Otis Blue finds the venerable soul man coming into his own, delivering his trademark raspy, passionate vocals over stellar Stax/Volt musicianship. Cover songs are the order of the day here, as Redding gives his personal touch to classics by Sam Cooke, the Rolling Stones and the Temptations. Exceptional tunes from a true master. Editor: Brolin Winning
Benson returns with a passel of songs that pay tribute to his unrequited love of power pop. Tying huge licks to intricate song construction, he builds tunes that are sumptuously rich and gorgeously hummable. "Spit It Out" could be the best radio song you won't hear on the radio in 2005. Editor: Jon Maples
This Tom Jobim concert from the 1980s features Gal Costa and many other special guests. While there is a nostalgic glow to the set it is also one of the Brazilian mainstay's very best albums. That's because it finds the balance between laidback and energetic and the stripped down arrangements top some of the orchestral backings that are found on Jobim studio recordings. You have to hear the yacht romance "Two Kites," which gets definitive treatment here. Editor: Nick Dedina
Death Cab take a great leap forward with Narrow Stairs, combining their trademark melodic indie pop with the kind of loose, free-wheeling band jams that Wilco are famous for. And while the sound and feel here is brawnier, the band hasn't gotten any less brainy, or dialed down the plaintiveness it's known for: as evidenced by the bonus acoustic tracks featured on this exclusive expanded edition -- including "Brothers on a Hotel Bed" from Plans and the chestnut "Photobooth" from 2000's Forbidden Love EP -- Ben Gibbard's heartfelt croon and intellectual prose is in fine form. Editor: Nick Dedina
What do you get when you mix Sublime's chemically induced devil-may-care, antipathy-as-transcendence SoCal Buddhism with Limp Bizkit's nookie-kneading ethos and a dollop of J5 Old-Skool lite hip-hop? One of the biggest singles of the year, apparently. Hits singles "Buzzin" and "Corona and Lime" are the type of song you tease your lil' sis for jocking yet find yourself humming on the way to work. If nothing else here rises to those heights, it's only because Shwayze is busy partying at the "backyard block party out by the mall." Editor: Sam Chennault
This streamlined live set, recorded in Las Vegas, makes a case for Chris Daughtry's ability as a live performer. With crisp acoustic guitars, "What About Now?" is served best by the setting, though fan favorites like "It's Not Over" and "Home" are rewarded with the roar of the crowd. Editor: Nate Cavalieri
Coldplay have mastered their anthemic craft so precisely that with every peak of Chris Martin's falsetto you can hear the faintest cha-ching of dollar signs. So, for them to usher in Brian Eno to help dip their toes into new terrain is a move that deserves some props. Eno gives them room to build their grandiose crescendos, while adding in oblique bars of airy soundscapes ("Life in Technicolor"), Eastern strings ("Yes"), Renaissance strut ("Strawberry Swing") and even some Phil Collins swagger ("Violet Hill"). It's a good progression, but not as innovative as they might have been hoping for. Editor: Stephanie Benson
Among the High School Musicians to storm the charts in the mid-'00s, the Jonas Brothers may yet prove themselves to be the most enduring, as evidenced by their third full-length. With subtle sophistication, the guitar raves here bear the instincts (if not always the influence) of dad's Cheap Trick LPs, and the best of these tracks, "One Man Show" and "Burnin' Up," boast a caffeinated catchiness that trumps the tween-targeted records of their past. And when they throw curves (the breezy ballad "Lovebug," the snarky "Video Girl"), it's a glimpse of the promise of future records. Editor: Nate Cavalieri
For her third disc, "Lil Miss Sunshine" stakes a claim as the queen of R&B by turning to the '80s. On "Shut Up and Drive," she samples New Order's "Blue Monday," while lead single "Umbrella" -- with Rihanna's understated, nasal vocals wrapping around dramatic strings -- would fit nicely in a John Hughes flick. The spunky "Breakin' Dishes" is more fun than bitter, and "Rehab" overcomes its rather mawkish sentiments to be an effective break-up ballad. There's hardly a throwaway track, and Rihanna continues to evolve. This edition includes three unreleased tracks, including hit "Take a Bow." Editor: Sam Chennault
"Changes are no good" is something that the Stills sang about on their debut album, but the Canadian indie-rockers learned the lesson the hard way when their "difficult" second disc took a nosedive upon release. The band's brand new record resurrects their old sound to win back the disillusioned rock hipsters. More
