Jill Scott
Beautifully Human: Words and Sounds Vol. II (Hidden Beach/Sony)
On lead single "Golden," Jill declares, "I'm taking my own freedom/Putting it in my song/Singing loud and strong/Grooving all day long." Four years after her stunning debut Who Is Jill Scott? elevated the game, Philly's finest still thrives in the place where poetry seduces soul, nowhere more convincingly than the sensuous "Cross My Mind." She's also on the positive tip, eschewing thoughts of creeping on the bass-heavy "Bedda at Home" and basking in the funky flavour of a "Family Reunion." Elsewhere, she convincingly morphs from soul singer to big-band jazz chanteuse on "Talk to Me." With urban music saturated by female "singers" exposing their goodies more than any real talent, it's reassuring to know that Alicia's in key, Angie's got soul and Jill, well, Jill's just golden. 9.5/10 (Gerard Dee)

Björk
Medúlla (Elektra/Warner)
After the macro Homogenic and the micro Vespertine, the next fresh angle for the unpredictable Ms. Gottmundsdottir is to ditch pretty much all instruments save the very first - the human voice. Enlisting mouth musicians like Mike Patton, Rahzel (for beats), Robert Wyatt, Inuit throat singer Tanya Tagaq Gillis and choirs from Iceland and England, Björk has fashioned a catalogue of vocal possibilities, wildly varied in mood, scope and means. Grabbers include the weighty "Where Is the Line," the neo-doo-wop "Who Is It" and the lively, playful closer "Triumph of a Heart." Björk wisely keeps her own vocals, the central element, on a shorter leash than usual. 8.5/10 (Rupert Bottenberg)

Memphis
I Dreamed We Fell Apart (Paper Bag/Outside)
Imagine Memphis, not the Tennessee city, but a fictional place dominated by the sound of this duo, Stars' Torquil Campbell and Stars alumnus Chris Dumont. Echoes of glistening guitars and sampled vocals are adrift like clouds, lush strings and keyboards spill softly over the mountainside, beats roll underfoot like tumbleweed, strains of melodica and sax attract the masses and beautiful voices serenade the population from above. Throw in some opium and a tribute to the Pet Shop Boys and there it is, a triumph of downtempo textures and pop chops that could satiate and subdue even the most debauched town. 9/10 (Lorraine Carpenter)

The Datsuns
Outta Sight/Outta Mind (V2/BMG)
The Datsuns are a sure thing to sponge up the Jet slipover, but these bellbottomed boys from New Zealand aren't anybody's sweat act, out-slugging and out-hustling their down-under brethren on every riff. They get the Led out with John Paul Jones behind the board, and Jones delivers a walloping six-string attack, but underneath all the ballast and rock cliché are some well-crafted tunes. "Girl's Best Friend" sounds like Iggy at his peak, "Messin' Around" is a Southern-fried meltdown and "While I'm Lost" is a Raspberries-flavoured power-pop gem. All eyes are going to be on these guys and Outta Sight/Outta Mind rises to the occasion. 8/10 (Johnson Cummins)

Papa Roach
Getting Away With Murder (Geffen/Universal)
Papa Roach are back, but steering away from the rap-rock approach doesn't let them get away with murder. There are moments, like "Done With You," "Scars" and the title track, but with very unoriginal bones shifting under the skin of distorted guitar and been-there-done-that singing, these tracks still carry a high cheese-rock factor. Slip 'em between the hair rock and the Bon Jovi vocal aesthetic and they just might find a comfy zone to wallow in. 6/10 (Lateef Martin)

The Libertines
self-titled (Sanctuary/EMI)
Maybe it's just nostalgia and selective memory in collusion, but I seem to remember a time when the British hype machine had slightly higher standards. U.K. music journalists appear desperate to champion their own in the hopes of holding something, anything, up to American rock 'n' roll, and the drugs and crime controversy around frontman Peter Doherty is only a titillating, tabloid-baiting bonus. Featuring both their strongest and weakest tracks to date, this sophomore disc is largely a shambles of clumsy vocals, vapid lyrics and limp rock. Brit Awards all around. 5.5/10 (Lorraine Carpenter)

Channels
Open (DeSoto/FAB)
Once of Government Issue, Jawbox and Burning Airlines, J. Robbins certainly has the indie-rock pedigree. As was hinted with his last couple of projects, though, he's become a master of deconstructing pop and finding unlikely melody in discordance. Robbins's XTC fascination shows in the lofty arrangements, but just before he goes and progs the whole thing up, he always lets the tune come home to roost on a catchy-as-hell chorus. Channels' take on John Cale's "Fear Is a Man's Best Friend" shows off the trio's pure inventiveness and expert use of dynamics. Pop hasn't been this challenging in a long, long time. 9/10 (Johnson Cummins)

Clinic
Winchester Cathedral (Domino/Outside)
The third album from these surgically-clad Liverpudlians is split in two. Side one, so to speak, reviews the formula they've established. It's this hollow-bodied, biting, basement-brew British Invasion redux - needling, hypnotic guitar, mournful melodica, vocals recalling somewhat Tim Roth's backseat, bullet-in-tummy hissing and gnashing in Resevoir Dogs. The second half fucks around with that, however, softening up ("The Majestic #2," "Falstaff") and nodding to klezmer ("August") before wrapping up with the effective instrumental "Fingers." Something new, something old, one part lead, one part gold. 7.5/10 (Rupert Bottenberg)

Mantler
Landau (Tomlab)
What Louie Austen's brilliant Only Tonight did for crooner cred in the underground, Landau by Toronto's Chris Cummings (aka Mantler) stands to do for adult contemporary. Whether or not that's a good thing is really up to you. Full of Aja-era Steely Dan jazz-pop ornamentation, generous amounts of Wurlitzer piano and the kind of soft Burt Bacharach vocals that could easily be dismissed as schmaltzy if they didn't sound just so damn sincere, Cummings' release is something, well, special. He has the same off-balance cabaret appeal as fellow Canuck/Kraut crossover success Gonzales - without the irony. 7/10 (Raf Katigbak)

Ulrich Schnauss
A Strangely Isolated Place (Domino/Outside)
Last year a budding Berlin bedroom producer put out an album so lush, emotive and uplifting that it made the hearts of most who heard it melt with a bittersweet, squishy-type feeling. The blissful vocal harmonies drenched in reverb and swirling synthesizer psychedelics were an unabashed nod to mid-'90s U.K. shoegazers My Bloody Valentine and Slowdive, but with decidedly up-to-date electronic production flourishes. The only problem was, not enough people heard the limited release on Berlin's City Centre Offices label. Now, thanks to this Domino reissue, Schnauss's dreamy album will have a chance to melt even more hearts. 8.5/10 (Raf Katigbak)

K-OS
Joyful Rebellion (Virgin/EMI)
It's no secret that Toronto rapper K-OS has had a problem with the current state of hip hop and the lack of forward movement in its artistic development. Joyful Rebellion is a testament to this musical revolutionary's commitment to a music that he still feels has room to grow. Bravely combining pieces of funk, rock, folk, blues, reggae, soul and of course rap, K-OS peels back the veneer to reveal a very sincere love of not only hip hop but any honest and passionate musical expression. "B-Boy Stance" doesn't mince words regarding the need to get back to rap roots, but open minds should know that there's equal parts rapping and singing on this record. 8.5/10 (Scott C)

Dessy Di Lauro
A Study of a Woman's Soul (Crazy Glue/Pushin Keys)
Believe it or not, Montreal's own Dessy Di Lauro is just getting started. Although she's been singing in and out of the city for years, this disc is the first official studio recording to spotlight her honey voice. Teaming her with the soulful ear of her keyboardist/ boyfriend Ric'key Pageot, A Study of a Woman's Soul is a sign of things to come from this duo. My picks include the undeniable soul of "Where Is the Light," the heartfelt melancholy of "Dear Mama" and the blistering bonus track "City High," showcasing the talents of Ric'key and band Jazzma. 8/10 (Scott C)

Theo Parrish
Parallel Dimensions (Ubiquity/Outside)
Like his compatriots Moodyman, Amp Fiddler, Carl Craig and Jay Dee, Theo Parrish exemplifies Detroit's distinct sonic pedigree on this re-released classic. First dropped in 2000, with only 1,000 copies, on Parrish's Sound Signature imprint, here it is again for the oh-four. Parrish doesn't just produce, he designs. The results are that quintessential you-can-run-but-you-can't-hide house sound Detroit is famous for. "Serengeti Echoes" suggests the '70s productions of Patrick Adams, while "Summertime" is a galactic Afrobeat/jazz workout with female vocals that suck you into the track's haunting vortex. 9/10 (Peter Lightburn)

Mel Torme
Jazz and Velvet (Proper Box/SRI)
This four-disc anthology begins in 1946 when Torme was 21 and takes us, over 95 tracks, into 1952. Torme, one of the most musical of singers, is heard here in a number of settings - with Artie Shaw and the Mel-Tones, with the Page Cavanaugh Trio, the Dave Barbour Four, Peggy Lee, the Red Norvo trio with Farlow and Mingus, and with Pete Rugulo. The songs include great standards and some lesser known items, among them "County Fair," "A Cottage for Sale," "You're the Top," "Night and Day," "Skylark" and "The Piccolino." A treat for the vocal fan. 9/10 (Len Dobbin)

Mini CD Reviews

Fats Waller Handful of Keys (Proper Box/SRI) A timely four-CD set in this, Waller's centennial year. Great piano and vocals that will put a smile on your face and get your foot tapping. 9.5 (LD)

Lamb of God Ashes of the Wake (Epic/Sony) If it weren't for the almighty Slayer, Lamb of God would be the kings of power metal. 9 (JC)

Various Sex, Sleaze and Soul (NiceTreat/Fusion III) Music here from porn, blaxploitation, B-movie action flicks and just strange shit. Hot! 9 (SC)

Secret Mommy Hawaii 5.0 (Ache) Playful plunderphonics that sound like Mouse on Mars and Don Ho getting into a Ritalin-fuelled poi fight at a luau. Aloha! 8.5 (RK)

Lily Frost Situation (Aporia/Universal) Dreamy lounge pop with one foot in the past, one foot in France and a head in the future. 8 (LC)

Schneider TM Reconfigures (Earsugar/Fusion III) With test tubes, lab coats and protective goggles on hand, Germany's micro-techno-pop prince re-animates Lamb, Lambchop, Ruby, Rechenzentrum, the Faint et al. 8 (LC)

Various The Unbroken Circle (Dualtone) Kris Kristofferson, Johnny Cash, Emmylou Harris, John Prine, Sheryl Crow and more all take a stab at the Carter Family's classics. 8 (JC)

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