelatory and full of questions, one that understands its spot in the Roots' and American history, and one that continues to place the group as one of the country's most talented and relevant in any genre, no calculated crossover necessary.
Alternative Rap, Hip-Hop
Santogold
Santogold
Downtown
The debut self-titled full-length by Santogold shows the Brooklyn duo to be more than just another M.I.A. knock-off; instead they pull equally from dub, punk, hip-hop, electro, and rock without succumbing to the archetypes of any. The album is informed by pop and good humor, the importance of melody and structure never overshadowed by rhythm and dancefloor-worthiness. This is music that looks outward at the pan-continental landscape while staying firmly adherent to and respectful of its deeply American roots; it's the emerging -- and hopeful -- face of the new millennium, and an altogether shining accomplishment.
Alternative Dance, Club/Dance, Indie Electronic, Dancehall
Steve Winwood
Nine Lives
Columbia
Steve Winwood's Nine Lives is very different from his hit pop albums of the '80s and '90s -- there are no synths or drum loops to be found. Instead, Winwood, who's in fantastic voice, surrounds himself with a small band of great players and music is rooted in groove laden acoustic blues, and funky rock, folk and R&B, all with an organic, percussive bottom end. The single, "Dirty City", features guest Eric Clapton's best solo guitar appearance on a record in over a decade, and the rest of the cuts are poignant, honest and moving.
Contemporary Singer/Songwriter, Pop/Rock, Adult Contemporary
Augustana
Can't Love, Can't Hurt
Epic
American Trad Rock, Adult Alternative Pop/Rock
Awesome Color
Electric Aborigines
Ecstatic Peace!
Garage Punk, Noise-Rock
Baby D
A-Town Secret Weapon
KR Urban
Southern Rap, Dirty South
Bobby & Blumm
Everybody Loves...
Morr Music/M.M.
Indie Pop, Ambient Pop, Post-Rock/Experimental
Boris
Smile
Southern Lord
Experimental Rock, Noise-Rock, Post-Rock/Experimental
The Cab
Whisper War
Decaydance/Fueled by Ramen
Alternative Pop/Rock, Emo
Chin Chin
Chin Chin
Definitive Jux
Electro, Jazz-Rock, Techno, House
Cloudland Canyon
Lie in Light
Kranky
Space Rock, Neo-Psychedelia, Indie Rock, Prog-Rock/Art Rock
Roger Clyne & the Peacemakers
Turbo Ocho [CD/DVD]
Emma Java
Americana, Roots Rock, Heartland Rock
Constantines
Kensington Heights
Arts & Crafts
Indie Rock
David Karsten Daniels
Fear of Flying
FTC
Indie Pop, Alternative Singer/Songwriter
Def Leppard
Songs from the Sparkle Lounge
Bludgeon Riffola/Island
Pop-Metal, Album Rock, Hard Rock, Pop/Rock
Dizzee Rascal
Maths and English
XL
Garage Rap/Grime
Steve Earle
Copperhead Road [Deluxe Edition]
Geffen
Heartland Rock, Roots Rock, Country-Rock, Americana, Alternative Country
Ensemble Belladonna
Melodious Melancholye
Raumklang
Medieval Vocal and Choral Music
Estelle
Shine
Atlantic/Homeschool
Urban, Contemporary R&B, British Rap
Fate
Vultures
Metal Blade
Heavy Metal, Thrash
Forever the Sickest Kids
Underdog Alma Mater
Universal Motown
Punk-Pop, Emo
Ronnie Hawkins
Arkansas Rockpile/Mojo Man
Collectors' Choice Music
Rock & Roll
Hayden
In Field & Town
Hardwood/Universal
Lo-Fi, Alternative Pop/Rock, Sadcore, American Trad Rock, Alternative Singer/Songwriter, Contemporary Singer/Songwriter
Heloise & The Savoir Faire
Trash, Rats and Microphones
Yep Roc
Indie Electronic, Indie Rock
Griffin House
Flying Upside Down
RCA
Contemporary Singer/Songwriter, Adult Alternative Pop/Rock, Alternative Country
Lyfe Jennings
Lyfe Change
Columbia
Contemporary R&B, Neo-Soul
Jimmy Eat World
Bleed American [2 CD Deluxe Edition]
Geffen
Punk-Pop, Emo
David Johansen
David Johansen
Razor & Tie
New York Punk, Hard Rock, Rock & Roll
David Johansen
Live It Up
Razor & Tie
New York Punk, Hard Rock, Rock & Roll
Joy Division
The Best of Joy Division [2 CD]
Rhino/London
Post-Punk
Andrew Kennedy
On Wenlock Edge
Signum
Post-Romantic, Modern and Contemporary Vocal Music
Langhorne Slim
Langhorne Slim
Kemado
Alternative Singer/Songwriter, Alternative Country-Rock, Alternative Folk, Americana, Indie Rock
Jamie Lidell
Jim
Warp
Neo-Soul, Experimental Techno
Liverpool Five
Best of the Liverpool Five
Sundazed
Pop/Rock, Garage Rock, British Invasion
Mindless Self Indulgence
If
The End
Industrial Dance, Industrial Metal
Mudcrutch
Mudcrutch
Reprise / Wea
Heartland Rock, Rock & Roll, Bar Band, Pop/Rock, Hard Rock
Music of Remembrance
Jake Heggie: For a Look or a Touch
Naxos
Contemporary Chamber and Vocal Music
Nerf Herder
IV
Oglio
Comedy Rock, Punk-Pop, Post-Grunge, Alternative Pop/Rock, Punk Revival, Indie Rock
New Found Glory/International Superheroes of Hardcore
Tip of the Iceberg/Takin' It Ova!
B9
Post-Hardcore, Punk-Pop
One Night Only
Started a Fire
Mercury
Alternative Singer/Songwriter, Indie Pop, Indie Rock
Susan Platts
Frauenliebe und Leben
Atma Classique
Romantic Vocal Music
David del Tredici
David del Tredici: Vintage Alice; Dracula
Innova
Contemporary Vocal Music
Puscifer
V Is for Viagra: The Remixes
Zomba/Puscifer
Electro-Industrial, Industrial
Eli "Paperboy" Reed & The True Loves
Roll with You
Q Division
Blue-Eyed Soul, Neo-Soul
Carly Simon
This Kind of Love
Hear Music
Pop, Adult Contemporary, Singer/Songwriter
South
You Are Here
Bluhammock
Alternative Pop/Rock, Indie Rock, Dream Pop
Phil Stacey
Phil Stacey
Lyric Street
Pop Idol, Contemporary Country, Pop/Rock
Strategy
Music for Lamping
Audio Dregs
Indie Electronic, IDM, Electronica, Post-Rock/Experimental
Tickley Feather
Tickley Feather
Paw Tracks
Experimental Rock, Indie Rock
Mel Tillis
Me and Pepper
Collectors' Choice Music
Country-Pop, Traditional Country
Zappa Plays Zappa
Zappa Plays Zappa
Razor & Tie
Guitar Virtuoso, Hard Rock
Linear Mode
