May 12, 2008 10:14AM

Carolina Liar - Coming to Terms

Artist: Carolina Liar Review: After leaving his native South Carolina in 2002, Carolina Liar frontman Chad Wolf strummed his guitar in many L.A. coffeehouses before being rescued from obscurity by an internship with songwriter Diane Warren and a paid gig dancing in a Celine Dion video. His story is a typical Hollywood fantasy — which might be why four tracks from his band's New Wave-y rock debut have already been featured on The Hills. Fusing the anthemic elements of U2 and the Killers with the electro productio... Rating: 3 Stars

May 12, 2008 10:08AM

Islands - Arm's Way

Artist: Islands Review: On their 2006 debut, this Montreal six-piece were like a pothead carnival of bloopy synths, African rhythms and pop-culture references. But on?Arm's Way, gifted singer-songwriter Nick Thorburn broadens the band's quirk-pop into wonderfully shambolic arena rock — for an arena of 5,000 people. Guitars mingle with viola, clarinet and piano, hopping genres and tempos with an Of Montreal-style theatricality. "Pieces of You" begins with a gypsy bop, moves into a harmonic bridge worthy of... Rating: 3 Stars

May 12, 2008 10:17AM

Old 97's - Blame It On Gravity

Artist: Old 97's Review: Over the past 15 years, Old 97's have evolved from country-punk yahoos into master-class rock & roll songwriters. For proof, see their album opener, "The Fool," a speed-strummed joy ride that tells the story of two doomed lovers in Day-Glo detail. "He came from Phoenix in a borrowed VW Bug," sings frontman Rhett Miller, already breathless; the girl he likens to "a drug/Hallucinogenic with no hangover at all." And yet, after some LPs focused more on popcraft than adrenaline, there's... Rating: 3.5 Stars

May 12, 2008 10:06AM

Foxy Brown - Brooklyn's Don Diva

Artist: Foxy Brown Review: Midway through her fourth album, Foxy Brown claims that her "piss is clean" — a sensible thing to boast, since she's addressing her parole officer. Recently released after eight months in prison, the New York rapper spends much of Brooklyn's Don Diva covering her pre-jail legal problems and pesky media coverage: On "We Don't Surrender," she raps, "I got a 32-shot clip aimed at Page Six." Despite the tabloid-worthy subject matter, a couple of bangers are invigorating, with Foxy... Rating: 2.5 Stars

May 12, 2008 09:57AM

- In The Name Of Love Africa Celebrates U2

Artist: Review: Bono deserves props for global stumping on Africa's behalf. So it's good that this tribute is a rootsy thank-you, not a world-music cheesefest. Guinea's Ba Cissoko reinvents "Sunday Bloody Sunday" with kora-harp ripples, guitarist Vieux Farka Touré turns "Bullet the Blue Sky" into a dusty Malian blues, and Cheikh Lô makes "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" into a chattering Afro-flamenco workout. Great songwriting makes translation easier. Rating: 3 Stars