Michael Roberts

Although singer-songwriter Missy Higgins is a star in her native Australia, she's little known in the U.S. So prior to the stateside release of On a Clear Night, a CD that's already successful back home, she relocated to Los Angeles — and the move has required some adjustments. In Melbourne,...

Transitioning from overhyped buzz generator to perpetual powerhouse ain't easy, even for figures as charismatic as the Bloc Party men; the strain shows on the Brits' third LP. "Ares" is the sound of a band trying too hard, albeit with assists from some pretty interesting elements: screaming sirens, kinetic beats...

Here's a dirty little critical secret: Many times when reviewers describe an album as being a veteran band's best since "fill in the blank," they remember zilch about the discs that appeared in between. That's certainly the case when it comes to Oasis, which has been stylistically consistent to the...

After 1997's Urban Hymns proved to be a breakthrough for the Verve, frontman Richard Ashcroft went solo prematurely — and was punished by having quite a bit of strong music go largely ignored. Now Ashcroft has the band back together, and on "Sit and Wonder," Forth's lush opener, his form...

Santa Barbara native Katy Perry is capable of remaking herself for any promising target demographic. In her teens, she delivered achingly sincere contemporary Christian fare that wasn't so achingly sincere after all — though she is the daughter of two pastors — and now her One of the Boys persona...