The essential Steve Wonder album. The sheer number of excellent tracks on Songs is astonishing, and Wonder balances his erudite social commentary with rapturous love songs and jaw-dropping musicianship. Funky, danceable and brilliant, the album is a culmination of his '70s aesthetic; it still sounds fresh today. Highlights include "Sir Duke" and "Pastime Paradise." Editor: Sarah Bardeen
Live at the Isle of Wight may not be as pristinely recorded as Live at Leeds, but there's so much energy, such deep engagement with the audience, that it trumps the more famous recording. Townshend's guitar-playing is more psychedelic than usual, while Roger Daltrey preens so vividly that you can almost hear the beads clatter on his fringe jacket. Bawdy songs like "Water," with the classic line "We need water, and maybe somebody's daughter," show the band's high spirits as they banter with the crowd. As a bonus of the long set, the band performs Tommy in its entirety. Editor: Jaan Uhelszki
The sixth installment in Mark Farina's acclaimed Mushroom Jazz series keeps the lights dim and the air hazy. Funk keys, faraway voices and snatches of soundtrack strings give the music a billowy sense of atmosphere; chunky hip-hop beats and stand-up bass lines provide the rubbery backbone. If you miss the glory days of Mo' Wax's toe-scuffing beats, Mushroom Jazz 6 is just the thing to get you shuffling down the lane again. Editor: Philip Sherburne
When Beyonce goes schizo -- dividing her musical persona into balladeer Beyonce and club diva Sasha Fierce -- she is certainly organized about it. She dedicates the first side to the 'Yonce persona and the second to Fierce. Both halves are great. The gorgeous, sweeping "Halo" displays her incredible range and knack for squeezing pathos from stone, while the second half's "Diva" offers Fierce a chance to strut through Bangladesh's stuttering production while proclaiming, "Diva is the female version of a hustler." Editor: Sam Chennault
Nickelback worked with veteran producer Mutt Lange (AC/DC, Def Leppard) on Dark Horse, and not surprisingly the album is as heavy as, if not heavier than, the kajillion-selling All the Right Reasons, with more chug-a-chug songs than the anthemic ballads they scored with in 2005 ("Far Away," "Photograph"). Fans of those ballads still have "I'd Come for You " and "Never Gonna Be Alone," which are just as good as any Kelly Clarkson song (admit it, you like "Breakaway"). The fact is, while Nickelback may prefer playing fast 'n' loud, they're really good at the melodrama. Editor: Mike McGuirk
What is the deal with American Idols releasing eponymous albums? Perhaps they're trying to ensure we don't forget their names -- a valid concern (Taylor Hicks, anyone?). David Cook ought to be all right, though. His debut shows off that gruffly sensitive voice the ladies love, as well as his true ace in the hole: the ability to make post-grunge sound both authentic and accessible. Put another way, tracks like the soaring "Mr. Sensitive" and the hushed, hurt "Lie" could win over even the most adamantly anti-Nickelback contingent. Just call it the Daughtry method. Editor: Rachel Devitt
For an artist who won over audiences with a platform of preternatural talent, endearing naivete, and a baby face just asking to be pinched, David Archuleta's ability to sound so ... adult always comes as a surprise. Here and there on his debut, a lack of depth and dimension -- musically and emotionally -- hints at the Idol runner-up's youth. But for the most part, the vocals are rich and mature, and the tracks are sensitive and even a little all-grown-up sexy ("My Hands"). In other words, just what the man-voiced, baby-faced crooner's devotees (tween girls and their middle-aged moms) ordered. Editor: Rachel Devitt
In the wintry world of Enya's first-ever Christmas release, the Irish artist carries us across snowy fields that stretch for miles, wind-swept by unearthly "oohs" and "ahhs" and accompanied by the shimmering bridle bells of the ivory gelding's canter. The collection of originals is mixed with some traditionals -- like the startled rendition "O Come O Come Emmanuel" -- but leans toward agnostic winter leitmotifs. The most interesting song is the penultimate "My! My! Time Flies!," a gentle snowball fight between John Tesh and Brian May that includes, of all rare gifts, a genuine guitar solo. Editor: Nate Cavalieri
Released just a few days after the 2008 presidential election, Seal's lead-off cover of Sam Cooke's "A Change Is Gonna Come" seems particularly well timed, as does his late-career transformation from the linen-draped adult alternative belter to smoky soul revivalist. Even if the programmed beats and orchestral embellishments gratuitously (up)date the ace selection, the singer's full-throated evocation of James Brown, Al Green and Eddie Floyd is a captivating, successful endeavor. Ending with a straightforward take on the Impressions' "People Get Ready," Seal's reinvention is refreshing. Editor: Nate Cavalieri
Long stuck in the shadow of the metal titans Queens of the Stone Age, the Eagles of Death Metal have so primed their swaggering, rock'n'roll engine that no one will mistake them for a hot-rod side project again. Their recent concert in Madison, Wis., demonstrates their groove-oriented tunes can shake hips as well as preconceptions. More
