Rock, fusion, soul in the mix this week

Polished, name-that-influence rock bands, global fusionists and spectacular old/new soul celebrations top this week's CD release survey.

WELCOME TO OZ: I was starting to drift off to sleep when I put the new Ozomatli disc, "Don't Mess With the Dragon" (Concord, B+), on my spinner. The music woke me but good, with horn blasters like " After Party" and the funky, hot house Mediterranean "La Gallina."

In the spirit of Santana and Los Lobos, these Los Angeles faves are great cultural mishmashers, building on a musical base of Latin and rock idioms with both Spanish- and English-language lyrics.

The African continent's latest gift to the music world is also one of the most charming - a lilting lady named Lura from the Cape Verde islands, heard to great advantage on "M'Bem di Fora" (Times Square/4Q Records, A-). Devotees of Brazilian samba and sweet soul music alike should make fast connections to Lura's plush, Portuguese lyrics and heart-stoppingly beautiful tunes, which grabbed me lots faster than the minor-keyed moans of Cape Verdean music queen Cesaria Evora.

SOUL II SOUL: Two new albums make strong connections between progressive soul's past and present.

"Interpretations: Celebrating the Music of Earth, Wind and Fire" (Stax, A-) loads up the icons' slow burns and brassy, mid-tempo groovers with some sharp turns.

Check out the sample- and phase-shifting version of "That's the Way of the World" fronted by Dwele; the super-funky "Shining Star" ignited by Chaka Khan; Kirk Franklin and choir's gospel shout-out on "September"; and singer/bassist Meshell Ndegeocello's recasting of "Fantasy" as a stinger from the Police mug book.

Playing straighter, but also well with the classics are Angie Stone, Mint Condition and Musiq Soulchild, the latter exhibiting a glorious falsetto on "Reasons."

I never really bought into blond British teen Joss Stone as a die-hard blues singer on her previous two albums. But she (and I) fit much more comfortably into her new pose (if not shoes, 'cause she doesn't wear any) as a new millennium soul singer and songwriter on "Introducing Joss Stone" (Virgin, B+).

The lively strings and backup vocals evoke productions of yore, while the edgy percussion, rapper intrusions and Stone's cavalier lyrical attitude seem fresh cut at the quarry.

ROCK ALLUSIONS: If the Kinks were starting today, they might sound like British brash boys the Kaiser Chiefs, known for the rousing "I Predict a Riot." Both groups have a quaint, village-centric charm and disarming habit of telling the truth, even when it makes them look bad.

On the Chiefs' second album, "Yours Truly, Angry Mob" (Universal, B), song titles like "Everything Is Average Nowadays" and "Love's Not a Competition (But I'm Winning)" hold nothing back.

Devotees of polished pop/rock bands have several worthy options. The Alternate Routes sound earnest, yearning and instantly TV soundtrack-friendly on "Good and Reckless and True" (Vanguard, B+). An apt next step for Coldplay/Snow Patrol fans.

On "The Storys" (Ryko/Korovo, B), the group of the same name neatly evokes (without totally aping) the '70s West Coast aura of Crosby, Stills & Nash and the Eagles. A little John Lennon and "Wild Horses"-era Rolling Stones is also stirred into this pot.

The Canadian duo called Memphis (go figure) strives for the poetic quietude of Simon & Garfunkel at their New Age guy best on "A Little Place in the Wilderness" (Good Fences, B). I'm curious to check 'em out live.

If Peter Gabriel were fronting an emo band, he'd sound like Moses Mayfield on "The Inside" (Columbia, B-). The Decemberists are at the Tower tonight with their literate, Fairport Convention-like balladry, and also yers to enjoy on the DVD package "A Practical Handbook" (Kill Rock Stars, A).

Besides a full-length concert, the disc also packs an entertaining documentary and a crop of equally offbeat, mostly animated music videos.

PHILLY FLASH: Another super Philadelphia jazz man brings it home this week on the DVD "Night School: An Evening With Stanley Clarke & Friends" (Heads Up, A-). Captured at a benefit concert for his favorite cause (music education), the super session partners the bassist with the likes of Steve Wonder, jazzy banjoist Bela Fleck and violinist Karen Briggs and smashing percussionist Stewart Copeland (the Police).

(Program note error: Clarke went to the Philadelphia Musical Academy, not the Academy of Music.)

Also serving up jazzy treats: The all-strings, Turtle Island Quartet makes "Naima" and "My Favorite Things" swing sublimely on "A Love Supreme: The Legacy of John Coltrane" (Telarc, B+). And piano stylist Hiromi Lehara kicks stylish butt in a Keith Jarrett vein with her group Hiromi's Sonicbloom on "Time Control" (Telarc, B). *