Dieselboy A Soldier's Story (Moonshine/Koch)

There's something to be said for that little extra bit of imagination that's put into a mix CD, which thereby separates it from all other dime-a-dozen mix CDs on the market. Presentation is everything, my friends. On this CD it's all about the intro, setting you up for the 74 minutes of drum & bass assault that follow. Philly's premiere DJ Dieselboy takes you deep, dark and hard into the jungle with tracks from artists like Technical Itch, Jonny L and Peshay. 8.5/10 (Krista)

Sly and Robbie Hail Up Taxi 2 (Taxi Records/Fusion III)

The musical fruits of Jamaican-born Sly and Robbie are most often referred to as exceptional if not legendary. Unfortunately, neither of these words can be used to describe the album Hail Up Taxi 2. With only a few tracks that are able to keep the attention of the listener on an album of 14 songs, this is more of a collection of lesser works not even worth getting excited about. I'm sure every artist has a pile of shitty works somewhere, but why Sly and Robbie have to release this stuff with the musical track record they have escapes me. Respected and envied by the best, misunderstood by the rest. 7/10 (Scott C)

Ali Farka Toure Niafunké (Hannibal/Ryko/Outside)

As much of a success, both artistic and commercial, as his collaboration with Ry Cooder was, Talking Timbuktu was symptomatic of Toure's drifting away from his roots. Younger, more modern musical explorers may drift happily like seeds, but Toure's pure bluesman, a weathered oak inseparable from the place he calls his own. That place is the village of Niafunké in Mali, where he farms and now records. There's a true sense of settling among these loose pickings and noodlings, but be careful, Mr. Toure. When does comfort become complacency? 7/10 (Rupert Bottenberg)

European Broadcasting Union Jazz Orchestra 100 Years of Duke Ellington (Justin Time/Fusion III)

This marvelous salute was recorded here and in Quebec City by a band of 13 Europeans and three Canadians. The event, put together by band director Andrew Homzy, was two years in the making. What happens when you put this number of jazz musicians together for the first time and give them 20-plus paid hours of rehearsal time? The answer is here: great music, lovingly played by a group who, when it was all over, were like family. 10/10 (Len Dobbin)

"Weird Al" Yankovic Running With Scissors (Volcano/Universal)

As a scavenging parodist casting his metal detector over the bland sands of mainstream culture, "Weird Al" is always amusing. From "Pretty Fly for a Rabbi" to the "Polka Power!" medley, he makes me laugh. Jerry Springer, Star Wars and Pentiums each get a nod, and the "Truck Drivin' Song" is a "Lumberjack Song" for the new generation. But save for the few original songs, the music remains the mediocre radio fare which it parodies. Thus the verdict: fun, but not really necessary. 7.5/10 (Sarah Groff-Palermo)