Liz Phair, "Funstyle" (self-released) Rating:2/4You’ve gotta hand it to our wayward homegirl on this count, if no other: At age 43, a dozen years after “whitechocolatespaceegg,” her last beginning-to-end enjoyable album before she moved to Hollywood and
Alejandro Escovedo, "Street Songs of Love" (Fantasy) Rating: 3/4A favorite son of Texas and adopted hero of Chicago, Alejandro Escovedo has never been one to rest on his laurels, not with his groundbreaking early combos (the Nuns, Rank & File, and True Beli
M.I.A., "Maya" (N.E.E.T./XL/Interscope) Rating: 3/4“You want me to be/Somebody who I’m really not,” Sri Lankan-born, British-raised rapper and artistic provocateur Maya Arulpragasam chants on “XXXO,” one of the most stri
Scissor Sisters, "Night Work" (Universal) Rating: 2/4 Part performance-art project, part burlesque troupe, and part musical homage to the underrated artistry of the disco era, New York’s provocatively named Sister Sisters transcended the potentially schtick
Big Boi, "Sir Lucious Left Foot: The Son of Chico Dusty" (Purple Ribbon/Def Jam) Rating: 3/4Antwan “Big Boi” Patton generally is portrayed as the more down-to-earth half of the multi-platinum-selling hip-hop duo Outkast, the streetwise rapper who balances t
The Roots, "How I Got Over" (Def Jam) Rating: 4/4For nearly two decades, the Roots have justified their oft-cited reputation as the best live band in hip-hop, though that title pays short shrift to the wild musical creativity and inspiring revolutionary themes of their
Wolf Parade, "Expo 86" (Sub Pop) Rating: 3.5/4 Fans of Wolf Parade long have championed this indie-rock quartet from Montreal for pursuing a modern brand of melodically infectious but rhythmically challenging art-rock akin to the New Wave-era best from Peter Gabriel, D
