Brad Webber

Cocteau Twins Milk and Kisses (Capitol) (star) (star) (star) 1/2 Even the CIA couldn't break the code of singer Elizabeth Fraser, whose lilting Scottish brogue makes 99 percent of the...

Lush Lovelife (Reprise) (star) (star) (star) On the compilation LP "Gala" a few years ago, Lush singer Miki Berenyi's vocals tiptoed through a thicket of shrieking guitars and the band...

Velocity Girl Gilded Stars and Zealous Hearts (Sub Pop) (star) (star) (star) D.C.-based fivesome Velocity Girl continues to gel as a band, generating pleasing tunes and bolstering the instrumental skills...

Riverdance: Music from the Show (Celtic Heartbeat/Atlantic) (star) (star) (star) (star) "Riverdance," composer Bill Whelan's celebration of Irish song and dance that has thrilled audiences from Dublin to Manhattan, exposes...

Mike Scott Bring 'Em All In (EMI) (star) (star) Mike Scott attained minor notoriety as front man of the defunct Scottish band the Waterboys. Aside from a few deft touches,...

Tracy Chapman New Beginning (Elektra) (star) (star) (star) 1/2 Tracy Chapman's fourth album tills a fertile field of gently unfolding instrumentals lifting myriad morality plays--and there's plenty of Steinbeck and...

Dave Dobbyn Twist (Tri-Star)(star) (star) (star) 1/2 Oceanians have long appreciated New Zealand singer Dave Dobbyn's pop songs for their heady lyricism as well as their gamely execution. His brilliant...

Morrissey Southpaw Grammar (Reprise) (star) (star) 1/2 Morrissey's songs have always been an acquired taste, more so now with his penchant for dismal, downright Dickensian drones. The insistent, yeomanly guitar...

Erasure Erasure (Mute) (star) (star) (star) Erasure never has strayed far from the ebullient, electronic dance beat that has made it a worldwide phenomenon even when programmed music was at...

k.d. lang All You Can Eat (Warner) (star) (star) 1/2 Not content to merely master the country-pop idiom, Canadian songstress k.d. lang lassos middle-of-the-road pop with mixed results with "All...