Boomtown
Artist: David & David
Community Score: 10.00

David & David's Boomtown is a hard look at urban life in the 1980s, a time when many were fulfilling the American Dream of financial success and upward mobility. It is not an easy album to listen to, as the characters depicted in the songs are often dealing with major problems such as drugs and domestic violence. But it is an artful record, full... Read More

When the Pawn Hits the Conflicts He Thinks Like a King...
Artist: Fiona Apple
Community Score: 7.84

Fiona Apple may have been grouped in with the other female singer/songwriters who dominated the pop charts in 1996 and 1997, but she stood out by virtue of her grand ambitions and considerable musical sophistication. Even though her 1996 debut Tidal occasionally was hampered by naiveté, it showcased a gifted young artist in the process of... 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

Burn to Shine
Artist: Ben Harper
Community Score: 9.17
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

Pieces of You - JAPAN BONUS TRACKS
Artist: Jewel
Community Score: 5.00

Pieces of You is a charming debut that is somewhat undone by its own naïveté. Jewel has a rich voice and an innocent, beguiling charm that makes "Who Will Save Your Soul," "I'm Sensitive," and "You Were Meant for Me" -- songs with slight, simple lyrics and catchy, sweet melodies -- quite endearing; they sound like a high-school diary brought to... Read More

Best of Joe South: Retrospect
Artist: Joe South

Koch's Best of Joe South: Retrospect is a good, basic collection of Joe South's hits and key album tracks, spanning 16 tracks and including such staples as "Hush," "Down in the Boondocks," "Games People Play," "Rose Garden," "These are Not My People," "Untie Me," "Don't It Make You Want to Go Home," and "Walk a Mile in My Shoes." The song... Read More

Collection
Artist: Julia Fordham
Community Score: 9.33

Julia Fordham has rarely found a song that her voice didn't capture and own. Herein lies a best-of collection of 15 tracks, including some new versions of her classics, a remix of "I Thought It Was You," and two new tracks confirming this assertion. Although other fan favorites are missing, such as "The Comfort of Strangers" and "I Want to Call... 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

Other Songs
Artist: Ron Sexsmith
Community Score: 9.50

The quandary of the whole solo singer/songwriter thing is that one listener's deeply personal and affecting music is another's boringly self-absorbed slop. And the fine line between them, between naked emotion and unadulterated pap, is the production, its intent, and above all, the talent trapped in it -- so highly exposed, after all. In this... Read More

Irish Heartbeat
Artist: Van Morrison
Community Score: 8.75

Although still purposeful, Van Morrison's '80s albums were becoming repetitive when he took a break for this collaboration with the Chieftains on traditional Irish songs. The result takes him back to his earliest days and finds him singing with renewed conviction. This album should appeal to all fans of Irish music as well as Morrison lovers. ~... 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