Whitey Don self-titled (Jive/BMG)

To hear Whitey Don's Steely and Clevie produced debut is one thing, but to freestyle on a T.O. street corner with him is another. Whitey Don is the walking jukebox of reggae history that the Jive staff failed to capture. The KRS-One-accompanied "Scatter" and "Lyrical Shot" are merely the tip of the iceberg, while tracks like "Murdere" rightly place Whitey a class above Snow's often pretentious patois. 7/10 (Manchilde)

Wyclef Jean The Carnival (RuffHouse/Columbia)

Haiti will love Wyclef because he took the Fugees' 11 million-unit success right back to his peeps in Port-au-Prince, dedicating the album's last seven cuts to the kompas and kreyol that bore him. North America will love Wyclef for headnodding tracks like "Apocalypse," "Anything Can Happen" and "Year of the Dragon." The World will love The Carnival because Lauryn Hill's two cameo flows are as pregnant as she is! 8/10 (Manchilde)

Patti LaBelle Flame (MCA)

Nobody else sings quite like Miss Patti. When her voice is given the right material, the essence of this down-home treasure just shines through. Just hearing Patti sweep into "Someone Like You" or blow notes on "Don't Block the Blessing" is a firm reminder that after all the diva wannabes are done tryin' to be fierce, there are still some true divas keepin' it real. 8/10 (Gerard Dee)

Flux Protoplasmic (Release/Relapse)

Since leaving his former outfit OLD, James Plotkin's guitar terrorism has evolved to the level of multifaceted provocation, whether by touring with collaborator Mick Harris of Scorn, detailing K.K. Null's noise exorcisms or sculpting the next segment of his tonal attack. With new project Flux, fronted by vocalist Ruth Collins, Plotkin winds his avant-garde layers around celestial, even futuristic 'pop' sounds for the ultimate in womblike effects. 7/10 (Lorrie Edmonds) more discs...