Best of the Vanguard Sessions - John Fahey
Country/Folk, review by Andy Battaglia
"Best of the Vanguard Sessions" introduces John Fahey's chillingly beautiful six-string folk.
(07/30/99)

City of Refuge/Standing In My Shoes - John Fahey and Leo Kottke
Country/Folk, review by Gary Kamiya
John Fahey's "City of Refuge" offers tonal noodlings that could have been done better by an autistic monkey, leaving acoustic steel-string guitar virtuosity to be picked up by Fahey protege Leo Kottke on the smart and understated "Standing in my Shoes." (05/20/97)

Strange But True - Jad Fair and Yo La Tengo
Jazz/World
They haven't so much collaborated as they've stapled their ideas on top of one another.
(10/21/98)

Pack Up Your Sorrows: Best of the Vanguard Years - Mimi and Richard Fariña
Country/Folk, review by David Bowman
Mimi Fariña was tempting jailbait. Her husband, Richard, fought alongside Castro, sold guns and called Thomas Pynchon a pal. (10/13/99)

Immigrant Sons - The Farmdogs
Pop/rock, review by Rennie Sparks
If you've ever wondered why Bernie Taupin remained in Elton John's shadow,Taupin's new CD with his side project, The Farmdogs, does much to answer the question
(02/09/98)

"The Day That Didn't Exist" - The Fastbacks
Pop/Rock, review by Brett Anderson
The Fastbacks saw grunge come and go. Like that matters to a band that hasn't left the garage in 20 years. (10/06/99)

All the Pain Money Can Buy Fastball
Pop/Rock, review by Mark Athitakis
If Fastball's "All the Pain Money Can Buy" sounds like a Revolver-esque throwback, it's worth noting that sounding like a throwback in this day and age is an act of bravery (04/24/98)

As Time Goes By - Bryan Ferry
Pop/Rock, review by Michelle Goldberg
Bryan Ferry retreats from the ignominy of contemporary pop with a set of smoky standards. (10/18/99)

Try Whistling This - Neil Finn
Rock/Pop
Free-range pop from one-half of the former duo Crowded House (06/24/98)

"Teenage Head" and "Flamingo" - Flamin' Groovies
Rock/Pop, review by Geoff Edgers
Garage days revisited: Two reissues re-introduce the trashy sounds and perverted pop of the Flamin' Groovies. (06/24/98)

Zaireeka - Flaming Lips
Pop/rock review by Mark Athitakis
With the four-disc "Zaireeka," the Flaming Lips have completely fulfilled their most insane dreams, creating a fantastically ambitious -- and incredibly stupid -- record (12/12/97)

I Want Magic - Renee Fleming with James Levine and the Metropolitan Opera
Classical
A superb soprano gives voice to this collection of American opera arias, including one from Andre Previn's recent "A Streetcar Named Desire
(09/30/98)

Premonition - John Fogerty
pop/rock
John Fogerty long ago perfected music that sounds like it's tossed off, but actually takes hours of painful, painstaking work to properly place each barbecued lick and casual howl (06/17/98)

One Part Lullaby - The Folk Implosion
Pop/Rock, review by Seth Mnookin
After 10 years of indie rock and a semi-hit on the "Kids" soundtrack, Folk Implosion's Lou Barlow changes his tune. (09/14/99)

"There Is Nothing Left to Lose" - Foo Fighters
Pop/Rock, review by Andy Battaglia
Forget Nirvana, unrepentant Foo Fighter Dave Grohl settles down for mediocrity. (11/04/99)

Springtime - Freakwater
Pop/Rock, review by Terri Sutton
Born before country went "insurgent", Freakwater has flown the flag of righteous imagination for going on five albums, and on their latest, they complicate country music's standard issues from evil to workers' revolt
(01/23/98)

Sentimental Education - Free Kitten
Pop/Rock, review by Michelle Goldberg
With Kim Gordon from Sonic Youth, Julie Cafritz formerly of Pussy Galore, Mark Ibold from Pavement and Yoshimi from The Boredoms, you can't help but come out with a few sparks of brilliance, as the combo Free Kitten does on "Sentimental Education."
(01/06/98)

Retrograde - Friends of Dean Martinez
Pop/Rock, review by Natasha Stovall
If nothing else, the Friends of Dean Martinez are sincere as hell -- lounge lizards without the sneer and drifters without the con, who thankfully leave irony out of their repertoire on the instrumental "Retrograde."(07/14/97)

Good Dog, Happy Man - Bill Frisell
Jazz/World
Homespun avant-gardist Bill Frisell explores the unfolding saga of the American West. (05/24/99)

Quartet - Bill Frisell
Jazz/World, review by James Marcus
Bill Frisell's grainy, elegant jazz emanates straight from the national unconscious. (5/20/96)

Telescopic - Edith Frost
Pop/Rock
The heart she's presenting isn't cold at all, but she sings like she wishes she could chill it.
(10/21/98)

"Calling Over Time" - Edith Frost
Pop/Rock, review by Jason Zengerle
Edith Frost's achingly beautiful debut album is an exercise in heartbreak, but it's remarkable for the fact that it never once trips the treacle-detector.(08/12/97)

Pardon My French - Fuck
Pop/Rock, review by Sam Hurwitt
Though the name may suggest a garage punk group, this San Francisco combo is a more slow and languorous Fuck than one might expect. "Pardon My French" is music for sleepyheads, soporific and yet far from boring. (07/15/97)

The Score - The Fugees
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)

"The Very Best of Robbie Fulks" - Robbie Fulks
Pop/Rock, review by David Hill
Then he tried to kill Saturday night. A new collection connects the dots in between. (01/10/00)

Let's Kill Saturday Night - Robbie Fulks
Country/Folk
The indie songwriter and guitarist works with country heroes, meshing themes of love, joy and desperation in a perfect country rock package.
(09/30/98)

Memories of Love - Future Bible Heroes
Pop/Rock, review by Doug Wolk
Legendary Unknown Stephin Merritt steals the show on the Future Bible Heroes' first album and delivers the kind of deliberately synthetic, genuinely sad, deeply funny music for which he's famous -- that is, if you already know who he is. (06/09/97)

Butch - Geraldine Fibbers
Pop/Rock, review by Natasha Stovall
It's hard to draw a straight line between where the Geraldine Fibbers' punk roots end and their country obsession begins, but on their new, nearly perfect, "Butch," both camps are equally represented. (07/31/97)

The Bluegrass Sessions - Tales from the Acoustic Planet, vol. 2 - Béla Fleck
Jazz, review by Seth Mnookin
Béla Fleck ditches the jammy, New Age dreck for an album of smokin' jazzgrass. (07/07/99)

Star Crossed Lovers - Placido Domingo, Rene Fleming
Classical
One of the classical "theme" CDs increasing in popularity documents a mutilmedia event featuring romantic duets (03/09/99)

See What You want to See - Radney Foster
Rock/Pop
Radney Foster's neo-traditionalist country faces the harrowing future of not mattering. (05/18/99)

Blue riffs parkway - Fountains of Wayne
Pop/Rock, review by Stephanie Zacharek
Fountains of Wayne wears its melancholy lightly on the near-perfect pop songs of "Utopia Parkway." (04/13/99)

Nnenna Freelon - Nnenna Freelon
Jazz
Finally, a "concept album" whose music merits the great concept: every song here is penned in part by a woman (05/27/98)

Atardecer - Friends of Dean Martinez
Pop/Rock
Steel guitarist Bill Elm has given up the band's sweet simplicity in favor of turbulent sound textures and spacey effects. (03/30/99)

The Jelly Roll Kings - Frank Frost and Sam Carr
Hip-Hop/R&B
If this album doesn't leave you feeling laid-back and buoyant, you need a good stiff drink.
(02/02/99)

End Hits - Fugazi
Pop/Rock
"End Hits" is Fugazi at its fiercest yet most approachable (06/03/98)

Yeah, It's That Easy - G-Love and Special Sauce
Pop/Rock review by Natasha Stovall
G-Love returns to the original spirit of jamming with his soulful new "Yeah, It's That Easy." (11/11/97)

Late for the Future - Galactic
Pop/Rock, review by Philip Booth
Galactic's swampy funk melds Meters-style riffs, acid-jazz grooves and jam-band spontaneity. (03/31/00)

1987-1991 Box Set - Galaxie 500
Pop/Rock, review by Joe Rosenthal
Defunct minimalists rock on in 4-CD set. (11/15/96)

The Pizza Tapes - Jerry Garcia, David Grisman, Tony Rice
Country/Folk, review by Seth Mnookin
Sometimes Jerry Garcia sounded bored playing with the Dead. But on the David Grisman-Tony Rice project "The Pizza Tapes," the old guitarist nearly caught fire. (04/26/00)

Hot Rod Guitar: The Danny Gatton Anthology - Danny Gatton
Pop/Rock
Danny Gatton's unbelievable guitar playing embraced so many pop music styles that no record label could ever figure out how to sell him. (04/20/99)

Fill Clip: A Decade of Gang Starr - Gang Starr
Hip-hop/R & B, review by D. Strauss
Gang Starr introduced the hip-hop nation to jazz, but a new retrospective proves that you don't have to blame them for letting vital music devolve into bourgeois R&B. (07/01/99)

Leisure Noise - Gay Dad
Pop/Rock, review by Michelle Goldberg
Gay Dad are a controversial sensation in England, proving once again that the only thing that the Brit press likes better than pure pop is overbearing hype. (09/20/99)

Ad Finite - Genaside II
Pop/Rock, review by Amanda Nowinski
Genaside II bring hard-ass thuggism to the paranoid visions of dark electronic music. (09/30/99)

Calling All Stations- Genesis
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 argument for early retirement.(11/05/97)

Genesis Archives Vol. 1 - Genesis
Rock/Pop
An encyclopedia of songs from the ace prog-rock ensemble (06/24/98)

Duality - Lisa Gerrard and Pieter Bourke
Pop/Rock
Unlike a good Dead Can Dance album, this outside project lacks the accessibility that made even a medieval Italian ballad sound like rock music (06/17/98)

Live From Uncle Sam's Back Yard - Paul Geremia
Country/Folk, review by John Milward
If your idea of a solo singer-guitarist is an earnest guitar-strumming folkie or a rocker trading in his Les Paul for a plugged-in Ovation on MTV's "Unplugged," your ears will be opened by the musical intricacy of Paul Geremia's performance on "Live From Uncle Sam's Backyard." (10/06/97)

On the Way Down From the Moon Palace - Lisa Germano
Pop/Rock
A rerelease of her 1991 solo debut shows hints of the stark and pulsing terror that pushed later albums to the scalpel-edged limits of emotional endurance. (02/23/99)

Supreme Clientele - Ghostface Killah
Hip-Hop, review by Jon Caramanica
Wu-Tang Clan's grandest gastronome, Ghostface Killah, slips between chaotic crime and silly non sequiturs. (03/03/00)

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)

Kundun: Music From the Original Soundtrack - Philip Glass
Pop/Rock, review by Jack Skelley
Tibetan instruments deepen and enrich Philip Glass' minimalist style, resulting in what is perhaps Scorsese's most strangely satisfying soundtrack since Peter Gabriel scored his "Last Temptation of Christ."
(01/09/98)

"Armide" - Christoph Willibald Gluck
Pop/Rock, review by Patrick Giles
Gluck gave Armide a new life to save opera in the 18th century. The grand sorceress still bewitches. (01/05/00)

One Endless Night - Jimmie Dale Gilmore
Pop/Rock, review by David Cantwell
Zen cowboy Jimmie Dale Gilmore expresses the beauty of sadness and the perfection of sorrow. (03/09/00)

Braver Newer World - Jimmy Dale Gilmore
Country/Folk, review by Kevin Berger
Zen country singer Jimmie Dale Gilmore's music is "therapy for the world." (7/1/96)

Liquid Skin - Gomez
Pop/Rock, review by Dave McCoy
Gomez steal from groups like the Beatles, the Band and the Who. But after classic pastiche records like "Paul's Boutique," nicking good riffs just makes you boring. (09/27/99)

"Benny Goodman at Carnegie Hall -- 1938: Complete" - Benny Goodman
Jazz, review by Geoff Edgers
Benny Goodman believed in great jazz players, no matter their color. A live 1938 double CD captures one of the ambassador's finest moments. (11/09/99)

Glenn Gould Plays Bach (Original Jacket Collection) - Glenn Gould
Classical, review by Patrick Giles
The stunning Glenn Gould on Bach boxed set of reissues captures the rare instant when performer, composer and instrument meet in perfection. (04/04/00)

Ghosts of Hallelujah - The Gourds
Folk/Country
Obliquely borrowing bits of country, honky-tonk, Delta blues, Cajun and Tex-Mex, the Gourds revisit the creative search and spirit of early roots rockers. (04/27/99)

Stadium Blitzer - The Gourds
Country/Folk
Part artless bluegrass and part rustic stomp, the Gourds forge an engaging sort of slackerbilly. (05/27/98)

Jubilee - Grant Lee Buffalo
Pop/Rock
The LA-based band has a knack for combining earnest, '90s-style power-throating with a mild case of White Album-damage in an appealing pop package (06/17/98)

III Grassy Knoll
Pop/Rock
Dissonant melodies layered over dense funk rhythms make "III" one of the most groundbreaking albums of the year. (05/06/98)

III - Guy
R&B, review by Jon Caramanica
New Jack Swingers Guy killed old-school R&B. On "III," the trio gets what's coming. (02/09/00)

"So Many Roads (1965-1995)" - The Grateful Dead
Pop/Rock, review by Seth Mnookin
The first serious Grateful Dead retrospective is riddled with confounding decisions, stupid mistakes and beautiful music -- just like the band. (11/29/99)

White Ladder - David Gray
Pop/Rock, review by Joe Heim
English folkie David Gray is a star in the U.K. Can some electronic blips and an endorsement from Dave Matthews win him an audience in the States? (03/30/00)

On How Life Is - Macy Gray
Hip-hop/R & B, review by Kandia Crazy Horse
I'm the lamest craze: Macy Gray is nothing but a new soul pretender.
(08/10/99)

Greatest Gospel Hits - Al Green
Jazz/World, review by Andy Battaglia
From "Ha!" to "Hallelujah," the Rev. Al Green's gospel hits held onto the earthly sound of sweet salvation. (04/13/00)

Anthology - Al Green
Jazz/World, review by Keith Moerer
Al Green's "Anthology": Heaven on earth (2/12/97)

Nimrod- Green Day
Pop/Rock review by Mark Athitakis
Scruffy punkers Green Day are just going through the motions on "Nimrod"; all that's different this time around is that they've discovered a few more motions to go through.(11/04/97)

Flaming Red - Patty Griffin
pop/rock
With "Flaming Red", Griffin proves she's ready for radio success, but willing to reward the long-distance listener (07/08/98)

Other Voices, Too (A Trip Back to Bountiful) - Nanci Griffith
Country/folk
Endearing if overstyled cuts from the folk/country canon.
(07/22/98)

Blue Roses from the Moon - Nanci Griffith
Country/Folk, review by Dwight Garner
Nanci Griffith is never going to be Lucinda Williams. But as "Blue Roses from the Moon" proves, it's a mistake to underestimate her. (04/11/97)

Mag Earwhig! - Guided By Voices
Pop/Rock, review by Mark Athitakis
GBV's Robert Pollard has always had a real talent for using tiny details that turn a song from passable to great, but with "Mag Earwhig!" he's hitting the bullseye instead of raiding the cutting room floor. (05/16/97)

Jet Generation - Guitar Wolf
Pop/Rock, review by Alex Pappademas
Garage sounds revisited: Guitar Wolf roars on the loudest record, ever. (06/25/99)

"Live Era '87-'93" - Guns n' Roses
Pop/Rock, review by Seth Mnookin
A double live set remembers when Guns n' Roses played with the thunder of the gods. (12/07/99)

The Art of the Song - Charlie Haden
Jazz, review by Philip Booth
Jazz bassist Charlie Haden evokes the heart-stopping romance and mournful melancholy of film noir on "The Art of the Song." (07/27/99)

Beyond the Missouri Sky - Charlie Haden/Pat Metheny
Jazz/World, review by Michael Ullman
Home is where the Heartland is: Metheny and Haden deliver jazz with a country twang on "Beyond the Missouri Sky" (3/18/97)

Animation - Tim Hagans
Jazz
A fusion of jazz concepts, rhythms and instruments with electronic elements that's so seamless and intuitive, it shows how linked these genres really are. (03/09/99)

Future Shock - Herbie Hancock
Jazz, review by Geoff Edgers
Herbie Hancock's "Future Shock" annoyed the critics and offended the purists in 1983, but the new reissue just sounds like a Bill Laswell record that spawned an unfortunate series of fusion projects. (02/10/00)

The New Standard - Herbie Hancock
Jazz/World, review by Ezra Gale
Herbie Hancock's interpretations of pop and rock classics from the last 30 years reveal an honest search for a new direction in jazz,one that manages to break new ground while reconnecting to its roots. (04/29/97)

"So... How's Your Girl" - Handsome Boy Modeling School
Pop/Rock, review by Britt Robson
Hip-hop producers Prince Paul and the Automator recruit young multi-culti bohos for their Handsome Boy Modeling School. (12/22/99)

Through the Trees - Handsome Family
Pop/Rock, review by Randall Roberts
The third record by the husband-and-wife duo of Brett and Rennie Sparks, a.k.a. The Handsome Family, "Through the Trees" is emotionally wrecked music for nature lovers.
(03/04/98)

Slow Dirty Tears The Hangovers
Pop/Rock, review by Roni Sarig
Like Dylan's Grammy winner, the Hangover's "Slow Dirty Tears" is an understated and unexpected gem. (04/27/98)

So We Go - The Hang Ups
Pop/Rock, review by Terri Sutton
With their graceful,frisky hooks, melancholic choirboy harmonies, and pensive moods, the Hang Ups show they're proudly twee, cheerfully sensitive and shamelessly addicted to beauty on "So We Go." (05/09/97)

Han-Na Chang, cello
Classical, review by Tim Riley
The masterful debut CD from cello whiz-kid Han-Na Chang (11/18/96)

This Time Around - Hanson
Pop/Rock, review by David Cantwell
Teen trio Hanson grows up on "This Time Around." But will they still have an audience willing to listen? (05/11/00)

Middle of Nowhere - Hanson
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)

Habana - Roy Hargrove
Jazz/World, review by Andrew Gilbert
Hargrove explores new rhythmic territory on "Habana" but keeps it close to home. (2/10/97)

Burn to Shine - Ben Harper
Pop/Rock, review by Seth Mnookin
Ben Harper is no Bob Dylan -- he's actually not even Robbie Robertson.
(09/01/99)

The Will to Live - Ben Harper
Pop/Rock, review by Michael E. Ross
Ben Harper understands the breadth of modern music's vocabulary, from folk to urban blues, reggae to rock, and "The Will to Live," Harper's diverse and occasionally brilliant new album, signals his arrival at an impressive command of that vocabulary. (07/01/97)

The Art of Rhythm - Tom Harrell
Jazz, review by Marc Greilsamer
When the opening cut of an album called "The Art of Rhythm" includes several instruments -- but not a single percussion instrument -- clearly it's an ambitious recording.
(04/16/98)

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)

Rapunzel - Lou Harrison
Classical, review by Brett Campbell
Composer Lou Harrison said he chose the text of poet William Morris' reinterpretation of "Rapunzel" in part as a vehicle to help him work through his own emotional upheavals. And this music, with its simple yet powerful lyricism, reflects his attempt to soothe inner demons. (05/15/97)

Territory - Alvin Youngblood Hart
Country
With a virtuosic guitar style and a voice that shifts from a dulcet croon to a piercing holler, Hart's second album unapologetically immerses itself in the deepest country and blues traditions (07/08/98)

Is This Desire? - Polly Jean Harvey
Pop/Rock
In her first release in three years, Polly Jean Harvey offers sops to a self-consciously hip underground.
(09/30/98)

Kabalogy - Hasidic New Wave
Jazz/World, review by Seth Mnookin
New York combo Hasidic New Wave illustrates the difference between klezmer and Jewish jazz. (08/11/99)

Bed - Julianna Hatfield
Pop/Rock
Some wonderful turns of phrase, a handful of catchy riffs and a dud or two.
(09/02/98)

Please Do Not Disturb (EP) -Juliana Hatfield
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)

The Return of the Headhunters- The HeadHunters
Jazz/World
Hard-hitting funk vamps from that sound like they were recorded in the group's mid-'70s heyday.
(08/26/98)

Magic City- Helium
Pop/Rock, review by Joe Heim
Helium is a less kind, less gentle B-52s for the late '90s. What better antidote for the bubble-gum-flavored sawdust that is the current alternative grind? (10/30/97)

In From the Storm/Purple Haze - Jimi Hendrix tributes
Pop/Rock, review by Bill Kisliuk
Two new tribute albums aim to channel Jimi Hendrix. (1/27/96)

Sky Motel - Kristen Hersh
Pop/Rock, review by Michelle Goldberg
With a series of dark acoustic records, Throwing Muses singer Kristin Hersh transformed herself from a post-punk Ophelia into a macabre folk singer. On "Sky Motel," she plugs in again.
(07/16/99)

Murder, Misery, and Then Goodnight - Kristen Hersh
Pop/Rock
These 12 traditional selections which spin dark yarns are different from Hersh's own song style of strange fragments and moody puzzles (03/02/99)

The Best of John Hiatt - John Hiatt
Country/Folk
The artfully twisted love song architect demonstrates how to live well with some poison in your system.
(09/09/98)

Little Head - John Hiatt
Pop/Rock, review by Sean Callahan
John Hiatt's tell-tale fingerprints are all over his fourteenth album "Little Head" -- it's his heart that's hard to find. (07/09/97)

"Snowbug" - High Llamas
Pop/Rock, review by Andy Battaglia
Why the High Llamas are more than just another workingman's Beach Boys. (11/02/99)

The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill - Lauryn Hill
Hip-hop/R&B
Hotter than July and hardcore enough to put a tear in your eye.
(08/26/98)

Love Thinketh No Evil - Peter Himmelman
Pop/Rock
Himmelman writes songs with an assured easiness, the music fitting snugly around his graceful but often biting words.
(01/19/99)

Moss Elixir - Robyn Hitchcock
Pop/Rock, review by Gavin McNett
Perfect pop songs from pervert-creepy, acid-damaged, hyperlucid eccentric Robyn Hitchcock

Beneath the Country Underdog - Kelly Hogan and the Pine Valley Cosmonauts
Country/Folk, review by Don McLeese
Post-punk good ol' gal Kelly Hogan has a smoky alto that can effortlessly waltz between an uptown cabaret and a country roadhouse. (03/29/00)

Mocking the Mayflower By Charles Taylor
There was plenty of antagonism in the air at the start of Hole's Boston show Sunday night. But Courtney Love wouldn't have it any other way.
(05/18/99)

Celebrity Skin - Hole
Pop/Rock
Hole's defiant "Celebrity Skin" suggests Courtney Love's scars have calloused over
(09/11/98)

The Complete Commodore Recordings - Billie Holiday
Jazz/World, review by Michael Ullman
A complete set of Billie Holiday's controversial Commodore recodings. (2/6/97)

Too Much Fun! - Holy Modal Rounders
Folk/country, review by Andrew Hamlin
The Holy Modal Rounders are old-time counterculture folkies in form, but they're not afraid to toss a pie in the face of tradition.
(07/29/99)

The Complete '50s Chess Recordings (2CDs) - John Lee Hooker
Pop/rock, review by Andrew Hamlin
If old blues records tell the story of one man and one guitar against the world, then these tell how the earth must have trembled at the sight of John Lee Hooker climbing in the ring circa 1951.
(01/29/98)

Don't Look Back - John Lee Hooker
Pop/Rock, review by Keith Moerer
John Lee Hooker is no match for Van Morrison's bloated ego
(3/11/97)

Musical Chairs - Hootie and the Blowfish
Pop/Rock
All-midtempo OK country-rock from a South Carolina bar band that is maturing, albeit slightly.
(09/23/98)

I Remember Miles - Shirley Horn
Jazz/world
Horn's affection for Davis and the depth of this electrifying collection of ballads is immediately apparent.
(07/15/98)

Music from the Motion Picture "Titanic" - Composed and conducted by James Horner
Soundtrack, review by Paul Festa
So winsome are the tunes on London's "Music Played on the Titanic" that they could almost get your mind off Leonardo DiCaprio
(02/19/98)

Spirit Train - Bruce Hornsby
Pop/Rock
Catches the ear with musical moments, but instrumental virtuosity is no substitute for truly memorable songs.
(11/04/98)

"til you've seen mine" - Tom House
Country/Folk, review by Joe Heim
Beautifully bitter philosopher-poet Tom House scraps for some piece of an answer (01/21/00)

Cut You - Penelope Houston
Pop/Rock, review by Charles Taylor
In "Cut You," Penelope Houston, formerly of the ur-punk band The Avengers, delivers psychotic lyrics in a soft, pleasant tone. (3/9/96)

Catalog - Danielle Howle
Country/Folk, review by Wendy Mitchell
Singer/songwriter Danielle Howle and the bearable lightness of being alone. (06/15/99)

Natty Dread - Charlie Hunter
Jazz/World, review by Ezra Gale
Berkeley jazz guitarist Charlie Hunter attacks the overplayed standards of reggae great Bob Marley with fresh ears. (03/27/97)

Ready ... Set ... Shango! - The Charlie Hunter Quartet
Jazz/World, review by Milo Miles
Charlie Hunter brings jazz guitar into the '90s, without apology. (6/24/96)

Fly Stereophonic - Lida Husik
Pop/Rock, review by Keith Moerer
Lida Husik's music is clearly the sum of her inspirations: '60s psychedelia, '70s sci-fi movies, and '90s indie-rock. It doesn't sound like a promising combination, but Husik compresses these elements into three-minute confections that sound like pop hits from another galaxy on "Fly Stereophonic." (07/08/97)

Let it Come Down - James Iha
Pop/rock, review by Natasha Stovall
Iha has everything a good songwriter needs: nuance, sensitivity, nice words, an ear for melody and that sixth sense for conceiving tunes impossible to get out of one's head
(03/11/98)

What Is Not to Love - Imperial Teen
Pop/Rock
Like a carefully set table, but instead of food there's mostly just condiments (03/16/99)

Apartment Life -Ivy
Pop/rock review by Joshua Klein
Ivy's sophisticated and pleasant new album of hazy pop songs flows with impeccable taste and songcraft, picking up where the band's somewhat drab debut, "Realistic," left off (12/17/97)

All Mod Cons/Sound Affects - The Jam
Pop/Rock, review by Gavin McNett
Two stunning re-issues dust off one of the punk era's most heroic bands.
Plus: The Undertones' irresistible teenage kicks. (7/29/96)

The Ultimate Collection - Rick James
Hip-Hop/R&B, review by Althea Hughes
Rick James' "Ultimate Collection" captures the King of Funk at his best: brash, bold, outrageous and openly horny. (04/15/97)

Traveling Without Moving - Jamiroquai
Pop/Rock, review by Aidin Viziri
Jamiroquai: Play that funky music, New Age British white boy. (01/17/97)

Waltzes, Nocturnes And Mazurkas - Byron Janis Plays Chopin
Classical, review by Douglas McLennan
After a 34-year hiatus, pianist Byron Janis returns to recording and proves that while every pianist plays Chopin, there are still few who express him so eloquently. (06/03/97)

La Scala - Keith Jarrett
Jazz/World, review by Michael Ullman
The intelligence and integrity in jazz pianist Keith Jarrett's playing distinguish this concert, despite its occasional flaccid moments, from the mood music of the new age (09/26/97)

Far From Perfect Duane Jarvis
Pop/Rock, review by Meredith Ochs
Duane Jarvis may have made a name for himself adding the pure ring of glorious, understated licks to the songs of John Prine and Lucinda Williams, but on "Far From Perfect," he also reveals a knack for transforming his sound into songcraft.
(04/21/98)

Midnight Roads and Stages Seen Jason and the Scorchers
Pop/Rock
Finally, a great live album from the band that first jammed country and punk together. (05/06/98)

The Sound of Lies - Jayhawks
Pop/Rock, review by Jon Maples
When Jayhawks co-founder Mark Olson took a hike late in 1995, it appeared that the band was history. But after a year hiatus, the remaining members pulled together and produced "Sound of Lies," an album that suggests the band's bold new direction. (06/05/97)

Individually Twisted - The Jazz Passengers
Pop/Rock, review by Stephanie Zacharek
Deborah Harry shines with screwball Jazz Passengers (2/25/96)

Waylon Jennings
Country, review by David Bowman
When country got too slick, Waylon Jennings broke it down. Sound familiar? (06/03/99)

Munki - The Jesus and Mary Chain
pop/rock
Bookended by "I Love Rock 'n' Roll" and "I Hate Rock 'n' Roll," everything in between on the Reid brothers' sixth studio album is a search for, well, something in between (06/10/98)

Spirit - Jewel
Pop/Rock
There's only one reason to listen to Jewel, and it's a good one -- the girl can sing.
(11/18/98)

Anutha Zone - Dr. John
Jazz/World
Wink-wink humor, ass-shaking horn sections and peculiar social commentary.
(08/19/98)

The Big Picture- Elton John
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)

Never Home - Freedy Johnston
Pop/Rock, review by Scott Rosenberg
On his third songwriting masterpiece in a row, Johnston keeps his bleakly beautiful songs from wafting into the ether.(3/12/97)

Cold Hard Truth - George Jones
Country/Folk, review by David Hill
"Cold Hard Truth" is peppered with dark ballads about lost love and regretful decisions. George Jones, country's greatest living voice, knows his subject well. (07/09/99)

I Lived To Tell It All - George Jones
Country/Folk, review by Dwight Garner
With "I Lived to Tell It All," country legend George Jones recalls his journey across "a sea of whiskey and a mountain of cocaine." (8/19/96)

Ghostyhead - Rickie Lee Jones
Pop/Rock, review by Natasha Stovall
More than anything else that she does, it's Ricki Lee Jones' singing that drives people into paroxysms of worship, and on "Ghostyhead" -- a mix of hip-hop, electronica and experimental music -- it's still her voice that provides the most transcendent moments. (06/27/97)

Bohemian Rhapsodies - Leila Josefowicz with the Academy of St. Martin in The Fields, Sir Nevill Marriner
Classical, review by Jack Skelley
Leila Josefowicz, a lovely 19-year-old, is part of the recent crop of cover-girl violinists. Reaction to her latest Philips album, "Bohemian Rhapsodies," is mixed, but perhaps she deserves the success she's getting.(08/14/97)

Rehearsals For Departure - Damien Jude
Pop/Rock
Mostly acoustic, thematically driven foray through acres of sorrow, heartbreak and despair, is about as close to brilliant as CDs get these days (03/16/99)

Four Great Points - June of 44
Pop/Rock, review by Mark Athitakis
One of the finest bands to spin off from the Louisville-Chicago math rock axis, June of 44 is moving the math rock sound forward in new ways that are both intense and eloquent
(01/21/98)

V.I.P. - Jungle Brothers
Hip-Hop, review by Jon Caramanica
Socially conscious hip-hop pioneers the Jungle Brothers find the dance floor. Pointlessness ensues. (03/08/00)

Raw Deluxe - Jungle Brothers
Hip-Hop/R&B, review by Terri Sutton
As usual, the New York rappers The Jungle Brothers -- who introduced Tribe Called Quest and inspired De La Soul -- can't help but come up with catchy refrains and slamming beats on "Raw Deluxe." (06/04/97)