On 2007's The Sun and the Moon, neo-New Wavers the Bravery took a shot at guitar-oriented meaningfulness. They're back in synth-and-eyeliner country here, working Duran-Psych Furs-J&MC pantomimes with a dedication so complete you could almost mistake it for invention. But frontman Sam Endicott subverts OK songs by breaking from synth pop's vaunted girly-boy tradition and lamely playing a macho-rock stud on songs like "She's So Bendable." Fine as hacks, they're somewhat less fine as humans.

This magenta-haired American Idol veteran swaggers like a teenage Pink on her debut: Her overlooked single "Friday I'll Be Over U" is Scandinavian-designed punk-pop perfection, and "Robot Love" turns Gary Glitter's "Rock and Roll Part 2" riff into something fresh. But on ballads like "Scars," Iraheta sounds so much like Pink that it's distracting. More disturbing are some of the lyrics: "Beat Me Up" takes the S&M theme of Britney's "...Baby One More Time" into domestic-violence territory.

At this late date in history, listening to R. Kelly document his busy sex life is like listening to an old jazzman run through standards — it's exactly what you expect, but when he's inspired it's well worth your time. One of his horniest albums yet (!), Kelly's 10th gets ridiculous fast, like on "Pregnant," where he turns the line "Girl, you make me wanna get you pregnant" into a lubricious refrain. Kelly's studio skills and uncommon tune sense come through on cuts like "Exit" — his...

Cash Money label founder Bryan "Birdman" Williams is as well-known for slinging cash — he once gave Lil Wayne $1 million on his birthday — as he is for rhyming. The NoLa native's fourth solo disc is the rap equivalent of Scrooge McDuck swimming around in gold coins, with Birdman using his don't-give-a-fuck drawl to brag about the Benz he bought his lady on the nicely dirty "Money Machine." But the title track finds Timbaland delivering a subpar beat, and the cameos by Wayne can't sav...

Elvis Perkins' first two records were informed by his rough biography: His father, actor Anthony Perkins, died of complications from AIDS, and his mother died on 9/11. This EP opens with a New Orleans stomp about that "Doomsday" Tuesday and ends with a funereal remake. There's also an Appalachian folk dirge about a too-soon marriage and a roadhouse scorcher for a world on fire. Doomsday is brutally emotional, but Perkins' band adds a sense of defiance, making it safe for closing time.

An elegiac quality deepens many of the Kinks' most enduring songs, from "See My Friends" to "Celluloid Heroes." Frontman Ray Davies reaffirms his belief in faded beauty with a newly recorded collection of classics rearranged for London's Crouch End Festival Chorus. At 65, Davies remains in remarkable voice, and although the horndog frenzy of "You Really Got Me" isn't best served by a churchlike choir, ballads such as "Waterloo Sunset" frame him flatteringly with gorgeous harmonies.