Editors' Choice for March 2009

Great vocals, nearly perfect guitar, and emotionally gripping songs make Spent Bullets one of the best albums Adam Franklin has been associated with.

— Rovi Staff

The techno producer's first full-length, rooted in cycling rhythms yet with album-shaped mood and tone shifts, sets a high bar for other Ostgut label releases.

— Rovi Staff

South African quartet BLK JKS releases highly danceable EP.

— Maggie Serota

More accessible than its predecessor, BROMST is still visionary.

— Anthony Tognazzini

Speaks to an era when bands like Tortoise and Trans AM were funneling the influence of everything from jazz to Fugazi.

— Kenneth Herzog

Jeremy Jay recalls a curious hybrid of lo-fi indie-pop and danceable post-punk.

— Kenneth Herzog

Sardonic, food-obsessed standup comic's first CD release following his 2006 mainstream breakthrough.

— Charity Stafford

While many of Jones’s concepts are recycled, he still executes them well.

— Matt Rinaldi

Australian country singer's fifth album returns to lighter topics after its uncharacteristically somber predecessor.

— Charity Stafford

ALL I EVER WANTED is a return to form for Clarkson, hearkening back to the spirited, sprightly rock of her debut.

— Anthony Tognazzini

This completely instrumental collection of original tunes is brilliant, beautiful, and deeply moving, and among the most unique acoustic guitar recordings out there today.

— Rovi Staff

MASTERS serves as a retrospective of Little Walter’s career during the golden age of Chicago blues.

— Anthony Tognazzini

Crosby’s mellow, sly croon and Armstrong’s spirited, raspy growl make for a matchless combination.

— Mark Keresman

Subtler and gentler than much of her previous work, the luminous (A)spera nevertheless feels like a summation of everything that Mirah recorded before it.

— Rovi Staff

Like Dolly Parton during her early ’70s heyday, there is no mistaking who this moment belongs to.

— Kenneth Herzog

This two-disc, 49-track career-spanning compilation concentrates on Lowe's wry, immaculately crafted songs rather than his pop prankster side.

— Rovi Staff

Dark, yet hyper-catchy, debut record by Eddie Vedder's Seattle crew helped put grunge on the map.

— Jason Thurston

LIVING THING is the highly anticipated "proper" studio follow-up to Peter Bjorn and John's indie-pop hit album, WRITER'S BLOCK.

— Eric Schneider

Longtime friends and creative partners reunite for their first full-length collaboration in 13 years.

— Charity Stafford

While maintaining their dreamy foundation, Speck Mountain pay homage to their soulful side on this 40-minute offering of neo-psych gospel with bluesy undercurrents.

— Rovi Staff

The Balky Mule is the alias of U.K. indie-pop performer Sam Jones.

— Eric Schneider

On COMMUNION, the Soundtrack of Our Lives attempt to live up to their name, and come close.

— Stephen May

Acclaimed R&B singer/songwriter The-Dream balances suave seduction with love-struck earnestness over 14 hot tracks.

— Matt Rinaldi

This live album captures a fiery Thin Lizzy in concert delivering hits like "Jailbreak" and "The Boys Are Back in Town."

— Jim Allen

The 24 songs on this highly entertaining various-artists compilation inspired Aretha Franklin's own cover versions, many recorded during the Queen of Soul's '60s/'70s heyday.

— Rovi Staff

1969's SOUL PORTRAIT marked Hutch's debut as a solo artist.

— Jim Allen

PARADOX revisits the history of minimal music, reaching back to Steve Reich, Moondog, and Can.

— Anthony Tognazzini