Some records

Arctic Monkeys - Favorite Worst Nightmare: They finally figured out how to write ballads, and not just because they figured out that abandoning their trademark herky-jerkiness doesn't mean sacrificing their talent for demotic cadence -- it just means that on "505" and "Do Me a Favour" Alex Turner slows down enough to allow whatever hapless target is on the other end to note his wit, clarity, and (maybe) charity. Maybe the work that goes into a relationship demands a commitment stronger than looking good on the dance floor, although the catchy but redundant "Brianstorm" and "Bacalava" bespeak a commitment to yobbery that may sustain them when the NME loses interest. Luckily there's "Fluorescent Adolescent" -- witty, clear, and charitable -- and a handful of other contenders out to prove that Favorite Worst Nightmare ain't no Dog Man Star or The Libertines (I know: better albums, but don't remind the NME or Dom Passantino).

Tim McGraw - Let It Go: "I'm Workin'" may be the most honest portrait of lower-middle-class despair I've heard in a couple of years. The children's chorus singing over the fadeout on "Last Dollar (Fly Away)" suggests that McGraw's and his producers have listened to Fleetwood Mac's "Say You Will," and it's a fitting analogy. This is studio craft at its most sterling, with a star who's gotten weirder with each album (each of which sells a bit more than its predecessor). I'd suggest giving "Whiskey and You" to George Jones if I thought George'd do a better job than Tim.