the Decemberists - the Crane Wife

Genre Chamber pop Indie

year: 06 - review: The Crane Wife is no sell-out, retaining and even expanding their eccentricities, spinning more of Meloy’s beguiling characters and engrossing stories into their fourth straight, stellar full-length.

Bon Jovi - Lost Highway

Genre Country Rock

year: 07 - review: I must admit a guilty pleasure in actually liking the few tunes that Bon Jovi has penned in the past which fall in the area code of country-rock, so a new album comprised entirely of such offerings is fine by me. At least he's moved on from the poseur and vapid Cock Rock which made him famous and into other realms. This shows balls, if not some naivete. But Lost Highway is not art for art's sake. It's a meaningful attempt to branch out with his talent and broaden his appeal, and you can't fault the guy for the attempt. Now if he can only get Richie Sambora's attentions away from the latest Bimbo of the Month and on to his acoustic guitar, then he might really be on to something.

James Blunt - All The Lost Souls

Genre pop rock

year: 07 - review: There's plenty to scorn on All the Lost Souls; Blunt loves a well-worn phrase, and his attempts at humor can be surprisingly crude. But he's onto something. He's not making background music.