Category: Music

Artist: Metallica Title: St. Anger Label: Elektra Rating: 6/10 Company Line: When you’re able to brandish the kind of musical firepower that Metallica has unleashed for more than two decades – 10 uncompromising albums, marking an unprecedented reign as the Greatest hard rock band in history you learn a thing or two about where to…

Artist: “Weird Al” Yankovic Title: Poodle Hat Label: Jive Rating: 6.5/10 Company Line: Poodle Hat is Produced by Al himself (as his albums have been for more than a decade), the disc includes 12 tracks on which the two-time Grammy winner and best-selling pop satirist unleashes his wit on songs by Eminem, Nelly, Avril Lavigne,…

Artist: Brian McKnight Title: U-Turn Label: Motown Rating: 8/10 Corporate Line: U-Turn features an impressive line-up with cameo appearances by Nelly, Carl Thomas, Tyrese, Kirk Franklin, and other heavy-hitters. The album features a more eclectic McKnight as he glides effortlessly from slow soulful ballads to up-tempo hip-hop tracks. The Good: “All Night Long” – McKnight…

Artist: Traffic Title: When The Eagle Flies Label: Universal Rating: 7.5/10 Company Line: When The Eagle Flies was Traffic’s swan song–and a Top 10-charting gold masterpiece for Winwood, Capaldi, Wood and Jamaican-born bassist Rosko Gee. The ambitious mini-suite “Dream Gerrard,” evocative “Graveyard People,” “Walking In The Wind,” “Memories Of A Rock ‘N Rolla,” groovy “Love”…

Artist: Radiohead Title: Hail to The Theif Label: Capitol Rating: 7/10 Company Line: The first sound you hear on the album is the first sound that was recorded at the first session at Oceanway studios: Jonny plugging his guitar into an amplifier followed by a percussion track from a nearby lap-top, all recorded live. “The…

Artist: John Mellencamp Title: Trouble No More Label: Columbia Rating: 6.5/10 Company Line: Mellencamp returns to his roots with twelve classic American folk/blues songs. The Good: “Stones In My Passway” – A fantastic cover of Robert Johnson’s classic. “Joliet Bound” – What a fantastic cover. You almost feel like Mellencamp is preparing for a long,…

Artist: Sugar Ray Title: In The Pursuit Of Leisure Label: Atlantic Rating: 4/10 Company Line: It’s summertime and the living is easy – what better time then for the sun-bleached sounds of Sugar Ray’s “IN THE PURSUIT OF LEISURE”? The South California fivesome’s eagerly awaited fifth album – the follow-up to 2001’s million-selling “SUGAR RAY”…

Artist: Inspectah Deck Title: The Movement Label: Koch Rating: 6/10 Corporate Line: Unlike Inspectah Deck’s previous work with the Clan, The Movement allows the versatile MC to truly flex his skills. When you’re doing a Wu-Tang Album there’s so many creative minds clashing that sometimes the best thought may not get acknowledged,” relays Deck. “With…

Artist: Fountains of Wayne Title: Welcome Interstate Managers Label: Virgin Rating: 6.5/10 Company Line: On their long-awaited third album, Welcome Interstate Managers, Fountains Of Wayne tackle such time-honored pop subjects as love, work, frustrated commuters, drunken salesmen, retired airline pilots, pressured quarterbacks, bad waitresses, vegan entrepreneurs, clip-on ties, exploding cell phones, lawn mowing, vacations without…