I bought a previous Sons and Daughters album, The Repulsion Box, from a listening station. It is an album I mostly forget about, but when I give it a probation spin I like it too much to part with it. Kind of a 1980s vibe, with short guitar riffs, synchopated rhythm, and catchy melodies. The music on This Gift is similar, suggesting a similar fate for the album.

Eh. I am a huge fan of Love and Theft from 2001. This album is in the same vein, but lackluster in my opinion. I actively dislike "Life is Hard." The presence of David Hidalgo on accordian and guitar makes it sometimes sound like a Los Lobos album.

Toussaint and a group of fine jazz musicians (Nicholas Payton, Don Byron, and Marc Ribot among others) interpret various jazz standards associated with the city of New Orleans. Their performances are quite pleasant on first listen and get even better after that. Even the oldest tunes feel up to date. Recommended.

An actual rock opera from everyone's favorite prog-rock folk band. I bought it after hearing the mean-spirited "Rake's Song" on the radio. I found the album disjointed on first listen — not surprising for a rock opera — but have liked it better with each subsequent listen. I am impressed with how the folk rock and prog rock work together — the balance between the mandolins and electric guitars, you might say.

A placeholder album from my favorite jazz band. The players all demonstrate their talents and their comraderie, but the music is neither as exciting nor as challenging as I expect from them.

The latest releases from a pair of tenor saxophonists.

The Sonny Rollins record is a collection of live recordings from the past twenty years. It has been getting rapturous reviews. It certainly demonstrates that Rollins is still a vital and energetic performer in his seventies. The performances do not rehash his well-known style — set up an interesting rhythm, play a solo based on the melody rather than the chords, and return regularly to the theme — but strike out for something new. I am impressed by the music, however I agree with Evelyn's comment that Rollins' insistent solos drown out any group interaction. It's all about Rollins.

The group interaction is the highlight of the Joshua Redman record. Many tunes feature two drummers and two bass players, weaving in and out. I often find Redman's playing to be unoriginal, but not here. Very nice.

Mellancamp's music has always had a mood of joy snatched from the jaws of regret, a mood captured by the album title The Lonesome Jubilee. His new album has lots of lonesome and not much jubilee. His voice and his songs sound ever more like old blues standards, and the lyrics are relentlessly depressing. ("I used to have some values/Now they just make me laugh" or "I feel like taking my life but I won't/Too big a coward") Nonetheless, I still find the album enjoyable.

A sampler of works by the major living composer whose music I know the least. It seems like a good introduction. Adams' music marries Romantic-era chords and tonality with 1960s-era compositional techniques, as if Steve Reich tried to write a Mahler symphony. I prefer the orchestral works to the operas, even though Adams is more famous for the latter.

Old-school DJ mixes, proving once and for all that you can be a creative musician even when your "instruments" are samples from other records. I find the cuts very entertaining, especially "It's Up To You," with its lead vocal from George H.W. Bush.

I bought this album after it appeared at the top of several 2008 year-end reviews. I can't easily describe the music, but I found it running through my head for days.