Susana Baca Espiritu Vivo (Luaka Bop/EMI)
About seven years ago, on a CD titled The Soul of Black Peru, I discovered a beautiful new voice, belonging to one Susana Baca. Her single cut, one which led me to consistently vote for her in the Down Beat critics poll, left one wanting more. There was a superb concert here at Salle Pierre-Mercure and now the CD at hand. Recorded recently in NYC, it is further enhanced by the support given by musicians like Marc Ribot and John Medeski (yes, that John Medeski). Eleven tracks, including a tribute to Mongo Santamaria—his “Afro-Blue”—and “Autumn Leaves” in its original form as “Les feuilles mortes,” at least partly satisfy that craving. 9/10 (Len Dobbin) With Marc Ribot and Soraya Benitez at the Spectrum, Fri., May 10, 8pm, $26.50

The Queers
Pleasant Screams
(Lookout!/Outside)
Joey Ramone may no longer be with us but, with bands like the Riverdales, Screeching Weasel, the Hanson Brothers and the Queers, his legacy lives on. Leader Joe Queer has never made any bones about his Ramones obsession and doesn’t disappoint on this new album. Joey even helped write a song here that is light years better than anything on his last, disappointing solo record. Despite being on the wrong side of 30, Joe Queer is still wallowing in adolescence and writing three-chord wonders like “See Ya Later Fuckface,” “I Don’t Want You Hangin’ Around” and “Psycho Over You.” I don’t know how long the Queers can remain retarded but Pleasant Dreams shows no signs of them growing up yet. 8/10 (Johnson Cummins)

Mellow and various CQ Original
Soundtrack
(Emperor Norton/Outside)
Been hoping that Mellow—soft-focus, psychedelic soulmates of fellow Frenchmen Air—would get some domestic attention for a few years now. Here it is, sort of. Their domestic debut is in fact the soundtrack to CQ, the pop-art, francophile film-within-a-film from Roman Coppola, due out in a hot minute. It finds the band going full retro, rather than neo-retro, emulating that sexy, ’60s sci-fi vibe to a tee. From romantic interlude to full-tilt chase theme, horns, strings, fuzz guitar and contoured keys all play their parts to nostalgic perfection. Neat extras come in the form of some authentic library music from the era, as well as tunes by Jacques Dutronc and Claude François (the hilarious “Ce soir je vais boire”). 8/10 (Rupert Bottenberg)

The Reindeer
Section Y’all Get Scared Now, Ya Hear!
(Bright Star/Pias/Fusion III)
“Sad bastard music” hits its peak as members of Belle & Sebastian, Arab Strap, Mogwai et al. consolidate their melancholia on this debut disc. Slow-moving melodies, yearning lead vocals (mostly by Snow Patrol’s Gary Lightbody), harmonies, acoustic and far-off electric guitars form the simple, spacious sound. The album revives in its last third, however, with some funky programming, uptempo, freeform pop and a guitar onslaught, with the deliciously defeated vibe of Arab Strap’s Aidan Moffat on “Nytol” and the sunny farewell of “The Day We All Died” bringing proceedings to a neat close. 7.5/10 (Lorraine Carpenter)

Tom Waits Alice (Anti/Sonic Unyon)
Tom Waits Blood Money
(Anti/Sonic Unyon)
Waits’s releases have been pretty sparse over the last few years, so the simultaneous release of two new albums is happy news. Both, like The Black Rider, are theatrical projects featuring music from productions with collaborator Robert Wilson. The long-anticipated Alice is based, very loosely, on Lewis Carroll’s intense interest in a little girl named Alice Liddell, and Blood Money is a take, also loose, on Georg Buchner’s 1837 play Woyzeck. While both albums are certainly solid, and sure to please die-hard fans, they’re also a little less than exciting, lyrically, and musically. Waits has been here before, and they lack the excitement and intensity of The Black Rider or Bone Machine. Alice 7/10, Blood Money 7.5/10 (Mark Slutsky)

Azymuth Partido Novo
(Farout/Fusion III)
After 30 years in the music business, Jose Roberto Bertrami, Ivan Conti and Alex Malheiros haven’t lost any ground at all when it comes to jazz sambas and funky bossa. Largely credited with helping to introduce Brazilian music to the rest of the world during the early ’60s, this solid trio still hold a firm grasp on the need for bossa nova and jovern guarda, as well as the ability to make it. Partido Novo has moments of pure relaxation, as well as some slightly broken dancefloor productions that will enjoy heavy rotation from discerning tastemakers worldwide. If this is your first intro to the trio, you’ll enjoy the long list of previous releases they have to offer. 8.5/10 (Scott C)

Greek Buck No Time
(Valmouth Audio/Outside)
Don Pyle and Andrew Zealley, the folks behind Queer as Folk’s theme song “Spunk” (featured here, “re-fueled”), present an intriguingly hectic mish-mash of an EP. Far from the orchestral soundscapes of their Law of Enclosures film score, the disc begins with the chaotic disco-punk of “No Time to Be 7,” with vocals by seven-year-old Tyler Brigmantas and guitars by the Sadies’ Dallas Good, followed by a minimal remix by prog-house producer Polmo Polpo. Mega-rocker Ian Blurton spews riffage over electro-funk on “Sweet Tooth,” followed by Greek Buck’s subtle retro-tech re-working of Blurtonia’s “Modified Body vs. Brain.” Truly weird. 8/10 (Lorraine Carpenter)

Various Free Mumia Abu-Jamal
(Esan Ozenki/Ozone)
Activist, journalist and former Black Panther, Philly’s Abu-Jamal has spent the last 15 years sweating it out on death row and doubling as a flashpoint for opponents of the racist police state that the U.S. has become. Those opponents aren’t just Americans, as this benefit double disc from the Basque label Esan Ozenki clearly proves. Argentina’s Todos Tus Muertos, Italy’s Rude, South African drum squad Amampondo, Chile’s Panteras Negras and Moroccan U-Cef can all be found here, next to big names like Smith & Mighty, Roni Size, Fun-Da-Mental, Primal Scream and Chumbawumba. The music’s all over the map, too—hip hop, hardcore, dub, D&B, ethno-tech and myriad mix-ups thereof—but the theme throughout is single-minded: justice for Mumia, justice for all. 8/10 (Rupert Bottenberg)

Anti-pop Consortium Arrythmia (Warp/Outside)
Just like we expected them to do, Anti-pop has returned to the mêlée with yet another completely unpredictable and non-clichéd blueprint of hip hop in the hands of open minds. Arrythmia, for those of you who thought that this was some next-level slang, refers to an abnormal or irregular heartbeat rhythm, a point well taken when you really listen to where this LP is coming from. Priest and Beans have taken loose-lipped, well-grounded poetry to high altitude, and invite the brave to come right along with them for their personal hip hop ride. After the Ends Against the Middle EP, this is a bold step in the same innovative direction. 7.5/10 (Scott C) With Luv and Monstre at Cabaret tonight, Thurs., May 9, 9pm, $13.50

Various Lektro Luv (News/Fusion III)
In the rush to cash in before the fad checks out, the fabulous Tiga, Fischerspooner, Louie Austen and Miss Kittin & co. join other international prankster tweakers in this celebration of ’80s-styled synths and effects, robotic vocodered vocals and frosty European accents. Overall, this is a quality, all-encompassing electro document featuring both serious coolness and downright silliness, but the disc doesn’t quite dodge stupidity. Whereas Ural 13 Diktators’ take on “Alphabet Street” rocks, Dakar & Grinser’s “I Wanna Be Your Dog” and DJ Hell’s “Warm Leatherette” covers show how thin and useless this style can be. 7.5/10 (Lorraine Carpenter)

Craig Richards Fabric 01 (Fabric/Fusion III)
The London club Fabric has earned the reputation as a can’t-miss for dance fans. On the first mix CD from the Fabric camp, co-resident Craig Richards shows that it’s a reputation that is well-deserved. Delivering 70 minutes of uncompromising, 6 a.m. deep tech-house, Richards skillfully walks the line between lounge and dancefloor. Wasting no time getting down to business, Richards’ first selection, a funky minimal groover by Gemini sets the tone for gems by Antonelli Electr. and Swag (even Fabric resident Terry Francis gets to shine with a track). Almost worth it for the fancy-ass packaging alone, pick this up if you’re looking for a great CD to ease the party into the wee, wee hours of the morning. 9/10 (Raf Katigbak) With Luc Raymond at Aria, Sat., May 11, 2am, $20

Nigel Dawson Progressive
Development 01 (Whoop!/Nettwerk)
To the uninitiated, “progressive” house is an organic sub-genre of electronic dance music that has maintained a fervent cult following through the ’90s. Whoop! Records from Great Britain played a pivotal role in the movement by championing the likes of Tarrantella, Jimpy, Skynet and others unlikely to reach the rock ’n’ roll hall of fame. DJ/producer Nigel Dawson is one of progressive’s heaviest hitters—here he gets the green light to present Whoop’s intriguing material on a smoothly-mixed, 10-track romp. Tarrantella’s “Karma” is a quintessential anthem that kicks off a dank but funky sojourn, veering to the trancey and tribal territory of Steve Lawler and Nick Warren. 8/10 (Peter Lightburn)

Cassandra Wilson Belly of the Sun (Capitol/EMI)
On her latest set, Cassandra Wilson emphasizes blues and Latin influences as much as jazz, making this closer to a world-music offering. She draws every nuance out of her covers of “The Weight,” “Waters of March” and “Wichita Lineman,” slowing her delivery to a southern crawl. She raises the tempo on “Only a Dream in Rio,” and “Drunk as Cooter Brown,” taking her cues from South America. But her focus remains further north: on tracks like, “Darkness in the Delta,” and “Justice,” it’s obvious that though she visits other climes, her musical soul is Deep South. 8/10 (Gerard Dee)