Seal
Seal IV (Warner)
I’ve never been a big Seal fan, but I have to give the brother props for this one. Reconnecting with long-time producer Trevor Horn, the eclectic British singer bumps up his signature moody pop style with some full-bodied soul. That sound, combined with his intelligent, thoughtful, always conscious lyrical style, makes for some memorable music, whether he’s talking world peace (“Get It Together”) or universal passion (“Love’s Divine”). His sultry duet with French singer Mylène Farmer (“Les Mots”) and his Motown-styled ode to individuality (“Let Me Roll”) are just two more reasons he’ll win you over—even if you’re not a Seal fan. 8.5/10 (Gerard Dee)

David Bowie
Reality (Columbia/ Sony)
After Hours, Bowie made a welcome comeback with 2001’s Heathen, a modern reflection on his Berlin-era experimentation and a reunion with producer Tony Visconti. With the same team at the helm, guitars are in and keyboards are out (roughly) on Reality, another distinguished disc despite Bowie’s continued reliance on backup singers and tepid pacing. However, the warped guitar gusto of old steps up tracks like “New Killer Star” and a great cover of Jonathan Richman’s “Pablo Picasso,” while a vaguely surreal jazz trip unfolds on “Bring Me the Disco King,” courtesy of Bowie’s ace piano man Mike Garson. 7/10 (Lorraine Carpenter)

The Darkness
Permission to Land (Warner)
I would imagine these latest saviours of rawk are an amusing spectacle live—like children, best seen and not heard. The debut disc from Suffolk, England’s currently hyper-hyped the Darkness is an eminently capable yet utterly unremarkable episode of hoary riff-rock in an Aero/DC vein. Their ace in the hole (or main offence) is frontman Justin Hawkins who, between his tiger-stripey unitard and shrill, overbearing falsetto, seems to have been abandoned roadside by a touring production of Cats. Permission to Land? Permission to take off, eh. 5/10 (Rupert Bottenberg)

Sloan
Action Pact (Vik/BMG)
It’s album seven and Sloan are walking the walk and rocking the cock—well, it’s as cock-rock as these shaggy-headed Haligonians are gonna get. In the style of the meatiest, most classic rock tracks off their last three albums, Sloan get halfway to spandex and bandanas with the wood-block/riff-rock/drum-solo action they’ve whipped up. The quartet recruited L.A.-based producer Tom Rothrock, who’s worked with Elliott Smith and Badly Drawn Boy but secretly idolizes Ratt and AC/DC, and together they’ve cranked out one of the band’s more cohesive albums, though clearly not their best. 6.5/10 (Lorraine Carpenter) With the Joel Plaskett Emergency and Ambulance Ltd. at Club Soda, Thurs., Sept. 25, 9pm, $18.50

Rufus Wainwright
Want One (Dreamworks/Universal)
Oooh, I want one too! Actually, the album is simply Want—Want Two promises more daunting, operatic material, but there’s enough melodic grandeur, orchestral excess and world-weary vocals here to intoxicate fans until the next installment. Pomposity overwhelms at times, as with the hilarious burst of “Bolero” on the lead track, but each Broadway-worthy lashing of useless beauty is balanced with a gentler, minimal gem like “Vicious World” and “Vibrate.” Overall, the scale tips towards the big sound, the wall of Rufus if you will, and perhaps some of the best songs he’s written yet. 8/10 (Lorraine Carpenter)

Dizzee Rascal
Boy in da Corner (XL/Select)
You don’t have to live in the U.K. to feel the hype surrounding 18-year-old MC Dizzee Rascal. Amazingly, this rookie has amassed more favourable and even rave reviews than I can stretch my mind to believe. The most attractive thing about Boy in da Corner is not Dizzee’s annoying, whiny, just-hit-puberty voice but the decidedly ruff beats, drawing almost solely from the U.K. garage template. Dizzee sounds to me like an MC at some junglist party that you would actually ask to get off the mic so you could enjoy the music. Although he’s being touted as the new king of U.K. hip hop, he’s still a kid, and it shows. 7/10 (Scott C)

DJ Andy Smith The Document II (Illicit/Fusion III)
Portishead’s man on the decks turned a lot of heads with The Document, his first mix CD, a couple of years back. The sequel might have those heads turning right around, like in The Exorcist. It’s a damn fine mix that ping-pongs through raw funk old and new (from James Brown to QSO and Sugarman 3), bumping hip hop (Mr. Lif, Black Sheep, Eric B & Rakim) and odd, colourful twists (Kate Bush, Three Dog Night, Serge Gainsbourg). Smith keeps the ride remarkably steady, with only a few irksome jumps or jolts, linking tracks smartly and lingering over details without losing the plot. This doc rocks! 8/10 (Rupert Bottenberg)

DMX
Grand Champ (Def Jam/Ruff Ryders)
I know DMX is getting ready to leave all of this hip hop shit behind so he can become a second-rate movie star, and I say, why wait? He’s already spending too much time on the dogs, driven home by his new “urban dogwear” line and non-stop barking on this record. I know some can feel D’s pain when he lays it down about his love for the streets, but every time he screams, yells, howls and barks, I lose patience. Just like the rest, he’s got a forgettable joint with 50 Cent and numerous unnecessary cameos, but manages to rally the ’hood, angry, loud and united, to walk these dogs. 7.5/10 (Scott C)

Kool Keith
The Lost Masters (DMAFT)
On “Baby Baby,” Keith spits, “You’re trying to play me like I was from Montreal, Calgary,” one of the many inexplicable references that we’ve come to accept from this unapologetic ass ’n’ titties man who happens to unearth hip hop industry irony with ease. This is a collection of songs by his many personalities, including Dr. Octagon, Dr. Dooom, Robbie Analog, Mr. Gerbik and of course Black Elvis. When it comes to telling it like it is, calling out names and lots of sex and hilarity, nobody does it quite like Kool Keith. Check this for joints like “Cleavage,” “You Can’t Go Outside” and “Telephone Girlfriend.” 8/10 (Scott C)

7-Hurtz
Electroleum (Output/Fusion III)
Deep, dubby and spaced-out, the duo known as 7-Hurtz is today’s answer to the question, “Whatever happened to trip hop?” It’s like someone took the goatees, bad break samples and collegiate banter out of acid jazz and replaced them with Air’s vintage pads, ’80s synths and vocoders and James Brown’s syncopated funk, all mixed with a breath of New York cool. While the uptempo tracks may not be pumping enough to get the party started, the chiller tracks are ideal for reclining after a hard night out at the clubs. 8/10 (Raf Katigbak)

Chemical Brothers
Singles 93-03 (Virgin/EMI)
Look at that, a decade now for Tom and Ed. Singles charts their trajectory from subversive imps teaching acid house to rock like a motherfucker (“Song to the Siren,” “Leave Home”) to latter-day hippie shamans pimping euphoric platitudes (“The Private Psychedelic Reel,” “Let Forever Be”). Collaborations are collected here, too, the jams with Britpoppers like Bernard Sumner, Noel Gallagher and, on the notably lame “The Test,” the Verve’s Richard Ashcroft. The last two collabs, though, cross the pond and come out ahead—“Get Yourself High,” with Toronto’s K-os, kicks ass, and “The Golden Path,” with the Flaming Lips, is epic, psychedelic pop par excellence. 8.5/10 (Rupert Bottenberg)

T. Raumschmiere
Radio Blackout (Novamute/Fusion III)
After completely obliterating the crowd at last years’ Mutek festival with a killer performance that included jumping on a table and swinging his gear over his head, techno’s answer to arena rock is back with another album. This time T. Raumschmiere (aka Marco Haas) mixes up his epic, Gary Glitter-style stadium chug with some slower jams that might even be classified in the IDM chillout category. But don’t be fooled for a second, Berlin’s king of maximal minimalism hasn’t soften up one bit. For every chilled-out, heady track, expect a pounding, grinding, fist-pumping anthem like “Monstertruckdriver” or “The Game Is Not Over” (featuring Miss Kittin). Oi! 8/10 (Raf Katigbak)

Ricardo Villalobos
In the Mix-Taka Taka (Cocoon)
Unquestionably one of the best minimal tech-house DJs in the world right now, Villalobos continues his push towards a more melodic dancefloor with this excellently dark mix on Sven Väth’s Cocoon label. Opening up with the Oval-ish “Atomium” by Joris Vermeiren, he quickly moves into bumpin’ beat territory with good friend and Perlon partner Dimbiman’s remix of Ark’s “Sweet Chat Rio.” Preferring the long, drawn-out mix to the quick cut, Villalobos effortlessly blends 22 tracks over an hour and 20 minutes, featuring younger producers like Luciano and Jabberjaw (aka Matthew Dear), as well as stalwarts Vainqueur and Daniel Bell. Check it! 8/10 (Raf Katigbak)

Michael Brecker
Wide Angles (Verve/Universal)
Brecker stays with the tenor here and he’s a “monster” on that instrument. He calls this group his “Quindectet”—that’s a 15-piecer that includes reeds, trumpet, trombone, French horn, a string quartet and a four-man rhythm section. The players here include Adam Rogers, Robin Eubanks, Steve Wilson, John Patitucci, Mark Feldman and Erik Friedlander in a program in which a Don Grolnick composition joins nine by Brecker. The arranging here is of great interest, the work of the leader and Gil Goldstein. One of the year’s top releases, not to be missed! 10/10 (Len Dobbin)

Mini CD Reviews

John Hicks Fatha’s Day (High Note/Fusion III) Another in John’s songbook series. This time Earl Hines is honoured. 9.5 (LD)

Controller 7 Expansions EP double 7” (Bully) More delightfully out of step stuff from MTL’s Bully. I’m digging the dual seven-inch format too. 8 (SC)

Great Lake Swimmers self-titled (Teenage USA) Deliciously simple, slow, spare, sad-sack melodies and vintage folk stylings threaten to pull you into their undertow. 8 (LC) With Ele_K and ?Alice! at Jupiter Room, Sat., Sept. 27, 9pm

Phuturistix “Beautiful” 12” (Hospital) Jeanna G lends her pipes to a Phuturistix gem with Bugz in the Attic on the remix. Lovely. 8.5 (SC)

Teenage Fanclub Four Thousand Seven Hundred and Sixty-Six Seconds: A Shortcut to Teenage Fanclub (Jetset) A sprawling best-of from Scotland’s masters of slack power pop. 8 (LC)

Los Straitjackets Supersonic Guitars in 3-D (Yep Roc/Outside) More thick licks and meaty melodies from Nashville’s masked marauders of vintage instrumental rock. Special prize inside: a 3-D cover with glasses! 7.5 (RB)

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