Latest from Album reviews

Review: Big Sean, Dark Sky Paradise

Madonna's new album all mixed-up

Ah Madonna. Despite that rare moment of vulnerability when she fell down the stairs at the Brit Awards last week, these days she mostly seems like an indestructible creation.

Album review: Steve Earle and the Dukes, Terraplane

The only surprising thing about Earle making a blues album - given he's done rock, country, folk and bluegrass - is that it took him so long.

Album review: Purity Ring, Another Eternity

Passion Pit making out with The xx while Ellie Goulding films things quietly in the corner.

Album review: Public Service Broadcasting, The Race for Space

The 2013 debut album Inform-Educate-Entertain by this British duo married sometimes driving rock or evocative soundscapes with spoken word samples from old British and American docos and films.

Album review: Songhoy Blues, Music In Exile

It's hard to fully explain this album without setting it in context.

Album review: Kiasmos, Kiasmos

One of the most interesting, if not visually engaging, artists at Laneway was electronica boffin Jon Hopkins, who added edge and scratchy beats to elevate his sound above the quasi-ambience of his albums.

Album review: Kodaline, Coming Up For Air

Irish band Kodaline move away from indie folk-fuelled first album In A Perfect World with the release of their sophomore album, Coming Up For Air.

Album review: The Waterboys, Modern Blues Kobalt

Chief Waterboy Mike Scott said after his last album - musical settings of poems by W.B. Yeats - that he wanted to return to rock 'n' roll, hence these nine often rambunctious, sometimes soulful, occasionally thoughtful and mostly engaging songs.

Meet the new Kriss Kross

Remember Kriss Kross? Those two-hit wonders who wore all their clothes backwards and wanted to "warm it up" and "make you jump, jump" in 1992? Get ready to meet 2015's version.

Album review: Lupe Fiasco, Tetsuo & Youth

In his early days, Lupe Fiasco was billed as a mini-Kanye, full to the brim with self-aware raps and smart social commentaries, with an ego to match.

Say hello to a 'slower, wiser' Manson

What's a shock rocker to do when he can no longer shock, or rock?

Mark Ronson's Uptown Special 'freakin' joyous'

Mark Ronson is a peculiarly modern musician, whose talents in twiddling knobs and selecting the perfect collaborators are just as important as his magpie-like ability to pick out half-buried musical jewels from the past.

Fall Out Boy's miraculous career reboot

When it comes to career resurrections, Fall Out Boy's recent resurgence is nothing short of miraculous.

Album review: Nicki Minaj, The Pinkprint

Smart, sassy, and super scary, it showed that at her best, the 32-year-old can be considered among the best rappers around.

Album review: D'Angelo and the Vanguard

D'Angelo actually dropped his first release in 14 years in 2014, a musical surprise just before Christmas, but that left us no time to review it before the holidays.