Elvis Costello & Allen Toussaint
The River in Reverse (Verve/Universal)
It’s a bittersweet realization that this remarkable pairing of New Orleans’ premier singer/songwriter/musician and the renowned English rocker might never have happened if the Gulf Coast hadn’t been ravished by hurricanes last year. Nevertheless, the Toussaint/Costello collaboration proves to be a potent one, combining not-so-subtle political commentary with an underlying message of hope and renewal. Uniting songs from Toussaint’s impressive catalogue with some equally remarkable Toussaint/Costello originals, the album is a showcase for the many musical styles birthed by the Crescent City. The accompanying DVD features behind-the-scenes clips and recording sessions of standout tracks like “Who’s Gonna Help a Brother” and “Freedom For the Stallion,” which makes the whole experience that much more fulfilling. 9/10 (Gerard Dee) At Place des Arts, Mon., July 3, 8 p.m., $52.50-$82.50

Cheap Trick
Rockford (Big 3/EMI)
Like every Cheap Trick record, the skip button on your CD player gets a lot of use, but when they’re on, they can deliver pure power-pop gold. The Linda Perry-produced radio fodder “Perfect Stranger” is an obvious skip, but when they team up with producer Steve Albini again on “Give It Away” and “One More Day,” they’re easily up to snuff with vintage Trick. Singer Robin Zander’s pipes have only gotten grittier with age, but he still proves to be one the best power-pop crooners of all time, and is the shining star on this record. Not nearly as good as their first four outings, but easily the best post-Dream Police record so far. 7.5/10 (Johnson Cummins)

Saffron Sect
Phosphorous Flash (Fig)
“Modieval” is one of the cheeky descriptors dotting the bio of this Toronto-based quartet, formed by ex-Flashing Lights organist Gaven Dianda. What it means is, along with your average guitars, drums and organ, the band’s debut EP features sitar, jug, gong, dulcimer, mandolin and crumhorn. Saffron Sect spans space as well as time, gracefully blending Asian and North American traditions. It’s a lovely package deal for the worldly renaissance hippie, a six-track, 13-minute traipse through an exotic, psychedelic landscape, with flute-playing elves frolicking at knee level. 7.5/10 (Lorraine Carpenter)

Hard Ons
Most People are a Waste of Time (Bad Taste/Fontana)
Long before Blink 182 and Sum 41 were laughing at their own farts, there was this trio of miscreants. Still well versed in their Buzzcocks, Ramones, Descendants and AC/DC records, these Aussies pen some great pop-punk (with extra emphasis on the punk, of course). With a title that seems ripped off from a bumper sticker, Most People… boasts songs like “What Would Stiv Bators Do” and “There Goes One of the Creeps that Hassled my Girlfriend,” which are as catchy as they come. Beach Boys harmonies dive into the din of distortion, but all the Marshall stacks in the world couldn’t drown out these melodies. 8/10 (Johnson Cummins)

Cirque du Soleil
Delirium (Cirque du Soleil)
The musical side of the latest production from Quebec’s leading cultural export (sorry, Celine) is a greatest-hits deal—of sorts. Tunes from previous Cirque shows are revisited, polished to a high gloss and fitted with, at times, unexpectedly grave lyrics for Delirium, an undeniably spectacular but somewhat incomprehensible mix of live concert, impressive acrobatics and surrealist-by-numbers theatrics. It’s not without worthwhile moments, like the darkly minor-keyed “Too High” or the tango-tronic “Alone,” but at other points the slick fusion of pop rock, world beat, billowing new-age synths and drama-queen vocals gets laid on so thick and rich, it’s undigestible. 6.5/10 (Rupert Bottenberg)

Marc Minelli
Electro Bamako (All Other/Dep)
Minelli’s not the first Frenchman to give raw African sounds a slick Euro-techno-jazz makeover. Moments of his Malian excursion, however, might constitute some of the best efforts along those lines yet. The thick, gritty opener “Paris Bamako” with its chat-radio captures, the hypnotic “Mouthtalk” and smoothly freaky “Sister Earth,” the bristling “Fitiri Wale” and eerie, thumping “Songhai Sunrise” all stand up and stand out. The schmaltzy dub number “Donso Ke” and polite remix of “Sarama” by superstars Amadou & Mariam (with whom Minelli and co. play at the Jazz Fest this week), however, come off tame and uninspired, stalling the album’s forward motion. 8/10 (Rupert Bottenberg) With Amadou & Mariam and Ba Cissoko at Metropolis, Wed., July 5, 8:30 p.m., $39.50

Nouvelle Vague
Bande à Part (Justin Time)
Marc Collins and Olivier Libaux have made their name making new wave classics palatable for the French lounge set, applying featherweight bossa nova beats and breathy, phonetically sung vocals. They’ve altered the formula on this sophomore album, with more varied “exotic” arrangements, and a boy joining the kinder crew of singers. Together, they tackle slightly darker, harder sources, including the Cramps, the Buzzcocks, Bauhaus and New Order. There’s no doubt that this is a well-crafted album, but there’s something slightly distasteful about this project, at least for those of us who haven’t yet graduated from punk rock to Couleur Jazz. 6/10 (Lorraine Carpenter)

Witubee
Sweet Mental (Sonne/Fusion III)
Less known here than Bugge Wesseltoft and their fellow FIJM invitee Nils Petter Molvær, this Norwegian quartet merit attention for bringing a little meat ’n’ muscle to that Nordic machine jazz scene. They share a solid command of micro vs. macro with the likes of Jaga Jazzist and Sigur Ròs (but not the latter’s bombast), giving tracks like the bleary-eyed opener “Crash Hit” and the shattered robo-funk of “It’s All Here” both scope and focus. Stepping lightly (“Stereo Plains,” “The Ball” with Anja Garbarek’s guest vocals) doesn’t suit them so well. What succeeds are the tougher tunes—the ballsy brass-rock of “Aalo” (punctuated by a neat Moog soliloquy), the storm-front sax action of “Two With Nature,” the propulsively plaintive “Sebastopol.” 8/10 (Rupert Bottenberg) At the FIJM’s Bell Stage, Parc des Festivals, Sun., July 2, 10 p.m., free

Nomadic Massive
Nomad’s Land EP (independent)
Connecting the dots between live hip hop, multilingual expression, a host of larger-than-life personalities and a genuine social conscience, the members of Montreal’s Nomadic Massive have succeeded in fusing all of these things on their debut EP. Singing and rapping in French, English, Arabic, Spanish and Creole, the crew presents a tight snapshot of their passions, politics and various backgrounds and upbringings. With so many voices, you might think that focus and clarity is sacrificed for variety, but the nine-track EP is a celebration of the limitless reach of hip hop culture in a world that changes faster for some, and much slower for others. Check “Neg Chante” and “Nofy’s Peace” for prime examples of this crew. 8/10 (Scott C) At Nest, Sat., July 1, 7 p.m., $5–$10 suggested donation

Yung Joc
New Joc City (Bad Boy South)
Here comes Yung Joc, riding the P. Diddy train and representing Bad Boy South’s bid to clean up with the popularity of the Southern sound. Joc makes no bones about thuggin’, gunfights and ridin’ in the ATL, and that makes for a fairly run of the mill debut, although a catchy one at that. Rapping like “gettin’ money” is a fresh concept that the world has yet to discover, a task lost on Joc, who simply cannot drum up enough engaging material here to keep you interested. I’d like to think that perhaps he might grow into something more in time, but you start off the way you aim to continue, so I’m not holding my breath. 6.5/10 (Scott C)

Corinne Bailey Rae
self-titled (EMI)
British songbird Rae fills her highly anticipated debut with lots of warm melodies and laid-back grooves. Her leisurely drawl sounds almost lazy at times, but she proves herself an intriguing vocalist, as well as a talented writer—she pens most of the tracks here—throughout this set. Rae seems most at home at the axis of folk and contemporary jazz, as evidenced by the elegant “Like a Star” and the sultry “Breathless.” But she’s also capable of taking on a sturdier beat—the British single “Put Your Records On” and the album’s most upbeat track, “I’d Like To,” prove that Rae’s got just as much soul as any of her American counterparts. 8/10 (Gerard Dee) With Shane Philips at Club Soda, Sun., July 2, 7 p.m., $24.50

The Wailin’ Jennys
Firecracker (Jericho Beach/Festival)
Following their 2004 Juno-winning 40 Days, Winnipeg’s Ruth Moody and Nicky Mehta replaced founding band member Cara Luft with Montreal’s Annabelle Chvostek, whose four compositions on this album include its knees-up, doom-laden highlight “The Devil’s Paintbrush Road.” The trio’s fairly conservative arrangements range from country rock (“Avila”) to a cappella (the lovely traditional number “Long Time Traveller”), with the bulk of the songs taking it real easy on the tempo. Not unlike the Prairies, this album is pretty from end to end, but suffers from plain, conservative patches. 7/10 (Lorraine Carpenter)

Louie Bellson
The Sacred Music of… (Percussion Power)
Pete Malinverni
Joyful! (Artist Share)
Bellson, a former Ellington drummer, is inspired by the Duke on his outing, combining a choir and a swinging big band that includes Bobby Shew on trumpet, on the title piece and on “The Jazz Ballet.” Somewhat more rousing is pianist Malinverni’s suite for gospel choir and jazz ensemble, based on the Psalms of David. His CD (with a bonus DVD) features Steve Wilson, Joe Magnarelli and Todd Coolman as well as a narrator, five singers (including Pete’s wife Jody Sandhaus) and a superb and exciting vocal ensemble, the Devoe Street Baptist Church Choir and friends. Recorded live, this outing catches the other side of this wonderful jazz pianist’s musical interests. Great vocal and instrumental moments abound on this one! Bellson 7.5/10, Malinverni 9/10 (Len Dobbin)

Mini CD Reviews

Skinless Trample the Weak, Hurdle the Dead (Relapse/Koch) Just when you thought death metal could never get any heavier… 9 (JC)

Dragonforce Inhuman Rampage (Roadrunner) A furious rollercoaster ride of ridiculously dense, speedy, ornate revisionist anthem metal from the deservedly hyped new-school hair farmers. 8.5 (RB)

Rick Holland-Evan Dobbins In Time’s Shadow (Blujazz) This “little big band” is in fine fettle over 11 tracks, including music by Ellington, Hines, Alec Wilder and Bill Dobbins, the trombonist’s father. 8.5 (LD)

Various Ready or Not 2: Deep Jazz Grooves From the CBC Radio Archives (Do Right) Another great installment of lost Canadian goodies. The killer joint has to be Billy Robinson’s “Quebec on My Mind.” Hot! 8 (SC)

Sufjan Stevens The Avalanche (Asthmatic Kitty) There’s a lot of gold worth panning for in this epic comp of Illinois outtakes. 7.5 (LC)

Edip Akbayram self-titled (Shadoks/Forced Exposure) Sideburns-’n-stripy-flares psych from early-’70s Turkey, when fiendish fuzz guitar and funky breaks met oriental scales on electric sax. 7/10 (RB)

Keane Under the Iron Sea (Interscope/Universal) For those who find Coldplay too edgy, there’s always Keane. 4 (LC)

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