Tomorrow Never Dies - ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK
Artist: David Arnold
Community Score: 7.77

The soundtrack to Tomorrow Never Dies, the second James Bond film starring Pierce Brosnan, is strengthened by David Arnold's remarkable score. Arnold keeps the swinging, brass- and string-saturated John Barry foundation intact, but he updates the sound with aggressive arrangements, innovative compositions and the occasional techno flourish, all... Read More

Drive - JAPAN BONUS TRACKS
Artist: Bic Runga

New Zealand export Bic Runga not only wrote everything on her debut, Drive, but also played guitar and xylophone, and even served as producer. The result is a lovely first effort that hints at greater things to come. Using her engaging, childlike voice to full effect, Runga mostly ruminates on love lost and found, all within the confines of... Read More

Fumbling Towards Ecstasy - JAPAN BONUS TRACK
Artist: Sarah McLachlan

Fumbling Towards Ecstasy finds Sarah McLachlan racing toward success as she reteams with producer Pierre Marchand on her breakthrough release and finest offering to date. Stretching her lyrical wings and experimenting a bit more instrumentally, the radiance of her work has somehow solidified here. Ecstasy is certainly attained, though not by... Read More

Maybe You've Been Brainwashed Too
Artist: The New Radicals
Community Score: 8.07

The more things change in music, the more they stay the same. The alternative rockers of the 1990s may have caused so-called corporate rockers like Poison and Bon Jovi to become less visible, but at the same time, the worship of 1970s baby boomer culture was alive and well among post-baby boomers. In 1998, one of the most memorable examples of... Read More

Electro-Shock Blues
Artist: Eels
Community Score: 8.28

The Eels' second release, Electro-Shock Blues, is a much darker album than their underrated debut, 1996's Beautiful Freak, but just as rewarding. Singer/guitarist/songwriter E experienced many upheavals in his personal life between albums (the passing of several family members and close friends), and decided to work his way through life's... Read More

The Best of the Lemonheads: The Atlantic Years
Artist: The Lemonheads

Evan Dando -- for all intents and purposes, he is the Lemonheads -- is a sporadically brilliant songwriter. Every one of his albums contains as many flops as masterpieces, sometimes more. Hardcore fans have learned to live with this and even cherish his dopey detours, but there are many others who would prefer to have all the best bits on... Read More

Drive
Artist: Bic Runga
Community Score: 8.00

New Zealand export Bic Runga not only wrote everything on her debut, Drive, but also played guitar and xylophone, and even served as producer. The result is a lovely first effort that hints at greater things to come. Using her engaging, childlike voice to full effect, Runga mostly ruminates on love lost and found, all within the confines of... Read More

The Best of James
Artist: James
Community Score: 9.97
Rufus Wainwright
Artist: Rufus Wainwright
Community Score: 9.30

What separates Rufus Wainwright and the other second-generation singers who sprang up at the same time (Sean Lennon, Emma Townshend, and Chris Stills the most notable among them) is that Wainwright deserves to be heard regardless of his family tree; in fact, the issue of his parentage is ultimately as immaterial as that of his sexuality -- this... Read More

All the Pain Money Can Buy
Artist: Fastball
Community Score: 5.93

When compared to their last album (the 1996 debut Make Your Mama Proud), Fastball's latest release shows that the group is steadily improving and honing their AAA/roots-rock sound. The biggest difference between All the Pain Money Can Buy and their debut is that by spicing up their songs with horns and classic synthesizer sounds, there is a... Read More

Left of the Middle
Artist: Natalie Imbruglia
Community Score: 8.17

Expectations for Natalie Imbruglia's debut album, Left of the Middle, were high because of the runaway success of the pre-album single "Torn" during 1997-1998. Fans of the single will be pleased to hear that the album is quite similar in approach and sound to the breakthrough single: laid-back alt-pop with sweetly melodic vocals. Admittedly,... Read More

Shaken & Stirred
Artist: David Arnold

David Arnold, the composer of the Independence Day soundtrack, assembled a talented roster of musicians for his James Bond project. The tracks include the most famous themes from the super spy series, including "Moonraker," "Diamonds Are Forever," and "Nobody Does It Better." The covers by the Propellerheads, Leftfield, Pulp's Jarvis Cocker, and... Read More

Complete Collection: 1991-1998
Artist: Tori Amos