Pop, jazz, and classical.

If you'd like to sort this department listing by headline, author or date, please use the Slate search.

• The Year in Jazz Stan Getz does romantic ballads right; the Bad Plus reinterprets Nirvana for something new.
  Fred Kaplan Dec. 16, 2003
  
• The Mickey Mouse Genius The brilliant composer behind Looney Tunes, now on DVD.
  August Kleinzahler Dec. 5, 2003
  
• From A- to A Jay-Z's final album is his most professional yet.
  Sasha Frere-Jones Nov. 15, 2003
  
• Campfire Singalong The Strokes arrive on time, get the job done.
  Sasha Frere-Jones Nov. 6, 2003
  
• The Best Songs of the Millennium As sung by Richard Thompson.
  Michaelangelo Matos Oct. 14, 2003
  
• OutKast Is Good America's greatest rock band thinks hard about virtue.
  Sasha Frere-Jones Oct. 8, 2003
  
• John Zorn's Joyful Jazz Why does the great composer sound so satisfied these days?
  Fred Kaplan Oct. 3, 2003
  
• Elvis Costello, Crooner On his new album, the angry rocker turns into a lovelorn balladeer.
  Elena Passarello Oct. 2, 2003
  
• Monteverdi Goes MTV Does a great Baroque composer need fancy sets and sleek dancers?
  Jan Swafford Sept. 19, 2003
  
• Johnny Cash on Demand Get ready for tribute songs to the Man in Black. Lots of them.
  Ben Yagoda Sept. 17, 2003
  
• Lost in Production A reissue of Thelonious Monk's Underground reveals the great album it should always have been.
  Fred Kaplan Sept. 11, 2003
  
• Speed Freaks Do Bach Please, stop turning sublime classical works into dance music.
  Jan Swafford Sept. 5, 2003
  
• The Hypnotic Banjo Otis Taylor's spooky, trance-inducing blues.
  John Morthland Sept. 3, 2003
  
• Defining Disco Up Junior Senior prove there's no such thing as dumb dance music.
  Eric Weisbard Aug. 29, 2003
  
• Hasten Down the Wind Warren Zevon's sad, sweet final album.
  Bill Barol Aug. 26, 2003
  
• When Critics Meet Pop Why are some writers so afraid of Justin Timberlake?
  Sasha Frere-Jones Aug. 22, 2003
  
• The Beethoven Mystery Why haven't we figured out his Ninth Symphony yet?
  Jan Swafford June 30, 2003
  
• What Is Liz Phair Thinking? The indie queen's puzzling pop album.
  Mim Udovitch June 27, 2003
  
• Steely Dan Is Getting Old And that's a good thing.
  Fred Kaplan June 18, 2003
  
• Sounds of the 70s Two great new jazz albums from aging pianists.
  Fred Kaplan May 30, 2003
  
• Addicted to New Pornographers The power-pop album you'll be listening to obsessively.
  Sasha Frere-Jones May 22, 2003
  
• Searching for Kelly Clarkson The grim fate of American Idol winners.
  Jon Caramanica May 20, 2003
  
• Moscow in the Meantime Bering Strait is a country band from Russia, but you wouldn't know it from their album.
  John Morthland May 15, 2003
  
• Sheryl Crow Made a Mix Tape for You But do you really want to hear what's on it?
  Rob Walker May 9, 2003
  
• The Madman of Electronica How does Aphex Twin get away with his nutty musical stunts?
  Alec Hanley Bemis May 6, 2003
  
• Stuck in the Studio Why doesn't the Yeah Yeah Yeahs' debut CD live up to their frenzied live act?
  Gerald Marzorati April 29, 2003
  
• White Lies Are the White Stripes a blues band or just a sham?
  Mark Jenkins April 24, 2003
  
• 8 Mile High Unknown rappers get to face off with Eminem.
  Alex Abramovich April 22, 2003
  
• The Singing Sourpuss Why is Cat Power so gloomy?
  Alec Hanley Bemis March 19, 2003
  
• In a World Gone Mild The Beastie Boys' meek protest song.
  Sasha Frere-Jones March 14, 2003
  
• Synth Pap New York's revival of '80s pop produces the worst album of the year.
  Gerald Marzorati March 10, 2003
  
• The Other Beach Boys A new compilation proves that Brian Wilson needed them, too.
  Bill Barol March 7, 2003
  
• Bird-Brained Lou Reed and Edgar Allan Poe don't mix.
  Mark Jenkins March 5, 2003
  
• 50 Cent Discount How Eminem mishandled rap's new star.
  Sasha Frere-Jones Feb. 28, 2003
  
• On Her Own Eleni Mandell, a great singer-songwriter who can't get a record deal.
  Rob Walker Feb. 19, 2003
  
• Phil Spector's Ghosts The spooky world of the greatest producer in pop music.
  Barney Hoskyns Feb. 7, 2003
  
• Jim O'Rourke's Next Experiment Tinkering with dark, weird pop.
  Gerald Marzorati Jan. 27, 2003
  
• The Return of Mope Rock New Order, the Smiths, and the first pop trend of 2003.
  David Samuels Jan. 7, 2003
  
• Phish Shtick The jam band's New Year's Eve antics.
  Seth Mnookin Jan. 3, 2003