THOM YORKE
The Eraser (3.5 stars)
Nearly six years after the release of the polarizing Kid A, most Radiohead fans remain entrenched in one of two camps: those who embrace the band's recent electronic flourishes and those still yearning for a return to the rawk of The Bends and OK Computer. Frontman Thom Yorke's first solo foray should delight both immensely, if for entirely different reasons.
The former will surely salivate at a project crafted with nary an earthly instrument, save, of course, Yorke's famously haunting vocals. From the regal piano on "Analyse" to the slick guitars of "Black Swan" to the blips and bleeps of "Cymbal Rush," every note comes via Yorke's laptop and Nigel Godrich's production wizardry.
Those at odds with such technology, meanwhile, will rejoice over the possibility that, having satisfied his electronic urges here, Yorke will keep those mitts off Radiohead's seventh LP. Indeed, if the dozen or so tunes debuting on the quintet's current tour are an indication, the new material could be enormously powerful if left to its own, organic devices.
Whichever your side, The Eraser is the closest to a Radiohead album you'll get until 2007 at the earliest. If that isn't reason enough to check it out, Yorke's pointed, revealing lyrics—more a focal point than on any of his full-band releases—should be.
Julie Roberts
Men & Mascara (4 stars)
Julie Roberts just might be the best thing in mainstream country right now. She's got looks to rival Faith Hill's, a voice to rival Martina McBride's and a bit of Shania Twain's cheekiness. But unlike Hill or Twain, Roberts doesn't come off as manufactured, and even when she's recording songs crafted by Nashville veterans, she sounds genuine and impassioned.
Roberts' second album, Men & Mascara, is full of genre conventions, songs about heartbreak and young love, crafted with soul and wit (the title track's "Men and mascara always run" is at least as memorable a hook as "Man, I feel like a woman"), and she makes them all sound fresh. Musically, Roberts embraces a straightforward style, with songs drenched in fiddles and pedal steel, not at all angling for the pop audience even when covering "Girl Next Door" by pop-rockers Saving Jane.
The singer cowrites four songs here, including the stellar kiss-off "First to Never Know," and sounds more confident than she did on her debut. But this isn't a departure; it's merely a focusing of Roberts' strengths. "I'm just the girl next door," she sings on "Girl Next Door." She's not, of course, but on this album, she makes you believe she could be.
Colette Marino, Heather Robinson
House of Om: Colette & DJ Heather (3.5 stars)
The dance-music machine known as Om continues to churn out product, and we should all be thankful. This double-disc set features two of the label's angels: DJs Colette and Heather. It's something of an odd mix, with Colette's song-driven house not fully meshing with Heather's more urban, cross-genre sound.
Let's be clear from the start: I'm a huge fan of Colette. A classically trained mezzo-soprano, she's been adding her own vocals over tracks since 1993. Her melodic voice is her trademark, and this disc delivers some of the best examples, such as "What Will She Do for Love," a tale of teen love, lust and heartbreak; the mack-daddy-dismissive "All the Same"; and a sultry remix of Robert Palmer's "I Didn't Mean to Turn You On," here retitled as "DMTTYO." It's a pretty frothy mix, perfectly suited for pool parties or sunrise sessions.
Bringing a more nighttime, club-time groove to the table is DJ Heather's Chicago underground sound. Her beginning hip-hop influences are still present among the vocals and beats, but after all is said and spun, this is strong house. Bits and bursts of horn and creative breaks keep the energy up. Standout tracks include "Picture of You (S&B Rubdown)," the funky "Everything's Electric" and down-tempo "To Do" with Mark Farina.