Songwriting has been crucial to rock stardom ever since the Beatles, so it's ironic that the Beatles-worshipping Oasis is one of the most successful contemporary rock bands without significant compositional gifts. The British quartet's seventh album of new material, "Dig Out Your Soul," is yet another exercise in groove, texture and homage from a group that's widely known for just one song: 1995's "Wonderwall." For what it is, though, "Soul" is the best Oasis album in more than a decade.

Led by Noel and Liam Gallagher, the only survivors from the original lineup, Oasis still draws heavily from the 1966-68 Beatles, as well as John Lennon's solo work. But such new tunes as "Waiting for the Rapture" boast a bruising stomp rare in the Fabs's work, thanks in large part to drummer Zak Starkey. (Yes, son of Ringo.) Starkey is not a full-time member, but his playing is vital, grounding psychedelic rock songs that might otherwise float into the vapor. Oasis's catch-phrase lyrics still aren't really about anything, but its music has regained much of its original lucidity.

Like the Gallaghers, Ryan Adams has a reputation for brashness and intoxication. Lately the New York singer-songwriter has turned calmer and more modest, even naming his new album after his current quartet. "Cardinology" includes one trippy rocker, "Magick," that would be ideal for a Noel Gallagher guest appearance. Yet most of these songs are mid-tempo and countrified, and deliver gently uplifting messages: "Born Into a Light" offers "faith and hope . . . for everyone alone." While the Cardinals provide effective support, this is still Adams's show. The album's hushed highlight is "Stop," an ode to Alcoholics Anonymous that the singer, appropriately, begins all by himself.

--Mark Jenkins, Weekend (Dec. 19, 2008)