Rhythm, Love and Soul There have been other impressive soul collections, but never one that covered the full spectrum and drew from every major record company catalog.

Expansion Team by Dilated Peoples While Dilated Peoples may refer to themselves as a hip hop group, Expansion Team makes them much more quantifiable as a freestyle rap group with hip hop sounds.

Blazing Arrow by Blackalicious For all those who still believe hip-hop can change minds, Blackalicious are back with the release of their second full-length effort Blazing Arrow, an evolution in hip-hop production and poetics.

In Search Of... by N.E.R.D. Hip-hop's hottest production team, the Neptunes -- responsible for Mystikal's "Shake Ya Ass," ODB's "Got Your Money," and Britney Spears' "Slave" -- push the boundaries of conventional hip-hop and drop a scathing solo bomb on playas and playa-haters alike.

Urban/Acid Funk/Blues Close Your Eyes & Open Your Mind by Mental Notes Mental Notes is an original jam band comprised of intelligent musicians that play a high-energy combination of old school acid rock, funk and hip-hop.

Home Of The Brave by Martha Redbone In a world where soul divas seem to fall performance-ready from the trees, Martha Redbone offers up a big voice and the desire to say something with it.

Urban/Seasonal Snowflakes by Toni Braxton On Snowflakes, Toni Braxton sets a new standard for Christmas albums. It is a perfect blend. Too perfect: the biggest shame is that the Christmas-bent of the album doesn't lend itself to every day, year 'round play.

Urban/R&B Aaliyah, Alicia Keys, Blu Cantrell, Toya and Olivia 2001 will be remembered as the year of the urban diva. The 12-month period when, though one of the most promising was tragically lost, four more instantly sprang up clamoring for her place.

Urban Outfits/Rap The Saga Continues by P. Diddy & the Bad Boy Family The Saga Continues is a surprise. Despite early reviews that have mostly panned this latest effort from the baddest of the Bad Boys, The Saga Continues is tight, varied and ample.

Urban/R&B 2000 Watts by Tyrese If the occasional reviewer seems to loathe Tyrese, they have to be forgiven. Reviewers, as a breed, tend to be suspicious of performers in any arena who seems to have it all goin' on.

Urban Outfits/R&B Mars/Venus by Koffee Brown Koffee Brown's debut album is music to seduce by. Sophisticated ghetto with just enough of a beat to continue to be useful if the seduction proves successful.

Rap/Acid Blues Eat at Whitey's by Everlast What emerges from Eat at Whitey's is something fairly undefinable. Something entirely new. If it must be defined, call it acid blues: though that label doesn't exist. At least, it didn't until now.

Urban Outfits/Gangsta Shyne by Shyne Shyne -- the artist, not the album -- has possibilities. His voice is strong and, when he doesn't sound like he's trying to beat his anger into a frenzy, Shyne really begins to work.

Soundtrack Music From and Inspired by Shaft The Shaft soundtrack offers a good mix of tunes. An interesting cross-section of outstanding, if somewhat over-hyped, music.

Pop/R&B Sleepless by jacksoul The heart of jacksoul is vocalist and songwriter Haydain Neale. While Neale has a pleasant, serviceable voice that is used rather well on Sleepless, it lacks range and -- pardon the pun -- real soul.

R&B Can't Take Me Home by Pink LaFace Records' latest entry in the diva wars is a pretty good one. No adolescent warbling here: Pink's voice and arrangements are packed with a maturity that belie both her age and her bright fuchsia hair.