On Super Tunesday: Crow, Kravitz, k.d. lang

It's Super Tuesday at polling places and also at music shops, where you'll be torn between several new and worthy candidates.

Crowing With Anger: Her trademarked vocal rasp, choppy blues-guitar chords and conga-sparked Latin rock rhythms remain intact. But Sheryl Crow ain't just about soaking up the sun anymore. In fact, the woman often sounds like she's campaigning for president on "Detours" (A&M, B) - throwing darts at the prez on the folksy acoustic opener, "God Bless This Mess," and rocking "Shine Over Babylon," and contemplating the coming day of international riots in 2017 when we run out of "Gasoline," a substantial, Stones-riffing rocker featuring Ben Harper. She's also sockin' it to the Paris Hiltons of the world, with the sardonic, privileged-class slam "Motivation." And she tries to point us to a better way with the Hurricane Katrina-inspired hippy anthem "Love Is Free." Ah, but then on the second half of this split-personality disc, it's like Crow has suddenly abandoned the campaign trail. Now she's all about letting down her hair with friends and strangers about her own, very public romantic split. Yeah, she's "free to make a mess of everything" on tunes like "Now That You're Gone" and the rueful "Diamond Ring."

Spin the Bottle: On "Is It Time for a Love Revolution" (Capitol, B) Lenny Kravitz is still making rock music as comfortable and familiar as a worn pair of jeans, or better, those Beatles albums you haven't listened to in eons. Lenny's boldly referencing the Fab Four on "Good Morning," offering George Harrison-like guitar riffage on "I Love The Rain," and doing a primal, piano-driven shoutout (a la John Lennon's "Mother") to his late papa on "A Long and Sad Goodbye." But it's the soul-rock testifiers that got to me best, like his James Brown-styled herky-jerky throwdown "Will You Marry Me" and a bumping sax-driven complaint about a party-heart babe who's "Dancin' Til Dawn."

Barometer Reading: Nobody draws out the emotional storm clouds as poetically, psychologically and atmospherically as k.d. lang, letting it all pour down on "Watershed" (Nonesuch, A-). This new album is, in fact, a bit of a turning-point moment for lang, her first self-produced affair. It's dressed with arty contrasts - pedal steel mixing it up with violins, or acoustic guitar and vibes tinkling in tandem. With lang's plush, honeyed vocals at the center, there's an international, pop-chanteuse sense to the set, from the French-cinema flavored "Sunday" and bilingual "Je Fais La Plance" to the rolling, banjo-flavored "Coming Home" (think John Hartford's "Gentle on My Mind"), the dreamy "Close Your Eyes" and airy, samba-beat "Thread" - one of several fascinating ruminations on the tug between romantic fear and attraction, compromise and idealism.

Lots More Weather: If you were into Joe Jackson's jazz-tinted pop gem "Night and Day" album, you'll want to pick up his new "Rain" (A-), reuniting the singer/piano player in dynamic trio fashion with bassist Graham Maby and splashy drummer Dave Houghton. Recorded in a handsome, high-tech East Berlin studio, it's exciting both for the bristling, full-bodied nature of the song craft and the sonic vitality of a really well-engineered production. Hey, Joe didn't go to the Royal Academy of Music for nothing. And that gnarly, snarly vocal whine that's sometimes spoiled the guy's broth is blessedly missing here. Seize the moment with the anthemic "Citizen Sane," the heart tuggingly pretty "Wasted Time" and flickering romantic reconnection of "Rush Across the Road" which builds with classical grace. A bonus DVD features killer live performances of three tunes, plus interviews with the music makers and an entertaining Joe-led tour of East Berlin.

Philly Girl In Paris: The film footage is grainy and sometimes murky, verging on sepia tone. But damn if the production team hasn't turned that batch into something great on the new DVD "Jill Scott Live in Paris" (Hidden Beach, A-). To gloss things up, the screen is often split into multiple mosaic views. And the sound recording is very good, capturing the heat of this soul/jazz crossover artist and her first-rate band. Ms. Scott is a riveting artist, bringing to life the sexual role playing of "Whatever," putting multiple voices to the mission of "Golden," evoking an alternative style of patriotism in "My Petition," wiping away tears as she relates a crime-wasted life in "Rasool" and begging guys to be there when they should be, as well as when they can, in "The Fact Is (I Need You)."

Jack Gets Electric: Mercy, mercy, even mellow surfer dude/beach-blanket folky Jack Johnson is worrying about the environment and world disorder on his new album, "Sleep Through the Static" (Brushfire, B). The grooviest part, though, is that Johnson recorded the album with "100 percent solar energy" and put it in a recycle-friendly package.

Great Picking: These days, we don't normally think of the banjo as a blues instrument. But that's how it was once applied, when the banjo came up from Africa on the slave ships. And it's core to the exciting new album by alternative bluesman Otis Taylor, "Recapturing The Banjo" (Telarc, A-). You gotta hear how spitfire the instrument can be, playing off electric guitar on "Hey Joe" (yeah, the tune Jimi Hendrix made famous). And there's also grit in the grooves of traditional folky songs like "Little Liza Jane" and the jug band gem "Walk Right In," and edgy Taylor originals "Ten Million Slaves" and "Live Your Life."

Grammy Whammy: Set your alarm clock and DVR. The 50th anniversary Grammys are on TV Sunday, and looking to be extra good. (Heck, the striking Writers Guild has even given them a pass). Get in the spirit with one of the seven "Ultimate Grammy Collections" newly out on Shout! They've done the best job, I think, with sets devoted to "Classic R&B," "Classic Country," "Contemporary R&B" and "Contemporary Pop" (all in the A to A- range.) And you can tune in to some of this year's top offerings with the 21-track "Grammy Nominees 2008" (Hip-O, A-) - from Amy Winehouse's "Rehab" to White Stripes' "Icky Thump" to Kanye West and T-Pain's "Good Life." *