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Sound off

By Devin Grant

Alt-country

JASON ISBELL — "Sirens Of The Ditch" — (New West)

Rating: (A-)

One of the best songs on "Sirens of the Ditch," the new solo effort by former Drive-By Trucker Jason Isbell, is "Dress Blues," which, interestingly enough, turned out to be my least favorite track on the CD.

Confused yet? Allow me to explain. Before he left DBT in April, Isbell performed that song a few times with the band, and if you know where to look online, you can find a version of the song. While incredibly dark and bare bones, the live, online rendition blows away the album version of the song.

Please don't let that minute reason keep you from picking up and enjoying "Sirens of the Ditch," though. Even the souped-up version of "Dress Blues" is braver than 90 percent of the music being released today.

Elsewhere on the CD, fans might be a little taken aback by Isbell's embracing of the power pop sound on more than a few tracks. Don't worry: There is still plenty of the DBT sound here, and several DBT members make appearances, including Patterson Hood, Shonna Tucker and John Neff.

Standout moments include "Brand New Kind of Actress," "Shotgun Wedding" and "Try."

It's a shame that Isbell is no longer with DBT, but at least in embarking on a solo career, it seems the singer-songwriter has started off on the right foot.

Download These: "Brand New Kind of Actress," "Shotgun Wedding," "Try"

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Alt-rock

PERRY FARRELL'S SATELLITE PARTY — "Ultra Payloaded" — (Columbia)

Rating: (B+)

Following Perry Farrell's music career always has been fun.

First, he fronted Jane's Addiction, a band that was wildly ahead of its time, and yet still managed to make a splash.

Next, was the creation of the famed Lollapalooza Festival, which traveled the country during the summers for much of the '90s before settling in as a stationary event each year in Chicago.

In the meantime, Farrell had formed and disbanded the group Porno For Pyros, and dabbled in various other musical projects.

Now, from seemingly out of nowhere, comes a surprisingly good collection of songs that combine electronica, rock, techno and other styles in an 11-song collection that features cameos by Fergie and Flea.

"Ultra Payloaded," which is released under the band name Perry Farrell's Satellite Party, sounds a little like a mix tape your significant other might have made for you in college.

Tracks such as "Hard Life Easy" and "Kinky" will appeal to the dance crowd, while "Wish Upon a Dog Star" and "The Solutionists" rock out a bit more.

Farrell also injects elements from other songs into the mix. "Only Love, Let's Celebrate" contains lyrics and music from Rare Earth's "Just Wanna Celebrate," while "Mr. Sunshine" might as well be the Bee Gees' "Lonely Days."

Also notable is the fact that former Extreme guitarist, Nuno Bettencourt co-produces and plays guitar and bass on most of the songs.

While not every song works, Farrell seems to have reinvented himself yet again, and the results are very nearly musical nirvana.

Download These: "Kinky," "Only Love, Let's Celebrate," "Wish Upon a Dog Star"

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Jazz

JON REGEN — "Let It Go" — (Independent)

Rating: (B+)

Even before the release of "Let It Go," his new album of original music, it was apparent that Joe Regen was going places in the jazz world.

With a voice slightly reminiscent of Billy Joel (if he were a jazz musician), and a talent for tickling the ivories that would make Bruce Hornsby proud, Regen has performed in the past with such respected jazz artists as Kyle Eastwood and Jimmy Scott.

On the new CD, Regen comes out swinging with the album's title track and continues to impress with songs that include "Close to Me" and "Finding My Way Back to Me."

Both of those tunes feature Police guitarist Andy Summers, and other performances feature appearances by Martha Wainwright, Julia Kent and Kami Thompson.

The music on "Let It Go" is mellow without slipping into the dreaded "cool jazz" format. Picture a Nora Jones album re-imagined by a male, and you'll begin to get the point.

While I normally don't gravitate toward piano jazz, Regen's release is original and well- performed enough that I am ready to dig back through the guy's back catalog to see what he did prior to "Let It Go."

Download These: "Close to Me," "Finished with This," "Finding My Way Back to Me"

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