Believe Acoustic – Justin Bieber – Partying like it's 3020 ain't what it used to be on this dreary six string version of the pretty crappy to start with original album plus three songs,. Those three include the completely asinine farewell to Selena the piano based "Nothing Like Us", a pretty good reason alone for Selena to dump the cretin. Forget the terrible, generic lyric, the melody is just… actually I don't think there is. As always, "Boyfriend" is the exception – Grade: D
Feeling Mortal – Kris Kristofferson – Kris's aptly named newbie finds Kris in Johnny Cash land croaking to original material and with a little more life left in him. But what is missing is that moment of truth Cash had on "Hurt". Still, he wrote em them himself and on "Ramblin' Jack" the feistiness for both him and the late great Jack Elliott. It doesn't sound like the end of the line for Kris quite yet – Grade: B+
Love Songs – Destiny's Child – I've never been a big fan of Beyonce's first band and this collection of lame love songs proves once and for all that all Supreme wannabes cool down to room temperature – Grade: C-
Vessel – Twenty One Pilots – Mid-West populists first major label recording is a goodie. Twelve killa no filla of highly orginal, well rapped and well sung pop songs with an oddball 1990s flavor. A little too shallow sure, and why the obsession with sleeping? But it works on song after song. Neon Trees watch out – Grade: A-
Take The Kids Off Broadway – Foxygen – West Coast duo play all the instruments on a multi-layered rock EP. Old fashioned hard rock that whoops it up and lets it all hang out like hero Anton Newcombe – Grade: B+
Fourth Corner – Trixie Whitley – Already a contender for debut album of the year, the production is dark and dry and her voice is deep and soft, the lyrics poetic and implacable and the songs all over the place though the best songs are big time – Grade: A-
Til The River Runs Down – Eric Burden – The Animals lead singer acts his age and sings blues burners, with various degrees of success – Grade: B
General Dome – Buke & Gase – Loud and extremely dangerous experimental rock duo are better than their songs and better than this on stage. They build their own instruments and the chick sings em pretty well – Grade: B
Hummingbird – Local Natives – Alyson liked these guys more than I did when she caught them at Amoeba. I think they are pleasantly laid back West Coast bores who have a way with a harmony – Grade: C+
Rumor Super Deluxe – Fleetwood Mac – The outtakes aren't that thrilling, but the live stuff is awesome and the album is a complete masterpiece – Grade: A
The Divinity Of Purpose – Connecticut's finest scream it out through a handful of tracks you feel like you've heard before… many many time – Grade: B
Heartthrob – Tegan And Sara – Better than it has any right, these built for Lilith Fair girls have made an album of sexy love songs as memorable as these two wimps possibly can. Sure, it gets a bit much well before the end of the album but still, the come on is consistent and Melissa Etheridge has never been close to this good – Grade: B
Get Up! – Ben Harper – I saw Harper open for Pearl Jam in the early 1990s and have considered him a self-important bore evermore. But 20 years on we are all a lot older and so let's forgive him and admit that the harp playing here is incredible – Grade: B-
The Flower Lane – Ducktail – Real estate have got a synth and they're gonna use it – Grade: C