Harris' take on Tracy Chapman's 'All That You Have Is Your Soul' is definitive, and 'Beyond the Great Divide' provides a sublime closing to an album that was well worth the wait.

With help from A-list guest stars (T-Pain, Robin Thicke) and producers (Kanye West, Swizz Beatz), Lil Wayne backs up the boasts [of "best rapper alive"] on the oft-delayed Tha Carter III.

Back for round two, sophomore album Here We Stand doesn't quite bring anything new to the table, but does carry on in the same fun, brash rock tradition of the debut.

Under Rubin's direction, Dylan's laid-back rasp, often laced with smoky harmonies, gains weight and texture.

Thematically starved, Seeing Sounds is nonetheless a sonic feast.

This self-released third record sees them right back on form.

Dark yet delectable, Velocifer suits Ladytron just right.

Cuomo turns the mic over to the other three members of Weezer for a song each (the best: "Automatic," sung by drummer Pat Wilson), unironically salutes the influence of Nirvana ("Heart Songs") and marries fake crowd noise and piano to the thick power chords of "Greatest Man." Rock on.

After 2005 concept album "The Forgotten Arm" was poorly received, Aimee Mann is back to writing stand-alone pop songs, and lo and behold, they comprise her most compelling album to date.

Perfectly Clear is not only persuasive, but down-home, old-school country.

It all adds up to a guilty pleasure for those old enough to remember the '80s.

One of the most valuable qualities of good music is its ability to transport you to a moment in your past, a place you'll never see or somewhere that doesn't even exist. Thanks to their gloriously retro (and occasionally eerie) three-part harmonies, Seattle's Fleet Foxes accomplish all the above with their self-titled debut.

A substantial addition to the band's catalog.

On the synthy, Darkchild-produced 'So Over You,' Ashanti croons about getting past a former relationship, while the Jermaine Dupri-mixed 'Good Good,' featuring elements of Michael Jackson's 'The Girl Is Mine,' finds her confidently belting about her abilities to please in bed.

The group backs it up with a forceful sonic fusillade that recalls Disturbed's 2000 debut, "The Sickness," while doing away with some of the melodic niceties that crept into "Ten Thousand Fists" and 2002's "Believe," right down to Draiman's jungle animal vocals.

After a four-year break, Usher's fifth set is bursting with grown man, true-to-life tales like leaving his player ways behind ("Before I Met You"), falling in love ("Something Special," "Lifetime" and the title track), making love ("This Ain't Sex") and having a child.

Green's voice remains lithe magic, and he's brought in such contemporary all-stars as Anthony Hamilton (on the album's two best tracks, "You've Got the Love I Need" and the slinky title song), John Legend and Corinne Bailey Rae for help.

Pierce ties the dark to the light with poetic folk ballads like closing lullaby "Goodnight Goodnight," making A&E a strange and pleasing concoction of old and new.

There's an overall retro feel to the production that will no doubt delight minions, but those same faithful are old enough to appreciate meaning behind the melodies.

The result is simple and sparse, but more satisfying than heavier-handed electronic projects.

The whole set is heavily dosed with reverb and electro-swirls, perhaps to cloak Johansson's vocal limitations as much as to add psychedelia.

With Steve Turner's guitar a buzzing hangover and Mark Arm snarling with irresistibly creepy restraint, Mudhoney's eighth studio album finds the band rocking like it's 1988 . . . or 2008.

This Montreal band's Anti- debut is a far more calculated, robust affair than its first album, 2006's "Return to the Sea."

On the Jodeci-sampled 'You're Everything,' Bun B rhymes about his love for his hometown of Houston, while poverty, politics and spirituality dominate the reflective 'If It Was Up to Me.' But the most heartfelt track on the album is the one dedicated to Pimp C, 'Angel in the Sky.'

Some cuts, like the cover of 'Pretty in Pink,' or the tensionless march of 'Mouse and the Model,' didn't need to be resurrected. But others, like the singalong rolling notes of 'Sorry Bunch' or 'Night Reconnaissance,' a multipart romp about middle-class vagrants, can stand with the Dolls' A-sides.

This surprisingly lively set finds the former disco diva teaming with a crew of young collaborators--including Greg Kurstin, Danielle Brisebois, Ziggy Marley, J.R. Rotem and Lester Mendez--for a series of uptempo forays into stomping dance-pop, juke-joint blues-rock, breezy Latin jazz and African-accented soul.

Taut musicianship, well-crafted songs and potent vocals make this a landmark album in an already multiplatinum career.

The formula isn't quite as fresh here as it has been on previous outings; after a few tracks, the amped-up glee-club vibe can begin to wear on all but the most devoted of nerves.