The boisterous R&B singer Ernie K-Doe once bragged, "I'm not certain, but I'm almost positive that all music came from New Orleans." Although K-Doe was obviously overstating the case, no other American city has had a hand in shaping as many popular musical styles as New Orleans. Curiously, the city hasn't been a force in the record industry since the early Sixties, when it dominated the charts. But with three New Orleans groups currently enjoying new releases, and an ever-increasing amount of national attention being focused on the Crescent City sound, there are indications that the sleeping giant may soon reawaken.

A cornerstone of the Crescent City music community for a dozen years, the Neville Brothers have long since been the consensus choice as potential superstars. They certainly have the talent, but so far that status has eluded the four brothers; their previous records – six in all, counting live and historical anthologies – haven't caught on beyond their cult following.

The Nevilles' latest, Yellow Moon, should boost the brothers' stock considerably, because it's the first studio album that really captures the sound and spirit they portray onstage. Producer Daniel Lanois – who has previously worked with U2 and Peter Gabriel – wisely avoids dressing up the Nevilles' funky rhythms, a mistake their previous producers made too often. But while this is certainly the best studio album the Nevilles have yet recorded, it still falls short of being a masterpiece. One can't help but feel that at times the brothers get carried away with making cultural and political statements and forget that their primary job is to make music.

When the Nevilles do concentrate on making music, however, they'll have you on your feet in no time. Case in point: the hottest tracks on the album, "Wild Indians" and "Fire and Brimstone," which couple the four brothers with the Dirty Dozen Brass Band. A brilliant musical collaboration, this is the modern New Orleans sound at its most impressive.

The title track of Yellow Moon serves as the perfect showcase for the great Aaron Neville, who proves he may be the best pure vocalist working today. Not only are his range, pitch and phrasing flawless, he also seems genuinely committed to the songs he sings. Unfortunately, Aaron is not always fortunate enough to get suitable material. While it's novel to hear him on the stripped-down and bluesy version of Bob Dylan's "Hollis Brown," there's really no point in hearing another version of Sam Cooke's "Change Is Gonna Come," even one sung by Aaron Neville.

Contrasting with the rest of the album is Cyril Neville's "Sister Rosa," which is set to a rap beat. A tribute to Rosa Parks, who sparked the civil-rights movement in 1955 when she refused to give up her seat to a white person on a Montgomery, Alabama, bus, this track might just be palatable enough for urban black radio. Even if Yellow Moon doesn't take the Neville Brothers to the top of the charts, it does at least capture on record some of the magic of these New Orleans giants.

Voodoo – the new album by the Dirty Dozen Brass Band – captures a different sort of magic. Once a staid, traditional style of music played by weathered old men at political rallies and shopping-mall openings, brass-band music has been radically modernized by the Dirty Dozen. (There are really only eight members; they took their name from a New Orleans social and pleasure club when the band was formed in 1978.) By employing the tuba in the same way a funky electric bass is played, and by injecting some contemporary and off-the-wall material into the traditional brass-band format, they have created an innovative and noisy brand of music. Besides their contribution to Yellow Moon, they recently helped out Elvis Costello on Spike.

No one can accuse the Dirty Dozen Brass Band of being boring or unimaginative. While there are only eight songs on the record and plenty of improvisation, the proceedings never once get long-winded or tedious. "Santa Cruz" and "Voodoo" are noteworthy because they flaunt some especially wacky horn arrangements and some dazzling solo work by various members of the band. Guests Dr. John (who sings on the Dirty Dozen's inspired cover of "It's All Over Now"), Branford Marsalis and Dizzy Gillespie are present on a couple of tracks, but the real stars of Voodoo are the boys in the band. One listen to Voodoo and you too will be under their spell.

Listening to the Radiators is rather like drinking Jagermeister, the most popular liqueur in New Orleans: Either you like it or you don't; there's no half measure. The band plays a hypnotic brand of Southern rock – they refer to it as "fishhead music" – that has more in common with Little Feat and the Grateful Dead than any New Orleans group that comes to mind. The Radiators surprised everyone in 1987 when their debut Epic release, Law of the Fish, became a college-radio favorite and rose to respectable levels on the charts.

Zigzagging Through Ghostland picks up where Law of the Fish left off, containing all of the quirky trademark rhythms the Radiators are known for. Again the band's primary strength proves to be vocalist and keyboardist Ed Volker, who writes songs that are humorous but nonetheless poignant. This time around, however, his material is presented in a less tentative manner, one that should make AOR sit up and take notice.

Longtime Rad fans will experience a sensation of déjà vu when they first hear Zigzagging Through Ghostland, and rightly so. Three of the twelve songs date to the Radiators' bar-band days in the late Seventies, when they put out their own records. "Red Dress" and "Hardcore" are two of these songs, and they provide some of the best moments on the album. "Confidential," which opens the album, and "Raw Nerve" are two other strong tracks, featuring plenty of churning rhythm guitar and rim-crushing percussion. Even the sole cover on the album, a version of J.J. Jackson's "But It's Alright," seems tailor-made for the Radiators' determined musical approach. There is nothing technical, political or arty about Zigzagging Through Ghostland, but it's further proof that New Orleans has some more musical history to make. (RS 550)

JEFF HANNUSCH