Throughout the '80s, you'd be hard-pressed to find an American heavy metal band which sounded more British than Armored Saint. While most of their contemporaries seemed preoccupied with the fast-growing thrash metal movement, here was a group of committed purists who were simply updating traditional metal at its best for the '80s generation. By the same token, the band was never able to benefit from the perks of being associated with a "scene" per se, which might explain their relative obscurity despite consistently issuing such quality material. But, for the record, with the exception of 1990's also stellar Symbol of Salvation, never was the group's bombastic style better represented than on their 1984 debut March of the Saint, which is so straightforward a metal record, it's almost hard to describe. An orchestrated guitar theme introduces the memorable title track, and further highlights such as "Can U Deliver," "Madhouse," and the astonishing "Take a Turn" are as commendable for their maturity and power as they are for their sense of economy. The dual-guitar team of Dave Prichard and Phil Sandoval is simply incredible considering their young ages (too bad they would soon fall out), dueling it out for solo after amazing solo throughout the disk. The album's second half isn't quite as strong as the first, but March of the Saint still qualifies as an overlooked classic of American metal.© Eduardo Rivadavia /TiVo

Usher has the reputation as a loverman, largely because he fits the bill so well. He looks good, his material is smooth and seductive, and he has a nice voice, even if he tends to favor melisma. This has been true throughout his career, and remains true on his third album, 8701, a classy, seductive affair masterminded by Usher, Jermaine Dupri, and Antonio "L.A." Reid. There's not much new here, but Usher does move further in both directions -- the ballads are lusher, the dance numbers hit a bit harder -- but not so much so that it's really noticeable. Overall, the record is probably his strongest yet, but he still suffers from a lack of really memorable material (the singles usually are pretty good, but the album tracks are filler) and a tendency to oversing. Because of these two things, 8701 is more mood music than anything else, and while it does work fairly well on that level, it's not memorable outside of that mood.© Stephen Thomas Erlewine /TiVo

Based on author Mark Peter Hughes' 2007 novel of the same name, Disney’s Lemonade Mouth follows the exploits of five disgruntled Rhode Island teens who bond during a stint in detention and end up starting a band -- it's kind of like The Breakfast Club with a battle of the bands at the end. With 11 original songs that span teen pop, punk-pop, hip-hop, and rock, Lemonade Mouth (the band) tackle the usual teen subjects (self-esteem, standing by your friends in the face of adversity, following your dreams, being silly) and successfully blend the dewy-eyed romanticism of the Jonas Brothers and the quasi-rebellious angst of early Avril Lavigne, resulting in a winning, if not entirely original, collection of new High School Musical-inspired homeroom anthems.© James Christopher Monger /TiVo

AaRON's first album Artificial Animals Riding on Neverland gained widespread attention in the band's home country of France after two songs from the album were featured on the soundtrack for the movie Je Vais Bien, Ne T'en Fais Pas. Soon after, the single "U-Turn (Lili)" reached airwaves and the full-length album was released in 2007. Composed of duo Simon Buret and Olivier Coursier, AaRON's quietly haunting lyrics are emphasized by Coursier's piano playing and Buret's melancholy vocals. Artificial Animals Riding on Neverland was followed up in 2010 with Birds in the Storm.© Celeste Rhoads /TiVo

Now over a decade into her music career, Brandy is nothing if not consistent. Afrodisiac nevertheless involves a number of personal and creative changes. Since the making of 2002's Full Moon, she became a mother, split with her husband, picked up new manager Benny "The Actual Fresh Prince" Medina, and swapped out primary producer Rodney Jerkins in favor of Timbaland (not necessarily in that order). And her image has drifted away from the one she cast when she was just starting out; this hasn't transpired without some controversy. It's to be expected, but one still has to wonder what all the fuss is about. First, who doesn't change between the ages of 15 and 25? Second, the development isn't quite as drastic as Janet Jackson's jump from "Escapade" to "Throb," though there's a significant parallel there -- Brandy's provocative pose on the cover of Vibe, which hit stands just before this album, recalls Janet's cupped-breast appearance on the cover of Rolling Stone in 1993. Though the surroundings and circumstances may be new to artist and fans alike, the effectiveness has not suffered for it: Afrodisiac is Brandy's fourth consecutive durable showing, fluffed out with a few innocuous -- if still very listenable -- filler moments, but it is stocked with a number of spectacular -- and emotionally resonant -- singles that wind up making for her most accomplished set yet. To regrettably drag Janet back into this, lead single "Talk About Our Love" is even more exceptional than another recent Kanye West-produced track, Janet's own "I Want You," and is a career highlight for both producer and vocalist. Timbaland provides 60 percent of the tracks; though he has confessed to being worn out by the process of music lately, you wouldn't know it from his inspired work. Whether or not Brandy penned the lyrics, her experiences have clearly engendered a new depth to her songs. Her voice remains a treat to hear, and on a couple tracks she wears a slightly worn scratchiness surprisingly well. Closing track "Should I Go" is about as honest and searching as anyone gets these days, and while it's also noteworthy for allowing Brandy and Timbaland to pay tribute to shared love Coldplay, it's the music industry that's being contemplated, not a romantic relationship. Whatever Brandy decides to do, consider her mark made.© Andy Kellman /TiVo

Brian McKnight found a good pattern for his releases after 1997's Anytime, which featured the breakout hip-hop crossover "You Should Be Mine (Don't Waste Your Time)." After that, he usually made concessions to changing trends in R&B (since a few changeups are good for any artist), but dedicated most of his records to the type of smooth jams he loves to sing and his fans love to hear. U Turn isn't the change of direction hinted at in the title; in fact, it's very close to format, with a pair of rap features (for Nelly and Fabolous) but plenty of space for McKnight's earnest, heartfelt crooning. Over half the album was not only written by McKnight but performed and produced by him as well, and although his writing is among the best in R&B, the backing tracks are bland meldings of piano, synthesized strings, and canned beats. No surprise then, that the best tracks here are the ones where he can focus on his voice, like the classic regret ballad "Shoulda, Woulda, Coulda," the backing left in the capable hands of veterans Damon Thomas and Harvey Mason Jr. The rap crossovers are solid, more than just pairings with commercial successes; loved-up rappers like Nelly and Fabolous work well rhyming over McKnight, and the Rockwilder production on the title track is a good match with an R&B singer.© John Bush /TiVo