Nineteen years between albums is the sort of gap usually reserved for in-it-for-the-money reunions, but Hurricane--Grace Jones’ first album since 1989's Bulletproof Heart--suggests an artist who hasn't lost one shred of her disco nous or imperious command. Recorded with a string of collaborators including Brian Eno, Tricky, Tony Allen, and Wendy And Lisa of Prince's band ...

Manufacturer: Wall of Sound

Aha Shake Heartbreak may have blown open the doors of fame for Kings of Leon, but their third full-length album (named for a United Pentecostal Church ministers' conference) could well usher the Nashville foursome directly to rock and roll's zenith. There's hardly a change in plans for the three Followill brothers and their cousin, and that means producer Ethan Johns, a smorgasbord of ...

Manufacturer: Columbia

Manufacturer: Universal

Manufacturer: RCA

Manufacturer: 14th Floor

Manufacturer: UMTV

Manufacturer: EMI

Who would have thought it? Nobody, that's who. The last time African music enjoyed any meaningful dalliance with the Western mainstream it was under Paul Simon's patronage with his peerless 1986 album Graceland. That's if you don't count Damon Albarn's extra curricular indulgences (which you don't). The last place we expected it to turn up again was from four New York kids who otherwise ...

Manufacturer: Xl

Famous for demonstrating how less is more when it comes to publicity, it comes as no surprise that The Age of the Understatement, the first side project from Alex Turner of the Arctic Monkeys, should appear to no great fanfare. The Last Shadow Puppets are Turner and Miles Kane, formerly of Monkeys tourmates The Little Flames and now in the Rascals, aided by producer (and here, drummer) ...

Manufacturer: Domino Recordings

Anyone looking for the key to ABBA's enduring appeal should look no further than "Voulez Vous" and "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)" for their answer. There was an innocence to the Swedish quartet, even when they were singing about one-night stands and the invitations to them. Gold establishes that the band, while appreciated as campy, were actually multifaceted in their ...

Manufacturer: Polydor