Blue Six Beautiful Tomorrow (Naked Music)

New York producer and songscribe Jay Denes is the prime reason why Blue Six and the Naked Music label are revered entities in the deep house milieu. Beautiful Tomorrow is the first studio album for Naked Music, and what a gorgeous sunrise it is. The record consists of knockout groovers that have been quaking NYC dancefloors such as Shelter and Body & Soul for the last three years. Enjoyably, the lush vibe of the disc smacks of leanings to the jazz, funk and disco of George Duke and Eumir Deodato. Effective female vocals compliment Jay’s multi-textured but uncomplicated scheme. A must among must haves. 9.5/10 (Peter Lightburn)

Bad Religion
The Process of Belief (Epitaph/Sonic Unyon)
Not only have Bad Religion left Atlantic, but they’re back on Epitaph again. Also, chief songwriter and Epitaph head honcho Brett Gurewitz has finally licked his drug problems and has returned to the fold. These are probably their strongest punk tracks since “How Can Hell Be Any Worse?” but the acoustic strum on “Broken” shows these Geritol punkers wanting to crack out of the mould they helped create. Singer Greg Gaffin’s Brian-Wilson-on-biker-crank harmonies are once again at the forefront, and Brian Baker’s guitar playing is at the top of its game, but after the 14th song dissolves, absolutely nothing remains embedded into the memory banks. 6/10 (Johnson Cummins)

The Maggots
This Condition Is Incurable
(Bad Afro/Fusion III)
These greasy Swedes have really aced the lo-fi garage stomp sound. Caught somewhere between punk’s glory years (that’s c. 1977, chump) and a Back From the Grave comp, the Maggots really shine. They’re young, loud and man, are they ever snotty. Check out the titles “Leave Me Alone,” “Bring Me Down” or “Gonna Make You Pay,” all sung with a Roky Erikson or vintage Jagger sense of teenage anger. If you’re missing the raunchy days of Crypt Records, like the Stones more than the Beatles and can’t stand those damn guitar solos, then this is a must have. Aces! 9/10 (Johnson Cummins)

Télépopmusik
Genetic World
(EMI)
Flirting with electro, house, rock, rap and jazz, France’s Télépopmusik—Autour de Lucie’s Fabrice Dumont, Christophe Hétier (aka DJ Antipop) and sound engineer Stephan Haeri—work a dense, dynamic palette into something surprisingly light and well-integrated on their debut album. Guest vocalists include Scots torch singer Angela McClusky, U.K. rapper Juice Aleem and Canada’s own goofballs Chilly Gonzales and Peaches, along with a handful of clunky samples. Sub-layers are filled out with muted but funky beats, scratching, playful electro arpeggios, abstract soundscaping and fleeting guitar riffs, trumpet, piano and SFX. From the dancefloor to the bedroom, this one’s a keeper. 8.5/10 (Lorraine Carpenter)

Nitin Sawhney
Prophesy
(V2/BMG)
Distancing himself from the tablatronic scene his rep is rooted in, the U.K.’s Sawhney works with a far wider palette than the simplistic rhythm ’n’ raga dichotomy that’s trapped too many of his peers. The Indophonics are a strong part, but only part, of a mix recorded across five continents that brings in folk, flamenco, samba, hip hop, raï and neo-classical. Voices, sung or sampled, come in c/o Cheb Mami, Natacha Atlas, Smoke City’s Nina Miranda, bang-on MC Pinky Tuscadero, Nelson Mandela, the BBC News, a Soweto kids’ choir and, my own fave, a philosophical Chi-town taxi driver. The important thing is that cohesive songcraft, balancing comfort and conviction, isn’t upstaged by forced fusioneering. That said, the strongest track is the titular closer, couched in Indian musical tradition and swelling to a powerful peak. 8/10 (Rupert Bottenberg)

Lost Prophets
Thefakersoundofprogress (Columbia/Sony)
Lost, indeed. Somewhere between Stone Temple Pilots, Incubus and Faith No More. But the lost ones have found a style that pulls in the pop punk rockers, nü metal (generic brand) aficionados, and too-cool-to-be-hip post-rap/rock pseudo-urbanites. Glossed up with crisp-as-lettuce riffage and accompanied by a glass-splintering nasal vocal attack, their sound will surrender the slightly resistant to rows of candycane hooks. 5.5/10 (Lateef Martin)

New Flesh
Understanding
(Ninja Tune/Outside)
Wooooooweee! What a breath of fresh air this is, compared to the first offering from what was then New Flesh for Old. Gone is the blanket of doom that made 1999’s Equilibrium an album of interest for people with a penchant for just a little something else. In its place, we find proof that New Flesh grew up in a world of dancehall reggae and soul, and not on some planet on the other side of the universe. Best way to explain Understanding could be “broken-beat hip hop,” because these guys enjoy nothing better than switching up your average jam into the disjointed cuts that they do so well. Guests include Roots Manuva, Beans from Anti-Pop, Gift of Gab and Ty, all sounding as if they were always part of the gang. 7.5/10 (Scott C)

Chemical Brothers
Come With Us
(Virgin)
The problem with open invitations is the inevitable presence of a dodgy faction. Likewise, the broad appeal of the Chemical Brothers, indicated by the baseball-cap-and-fat-pants fans and, more importantly, the increasing emptiness of their sound. Retreading familiar paths—including the use of folk chanteuse Beth Orton and token indie guy (ex-Verve Richard Ashcroft here), both of which are highlights—the Bros’ pile of beats and samples could use some beef, although a few tracks let their disco-sonic, psyched-out strengths shine out. Despite some nice sights along the way, extraneous entertainment is needed for a really enjoyable trip. 7/10 (Lorraine Carpenter)

Misstress Barbara
Relentless Beats Vol. 2 (Moonshine/Koch)
More “funky drummy techno” for those who enjoy bringing the club experience back to the comfort of their living rooms. This Montreal DJ delivers a mixed album of excessive, repetitive, pounding beats that will keep the corporal system moving long after the last track attempts to bring the heart rate down and send you on your merry way into hypnotic oblivion. If hard, banging electronics are your thing, then pick it up. You’ll even get the Misstress’s two cents worth of her own creations in the mix. 7/10 (Heidi Chapson) CD launch at Sona, Fri., Feb. 15

Station 17
Hitparade
(Mute/Fusion III)
Since ’88, patients at Germany’s Station 17, a facility for the intellectually handicapped, have been creating their own pop music as a form of art therapy. Numerous talents from Germany’s musical left field have helped out, and now a new wave of names have tackled the task of remixing the material in a fun, inventive yet respectful way. Kreidler, the Modernist, Pole, to rococo rot and Andreas Dorau are among those working angles that range from moving minimalism to nutty (by German standards) party jams—some stronger than others, natch. This should appeal to thinky IDM completists, sprachkurs students and anyone hungry for new and inspired sources of music. 8.5/10 (Rupert Bottenberg)

Londa Larmond
Love Letters (CMC/EMI)
Londa Larmond’s love letters aren’t the usual kind. Instead of pining away for an unreachable lover, her songs of love are directed at her Higher Power. As with so much gospel these days, her style borrows heavily from contemporary R&B, relying on heavy beats to deliver a strong message. Problem is, we’ve heard the message before, and delivered more distinctly. Even her cover of Maxwell’s “Ascension (Don’t Ever Wonder)” doesn’t strike a unique chord. As such, these letters are engaging, but not all that remarkable. 6.5/10 (Gerard Dee)

Cornel West
Sketches of
My Culture (Artemis)
Here you go. Poet, author and spoken word artist Cornel West has decided to explore the fact that the struggle for freedom and equality did not begin and end with people like Malcolm X, Medger Evers and Martin Luther King. Sketches of My Culture attempts to emphasize the importance of a united black struggle against deep-rooted conventions, while trying to point out that the triumphs of past efforts are to be built upon and not simply taken for granted. West wraps his wit around the “N-word” issue, the apparent abandonment of constant elevation in black culture today, and some eloquent ponderings on the achievements of blacks against overwhelming odds. This is all done with the help of a few MCs, a good band, and an obvious desire to see black people preserve the dignity they have fought so hard for. 7/10 (Scott C)

Campbell Ryga
Spectacular
(Radioland)
Ryga ranks, with P.J. Perry and our own Dave Turner, as one of the great alto players on the Canadian scene. He’s been associated, and has recorded, with the great Hugh Fraser groups out of Vancouver. Here, he leads a quintet with the explosive Brad Turner on trumpet and a superb rhythm section of Chris Sigerson, Torben Oxbol and Blaine Wikjord on an 11-track salute to the late Julian “Cannonball” Adderley. Where a similar tribute by Eric Marienthal was the nadir of such projects, this one ranks on the other end of the scale—a beauty! 9.5/10 (Len Dobbin)