Billboard CD reviews: Beck, G-Unit

NEW YORK (Billboard) - Because his records so rarely sound like anyone's but his own, it's easy to forget how much Beck thrives on collaborating with name-brand producers like Nigel Godrich and the Dust Brothers. For the follow-up to 2006's "The Information" he teamed with Danger Mouse, and though the result is unmistakably the work of our favorite midnite vulture, "Modern Guilt" also makes clear how much Beck must have loved "Crazy" by Gnarls Barkley. Nearly every tune here echoes that hit's spooky, reverb-soaked vibe. Built on shuffling beats and big basslines, the ghost-gospel arrangements provide a good setting for Beck's vocals, which hew closer to the depressed mumbling of "Mutations" and "Sea Change" than to the white-boy jive of "Guero" or "Odelay."

ARTIST: G-UNIT

ALBUM: T.O.S. (Terminate on Sight) (G-Unit/Interscope Records)

One of the best attributes of 50 Cent, Lloyd Banks and Tony Yayo's 2003 album, "Beg for Mercy," was its balance of radio-friendly and comical tracks, but "T.O.S. (Terminate on Sight)" sounds like 16 cuts of the same murderous lyrics atop heavy bass. There are a few entertaining joints, like the infectious Rick Rock-produced "Rider Part 2" featuring a chorus that's perfectly hard-edged for East Coast radio. "Party Ain't Over" features former G-Unit member Young Buck, who switches up his cadence alongside a fun guitar lick and hand claps. "You So Tough" is a thinly veiled attack on Atlanta MC T.I., where 50 essentially calls the rapper a snitch for emerging from stiff gun charges with a light jail sentence. G-Unit has returned to its aggressive roots, but it would've been wonderful to hear it rap over a more varied assortment of beats.

ARTIST: ALBERT HAMMOND JR.

ALBUM: COMO TE LLAMA (Red Int/Red Ink)

Recorded in Albert Hammond Jr.'s native New York, "Como Te Llama" is the solo Stroke's follow-up to his lauded 2006 debut, "Yours to Keep." The album is filled with big guitar noise and mildly incongruous but not unpleasant mixtures of modern riffs ("Rocket"), new wave basslines ("Victory at Monterey") and retro hooks and melodies ("Miss Myrtle"). As with any solo record by a member of a groundbreaking and unique band, it's easy to hear Hammond's influence on the Strokes' music. The set's two opening tracks, for instance, contain familiar trilling guitars and vocal reverb, and the guitar lines mimic the melody in a very recognizable style on "The Boss Americana." But "Llama" has a much poppier flavor than anything the Strokes have ever recorded, once again setting Hammond apart from his gritty rock bandmates.

ARTIST: RON SEXSMITH

ALBUM: EXIT STRATEGY OF THE SOUL (Yep Roc Records)

"Exit Strategy" finds Ron Sexsmith exploring his songwriting talent in new ways, crafting an instantly memorable album full of soulful, classic pop tunes. The Canadian vocalist/multi-instrumentalist hits high points with the Enya-meets-Brian Wilson instrumental opener "Spiritude"; the lilting, Buddy Holly-evoking "Music to My Ears"; '70s soul epic "This Is How I Know"; Bill Withers-style uplifting sing-along "Brighter Still"; and the stately, horn-drenched ballad "Hard Time," but nearly every song is a well-sculpted melodic exercise in another mode of Sexsmith's repertoire. Big brass band romp "Brandy Alexander" was co-written with Feist, who recorded a sparser version on her breakthrough 2007 album, "The Reminder." Sexsmith's version is almost a gospel anthem, with backing singers and Cuban horn flourishes. There and throughout, the artist's signature croon and playful piano lead the way to new plateaus in an already impressive career.

ARTIST: LITTLE JACKIE

ALBUM: THE STOOP (S-Curve Records)

On this excellent debut by her new duo with programmer Adam Pallin, Imani Coppola sounds no more interested in sticking to a single style than she usually does. Fans of Coppola's splashy left-field 1997 hit "Legend of a Cowgirl" (and those who heard her underappreciated "The Black & White Album" from 2007) will recognize much in this album's bubbly blend of swinging hip-hop rhythms, bright R&B horns and sassy soul-siren vocals. Thanks perhaps to her inability to duplicate the mainstream penetration of "Cowgirl," Coppola reveals a bitter lyrical streak that contrasts tartly with Pallin's summery sounds; attacks on brain-dead celebutantes and deadbeat boyfriends rarely feel like this much fun.

ARTIST: BRAZILIAN TRIO

ALBUM: FORESTS (Zoho Music)

This trio is known for its samba jazz, and, indeed, "Forests" has an overarching vibe that's as chilled and elegant as a Jobim samba. In fact, Helio Alves (piano), Duduka Da Fonseca (drums) and Nilson Matta (bass) display a great deal more breadth in their performances than simply cruising in the samba groove. On "Montreux," they evoke a lovely, impressionistic feel in their measured approach. Their take on Milton Nascimento's "Vera Cruz" has a grandness that's nearly cinematic, particularly Alves' busy, articulate opening solo. Again bringing its skills to bear on a Nascimento tune, "Tarde," Alves plays with a gravity and a stylistic flair that's truly impressive.