Nearly a decade into their career, English trio Morcheeba are having an identity crisis. The group's plan for its fourth album is apparently to expand its sound by building off its foundation of processed midtempo beats and female vocals. Rarely does this tack work. Instead, we get songs like the title track, on which Morcheeba awkwardly pair their hip-hop beats with guest rapper Pacewon of the Outsidaz, whose delivery is far too aggressive for the trio's delicate instrumentation. Slick Rick's later appearance on the murderous "Women Lose Weight" is an even bigger misfire. But when the group hooks up with Lambchop's Kurt Wagner, on "What New York Couples Fight About," the idea finally pays off. Wagner's unpolished voice augments the moody quality that defines much of the band's music, and gives an edge to Morcheeba singer Skye Edwards' bright vocals. Here, the two hit on a balance that the rest of the album, sadly, overshoots. (NINA PEARLMAN)

Mali Music Mali Music (Astralwerks)

You're forgiven if you're inclined to dismiss Blur frontman Damon Albarn's latest side project as a gimmick aimed at scoring organic brownie points with the save-the-world set, considering that his previous side project, Gorillaz, was a smarmy (though inspired) mix-and-match of hip-hop, rock and Playstation-style preening. You're forgiven, but you're missing out. In 2000, Albarn went to Mali -- where the per-capita income is less than $1,000 and life expectancy barely tops forty-five years -- at the invitation of the charity organization Oxfam; the fruits of the trip are evident on Mali Music, the new release by Albarn and many, many of his new Malian friends. The album's apparently free-form spontaneity of spirit does not quite obscure a production sophistication and instrumental virtuosity [[that makes one think of a Graceland infused with the Chemical Brothers and Syd Barrett. On several songs, elliptic melody lines are repeated on unfamiliar instruments (like the ngoni, a plucked lute), becoming like alien mantras, until indigenous vocals arrive to ground the song with an emotional urgency -- and Albarn knows well enough to cede the spotlight. Mali Music is a successful merger of the jubilance of Western African music with the techno smarts of a man who knows which knobs to turn. (JEREMY SIMON)

Victoria Williams Sings Some Ol' Songs (Dualtone)

Victoria Williams could always pull off feats of folksiness that would seem contrived and ridiculous coming from any other performer. The Louisiana-born, California-based songwriter possesses a naturally off-kilter mojo that is utterly charming. For this reason, she is much better when marching to the beat of her own material than she is on this set of pop standards. In fact, when she struggles with the choruses of "Over the Rainbow" and "My Funny Valentine," it sounds like a recording of a sixth-grade talent show. Sings . . . is not devoid of her trademark moments of divine whimsy, however. Oscar Levant's "Keep Sweeping Cobwebs Off the Moon" is a delightful Dixieland romp, not only thanks to Jon Birdsong's brass and Danny Frankel's percussion, but also because Williams' warble works so well in that setting. Like all outsider artists, her delivery is completely sincere, and while that doesn't make it any easier on the ears, it does make it worth a listen. (MEREDITH OCHS)

NRBQ Atsa My Band! (Big Notes)

Even though they've been tromping through bars for the past thirty years, NRBQ still have plenty left. For their new set, they've invented a song so fast and beautifully stupid it re-ignites your faith in rock & roll -- and snack food. We're speaking of "Terry Got a Muffin," a two-minute breakfast-buffet anthem with the climactic line "Tom got a chip and he put it in the dip/He put that chip in the dip." Once known as the New Rhythm and Blues Quartet, this Miami band of cult longhairs, including the especially grizzled madman pianist Terry Adams, tosses off studio albums these days like Ramen noodles. From the do-it-yourself cover photo of the boys in chef's hats to the depressingly weary, off-key, opening "Norma," much of Atsa My Band! operates purely on instinct. But what an instinct: No other dinosaur rockers can pull off Otis Blackwell's Fifties classic "Rip It Up" with as much humor and dignity. (Available through www.nrbq.com.) (STEVE KNOPPER)

Kevin Fowler High on the Hog (Tin Roof)

Two things you find in abundance down Texas way these days: no-nonsense young honky-tonkers; and lots of talk about how the folks in Nashville just don't make real country music anymore. Problem is, keeping things "real" doesn't guarantee an end product any more interesting than Nashville's flavor du jour. Kevin Fowler -- who stands out from the frat-boy-pleasing Texas revolution crowd as the only one to have played with Eighties hair band Dangerous Toys -- is no Guy Clark at songwriting and a far cry from George Jones in the vocal department, but he'll do in a pinch if you just want something to dance and drink to on a Saturday night. Casual country fans can do a lot worse than High on the Hog, but you can see the cliches coming from a mile away by the titles alone -- "The Lord Loves a Drinking Man," "All the Tequila in Tijuana" (featuring Willie Nelson), "Senorita Mas Fina," etc. The honky-tonk cover of Queen's "Fat Bottomed Girls" is par for Fowler's course: a fun idea capably executed, but Dwight Yoakam already rode that horse -- and with a lot more style and panache, to boot. (RICHARD SKANSE)

Kristian Hoffman & (Eggbert)

Former Mumps frontman Kristian Hoffman's third solo release, &, plays like a good mix tape. But unlike even the best compilations, this collection contains a seamless continuity: Hoffman's catchy, at times weird, but always engaging pop melodies. Each track features a different guest -- all L.A. indie-pop scenesters -- which energizes even the few mediocre songs. Whether it's Rufus Wainwright on the haunting "Scarecrow," Anna Waronker on the delightful "Get It Right This Time," or Michael Quercio on the epic "Just in Time," these tunes will quickly have heads bopping and feet tapping. Hoffman draws a Fifties-style crooning out of his singers and lays it over simple arrangements to create slick piano-driven alt-pop. The circusy "God, If Any, Only Knows" (with Abby Travis) and the rat-pack-meets-"Mission Impossible" "Madison Avenue" (with El Vez) also standout. While & is not likely to catapult Hoffman into the popular consciousness, it solidifies him as one of the underground's best songsmiths. (BENJAMIN FRIEDLAND)

Gene Libertine (iMusic/BMG)

Gene were once hailed as the likely successors to the Smiths' mournful guitar-rock throne, but then quickly and dramatically fell out of favor. Having weathered the Britpop years, however, the group resorted to setting up its own label to release this album. As a result Libertine is less grandiose and more emotional than its major-label predecessors, with lyrics steeped heavily in disintegrating relationships. Gene have lost much of the swagger that characterized their classic debut, Olympian, but they have not lost their soulful edge. "Is It Over" is a gorgeous piano ballad in the mold of the Style Council, while "Walking in the Shallows" revisits the bruised guitar rock of its vintage years. The adversity has not entirely done Gene in. (AIDIN VAZIRI)

Cinerama Torino (Manifesto)

When Cinerama got down and dirty in a sweet kind of way on their second effort, 2000's Disco Volante, Wedding Present fans couldn't have been more delighted. It was indie-pop with a seductive twist and it worked brilliantly. So naturally David Gedge and company got extra formulaic on their third album, Torino. It's a bedlam of romance, a tender look back at first relationships and sexual romps, but with a bit of a smirk. An alluring backdrop of string arrangements and orchestral brass dress the darker tone of this album, and the Steve Albini touch isn't so peculiar this time around, either. Weddoes should be pleasantly surprised with Gedge's electrifying guitar work, too. The jaunty chamber-pop cut "Quick, Before It Melts" pokes fun at a one-night stand, while the morning after is cleverly depicted in the dreamy haze of "Get Up and Go." "Health and Efficiency" reminds us that sex does a body good; but if one forgets to do it with class, as in "Estrella," it leaves a bitter taste. Alas, Torino says that love is essential for the soul -- but in good measure, of course. (MACKENZIE WILSON)

Riddlin' Kids Hurry Up And Wait (Aware/Columbia)

The urgent, melodic and frequently anonymous Riddlin' Kids are -- like much of the post-Blink 182 set that includes Sum 41, Fenix TX and New Found Glory -- a little too polished to be truly punk rock. But, judging by "Here We Go Again" and the semi-hit "I Feel Fine," their pop-injected take on the genre is plenty appealing. What the Austin, Texas-based quartet lacks in originality it makes up for in chops on the lovesick, mid-tempo "Tina" and the metallic blast of "Pick Up the Pieces." While the Kids' album-closing cover of R.E.M.'s "It's the End of the World As We Know It" seems pointless, it's still leaps and bounds ahead of the 2001 career-mulching stab at the same by fellow punks the Suicide Machines. Other ear candy like "See the Light" and "Take" proves that the Kids are alright. (JOHN D. LUERSSEN)

(August 5, 2002)