Biblical blues, over-the pop, and some guy named Russell from down under

There's not a lot of room within the strict guitar-drums-occasional-keyboards parameters this duo sets for itself. But Jack White manages to push the envelope here, wading into gospel, backwoods country, and even plaintive pop covers ("I Just Don't Know What to Do With Myself"). The rest is fuzz-riffed and visceral, with an added bonus: Nico-ish Meg finally sings! Tom Lanham

BOOMKAT

boomkatalog one (DreamWorks)

Flick chick Taryn Manning (8 Mile) fancies herself a singer in this band, and surprisingly, her vocals are filled with soul and sass. A few tracks border on shrill, but overall, boomkatalog one's blues-, electro-, and hip-hop-laced grooves make for an unexpected auditory smorgasbord.

Amelia McDonell-Parry

LUCINDA WILLIAMS

World Without Tears (Lost Highway)

In a world without tears, Williams wonders, how would scars find skin? Williams' lyrics are like scars--proud and painful. The new disc, mostly recorded live in the studio, has biblical blues, a Stones-inspired love poem ("Bleeding Fingers"), and 11 other songs that tug and glide like tortured waltzes.

Henry Cabot Beck

PALOALTO

heroes and villains (American)

Like the U.K. groups that initially received the New Radioheads tag (Coldplay, Travis, Doves), Paloalto have come into their own--with this, their second effort. Producer Rick Rubin's influence is apparent on poignant tracks of weeping lap-steel and airborne strings, while the aching falsetto of the band's true star, James Grundler, still garners comparisons to Thom Yorke. In a good way.

Robert Cherry

THE LIBERTINES

Up the Bracket (Rough Trade)

Is this London quartet destined to be the Next Big Thing from Britain? Probably not--the songs aren't squeaky-clean enough to translate into megasales. One thing is undeniable, though: These shambling rock 'n' roll rave-ups and drunken anthems kick some serious butt, the way the Kinks and the Jam once did. Sloppy, messy, and superfun, Up the Bracket is a glorious racket.

Ray Rogers

VIC CHESNUTT

Silver Lake (New West Records)

All emotion, no sentiment, Chesnutt's songs are more sophisticated than folk but feel homemade and sturdy as a barn. There are songs here about band camp, regret, and exotic postcards when there is no one to send them to. Chesnutt, who was paralyzed in a car wreck at age 18, remains one of the most muscular howlers of pure, unpretentious truth.

Dimitri Ehrlich

THE GO-BETWEENS

Bright Yellow Bright Orange (JetSet)

2000's winning reunion album by the songwriting duo Robert Forster and Grant McLennan was no fluke. The '80s almost-stars are back again, with a taut new batch of chiming melodies and more than a few lyrical, three-minute minimasterpieces built on dashed hopes, faded dreams, and escape fantasies.

RUSSELL CROWE & 30 ODD FOOT OF GRUNTS

Other Ways of Speaking (Artemis)

On the second U.S. release of his rock band, rough-and-tumble leading guy Russell Crowe throws himself into various roles--Elvis Costello's angry young man, Bruce Springsteen's working-class hero, and Sonny Bono to guest Chrissie Hynde's Cher. Regardless, Crowe's voice, a fusion of Tom Waits' rasp and Bono's emoting, is as surprisingly appealing as his acting MO.: over-ambitious, untutored, and teeming with trade mark passion.

Matt Diehl

ROBBIE WILLIAMS

Escapology (Virgin)

Ch-ch-ch-changes fuel Robbie Williams' dodgy-deity status in his native U.K.--specifically, the chord changes that propel each of the 14 anthemic ballads and rockers on his latest effort, Escapology, to emotional liftoff. Williams, the edgiest boy-band alumnus ever (ex-Take That), and his musical accomplice Guy Chambers have made two previous attempts in the U.S.; this just may be their ticket outta European megafame and into the Great Mall of American Supercelebrity.

Vivien Goldman

ADAM F

Adam F Presents Drum and Bass Warfare (System/Kaos)

On CD 1 of this double-disc set, Adam F--drum-and-bass visionary and straight-up hip-hop producer for icons such as LL Cool J--gets D&B star warriors, including Roni Size, to remix his beats into boom-tastic bass bombs for the likes of Redman, Noreaga, and LL himself. Then, on CD 2, turntablist terror DJ Craze slices and dices those remixes into an all-out dance-floor assault, proving F's groove armada is unstoppable in any theater.