Tigerlily
Artist: Natalie Merchant
Community Score: 6.10

Tigerlily, Natalie Merchant's first solo record, does sound different than 10,000 Maniacs. Instead of relying strictly on jangly folk-rock, Merchant continues opening her music up as she did on Our Time in Eden, her last album with the Maniacs. From the understated groove of "Carnival" to the rolling "San Andreas Fault," the added emphasis on... Read More

Say It Is So
Artist: Tim Finn

Seven years separated Tim Finn's fourth album, 1993's Before & After, and his fifth, Say It Is So, by which time he was left without a label. With a backlog of songs and inspiration from American alt-country acts, Finn went to Nashville in late 1998 to record with producer and multi-instrumentalist Jay Joyce, lacking any clear idea where or when... Read More

Encore!
Artist: Neil Finn
P.S.: A Toad Retrospective
Artist: Toad the Wet Sprocket
Community Score: 6.80

Toad the Wet Sprocket was among the best and most popular of the adult alternative pop/rockers of the early '90s. They harnessed R.E.M.'s jangle pop, smoothed it out, and turned it into something pretty, melodic, and accessible to a wide audience. Toad the Wet Sprocket never was as idiosyncratic or edgy as R.E.M., so they could reach a totally... Read More

Amen
Artist: Paula Cole
Community Score: 10.00

Thanks to Paula Cole's appearance on the first Lilith Fair and "Where Have All the Cowboys Gone?," This Fire didn't really take off until nearly a year after its 1996 release; plus, its closer "I Don't Want to Wait" became nearly omnipresent in 1998. So, the gap between This Fire and its sequel, Amen, didn't feel all that long, but a cursory... Read More

Whereabouts
Artist: Ron Sexsmith
Community Score: 8.90

Ron Sexsmith's third album continues the singer/songwriter's talent -- and perhaps his need -- for revealing his delicate and contemplative reflections on life and himself. On Whereabouts, Sexsmith sounds vulnerable yet a bit more worldly than on his previous two albums, and his clear, plaintive vocals sound best on the most introspective tracks... Read More

Adam's Rib
Artist: Melanie Doane
Community Score: 10.00

Canadian singer/songwriter Melanie Doane poses in a white T-shirt and black leather pants, with an electric guitar slung over her shoulder, on the front and back covers of her debut CD, Adam's Rib, but she doesn't actually play that instrument on the album, sticking instead to her primary axe, the violin, along with occasional piano and... Read More

Mile High Live
Artist: The Freddy Jones Band

After four studio albums, it seems logical for the Freddy Jones Band to finally come with a live release that draws upon those previous outings. The band also has developed quite a rep as a live unit around their native Chicago area and this disc goes a long way toward capturing some of that live excitement. A Mile High Live draws selections... Read More

Live at Luther College
Artist: Dave Matthews
Community Score: 9.17

After the bootleg industry was revolutionized by CDs in the late '80s, it seemed that every contemporary recording artist had at least one bootleg on the market. It wasn't that studio outtakes were suddenly available -- it was that it was easier than ever to record, press, and distribute live concerts. Rock bands who jammed, whether they were... Read More

Angels & Electricity
Artist: Eddi Reader
Community Score: 10.00

In these health-conscious times, it's tempting to distrust the sweet and pretty. But not everything that tastes good is bad for you. Bear that in mind as you listen to Eddi Reader's latest solo album, on which she teams up with fellow British pop-folkie Boo Hewerdine (who plays guitar, produces and wrote half the songs) to deliver a luscious... Read More

White Ladder
Artist: David Gray
Community Score: 7.92

David Gray's fan base is strong and active. They have seen him through his years with Virgin Records, during which time he was applauded for his talent, emotive voice, and songwriting skills yet never quite broke through to a mainstream audience. White Ladder showcases Gray like never before; it's an album of such depth and quality that one... Read More