Ken Tucker

The 48-year-old Scotswoman became an overnight star after her April 2009 performance on Britain's Got Talent, singing a chestnut of a ballad from Les Miserables. With five million copies of her first album sold since Nov. 23, critic Ken Tucker says, it's clear she's delivered what her fans wanted.

Music critic Ken Tucker reviews Fearless the second studio album by country-music singer/songwriter Taylor Swift. It debuted as number one on Billbaord's Top Country Music Albums.

Texas Sheiks offers new versions of old blues, Western swing and ragtime music. The Sheiks are led by singer-songwriter Geoff Muldaur and the album features the guitar work of the late Steve Bruton.

You may not recognize the name James Hand, but that's just because you've never heard anything like him. The 57-year-old Texan has been hidden away in the country music scene for years, and if this third album Shadow of the Ground shows his age, critic Ken Tucker says it's just that Hand doesn't care what you think.

La Roux is a British pop duo -- 21-year-old singer Elly Jackson and synth player--producer Ben Langmaid -- with a style that blends passionate vocals with strict mechanical beats. The pair's self-titled album went No. 1 in England and Europe this year, and now it's out stateside. Rock critic Ken Tucker reviews.

The news that Bob Dylan was making a Christmas album came as a surprise. Now that Christmas In The Heart has been released, with the announcement that all profits will go to charity, it's caused even more consternation, with commentators divided as to whether it's an earnest effort or one big put-down. Rock critic Ken Tucker offers his opinion.

McKay's Normal as Blueberry Pie is "eccentric yet utterly disarming," says rock critic Ken Tucker. McKay's admiration for Doris Day isn't really a surprise — both artists are cheerful and underrated — and on this album the two seem like "sisters in bright-eyed intelligence."

The third album by country singer Miranda Lambert, features complex original songs and a stellar choice of covers.

Rock critic Ken Tucker reviews Dennis Diken's new album Late Music. Diken, the drummer for the Smithereens, has recorded this project with a group called Bell Sound.

John Fogerty's latest album, The Blue Ridge Rangers Rides Again, collects covers so raw and beautiful you'd barely recognize the in-studio perfectionist behind the 1973 album whose title it salutes.