a marvelous garage-band of an album, full of terrific songwriting and musical surprises.  the best album of last year (2003) .

yeah, fine, everybody else likes it too, but it is still really, really good.

another artist whose early work seemed doomed to the deep grave after brief popularity, but this is a powerful album full of seriousness and depth.  you won't miss the ephemeral beck.

a guy, his sister, and what sounds like a garage: this is unlike any other popular album i've heard this year.  it's as if lou reed was able to come out of the 90s.  melodic, minimalist pop.  and it's really, really good.  listen to little room, and try to tell me you were bored

hersh reasserts herself as one of the great songwriters.  this seems a deeply personal album, which is perhaps part of the source of its power, but wherever it comes from, it's stunning.

melodic, minimalist pop.  and it's really, really good. in fact, it was even really, really good before they put it on an acura commercial.  but it's still good (really, really). 

there isn't much about lucinda williams that has not already been written, but this album, both sweet and bitter, stays on the mind for days.  

punk girls go pop: this is a melodic and rich album, full of catchy hooks and top-notch songwriting, although the drums and guitar work still hammers away -- no synth here.   don't tell henry rollins, but these gals can do top 40 more intelligently than any prepube party girl.  "you're no rock-and-roll fun" could play in any sorority with attitude and some taste. 

punish me if you must, but elvis costello had it as one of his top 500, so i gave it a listen and it's really fresh: napster the tracks "venus as a boy" or "one day."  more polished than the original sugercube material, this is still the work of a serious and talented artist

an amazingly subtle and textured album from one of the original angry ggrrrrrlllls.   these are touching and often heartfelt songs that linger and float like smoke, showing songwriting talents that are unmatched.  this album runs the gauntlet of expression; all of it genuine and heartfelt.

okay, let's admit it: elliott smith is the closest thing we are going to get to a millennial bob dlyan: this is his fifth superb, multifaceted album spawning a songwriting career presently unmatched by any contemporary artist.  his range is breathtaking: from desperate, drug-influenced wastelands to a song subtitled "honky bach."   if you haven't found this artist you are unknowingly confined.

a charming collection of songs from the founder of the throwing muses, this in an understated album of melodic delights.  the accompanying album artwork is a blend of pale colors bleeding into each other, and it is an apt visual for these thoughtful songs.

this has the veneer of mellifluous pop, and the singles which have been given airplay are indistinguishable from many others, but this is a structured and delicate album, with several tracks which are simply and breathtakingly gorgeous.

galaxy 500 has achieved a cult status as a 80s answer to the velvet underground, and while long disbanded, front man dean wareham has gone on to some success with luna.  still, this is a spacious, lulling sound and top-notch songwriting which sounds remarkably timeless.

ndegeocello is a nigerian artist who sounds like few others; this is a haunting record; even-tempered, soulful, and lyrical.  a rare talent who deserves more attention.

soulful, intelligent pop; like lenny kravitz with twice the talent and half the ego.   a wonderful record.

while overhearing a recent interview with fiona makes me think the credit should go to producer jon brion, this is a lush, compelling album that is beautifully and carefully composed.

forced to sleuth MP3.com for work, I uncovered this jewel; a dark, haunting vocalist described as "a collusion between portishead and seal."  You won't see this promoted, but it's a dark and brilliant gem.

a remarkable record; a pop billie holiday, with a cat-scratched voice that finds phrases and accents which makes each song come newly alive on each listening.

what janet joplin might have sounded like if she hung with the chemical brothers: lyrical, haunting, understated melodies

surprisingly intelligent, increasingly complex melodies run underneath a pleasing pop surface.  don't just blow this off because you can (or can't) dance to it.

truth is that any eliot smith disc is as good: this is the freshest sound I've heard in years, soulful alternative folk

okay, it's an old one, but i dug it out of the back of the rack and it still grooves; a great and cohesive collection where the songs build and build