Captured live in 1975, when he was at the height of his artistic power, Bruce tears through a Born to Run-heavy set. "Born To Run" itself is a major highlight, but be sure not to miss the best song from his debut record, "It's Hard to Be a Saint in the City," which rocks so hard it sounds like Springsteen has Robbie Robertson and the Band behind him. Editor: Mike McGuirk
Far from your standard live album, this sucker bypasses old favorites in order to showcase new songs, instrumentals and a cover of the ageless standard "I'll See You in My Dreams" in front of a rapt London audience. The lush yet gentle backings recall the sophisticated 1920s jazz and 1960s pop, yet the songs never get sucked too far into the retro vibe. Top honors go to "Dreaming of You," though the absinthe mood of the entire album holds together, making this Stephen "The Real Tuesday Weld" Coates' best work since 2004's I, Lucifer. Editor: Nick Dedina
Cold War-era child prodigy/pianist Van Cliburn waltzes through Chopin's greatest hits with intensity and precision. These balanced performances walk that subtle line between excessive melodrama and emotionless frigidity. The "Winter Wind" etude feels especially effortless and haunting. Editor: Henry B.
Someday, when Miley Cyrus is shaving her head and entering rehab, we'll hear her cover of "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" as a cry for help. But Billy Ray's little girl is under a very different pressure: namely, to not be Britney. For someone who's meant to embody America's wholesome ideal of teendom, then, Miley's proper debut is pretty adult. Not in a Vanity Fair sense as much as just an undue focus on hard breakups and serious relationships. Except on the tween-tastic title track and the sassy "Fly on the Wall," Miley doesn't sound like she's having much fun. Editor: Rachel Devitt
With this 1983 release -- the last "raw" album U2 would make -- the band created the concept of an alternative arena rock group. The word "anthemic" doesn't even come close to describing the grandiose post-punk that they play here: This is genuinely brilliant, flag-waving rock music. U2 never sounded so totally rocking, so passionate and, honestly, so good. Classics such as "Sunday Bloody Sunday," "Two Hearts Beat as One" and "New Year's Day" sound even crisper on this remastered edition, which also comes with a bonus disc full of b-sides, club remixes, rarities and live cuts. Editor: Jon Pruett
With Oberst dropping his Bright Eyes handle and heading to a studio in a Mexican city famed for UFO sightings to record this album, things seemed poised for the deep end. But aside from the 49-second conch solo of "Valle Mistico," he stays with a relatively unadorned set of songwriter-driven rock in the mode of Cassadaga. Sturdy Americana rockers like "Danny Callahan" and "Souled Out!!!" owe stylistic debts to Wilco, though the crystalline simplicity of the ballads -- especially the elegant closer "Milk Thistle" -- bear the heartrending confessions of his signature. 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
On the conclusion to Wayne's Carter trilogy, clouds of incoherence give way to the occasional beams of lucidity. For the latter, nonsense transforms into catharsis, and Wayne sounds like a modern-day, word-drunk Screamin' Jay Hawkins, angry and defiant as he stares in the mirror. Other times, Wayne simply sounds drunk, sputtering limp jokes and railing against imaginary haters. The album's highs ("Mr. Carter," "Dr. Carter") are stunning, but they sink beneath generic pop-hop ("Ms. Officer") and mixtape material ("You Ain't Got Nottin'"). It's singular, but that's not always a compliment. Editor: Sam Chennault
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
Like Common, Mos Def or Talib Kweli, Nas occupies that murky ground between commercial hip-hop and the brainier purveyors of its better nature. On his new album, "Untitled," the highly acclaimed rapper steers away from settling juvenile street beefs to step up his comments on the hip-hop public's level of political engagement. More
