A mix of new and revisited

New soul, old souls, we got some of both in the new-releases music pile today.

SOUL DEBUTS: "My ship has finally come" K'Jon proclaims prophetically on the lushly soulful track "On the Ocean." It's the first taste you heard off his "I Get Around" (Universal Republic, B+) debut album and the radio hit that got the artist, aka Kelvin Johnson, this record deal.

Juggling elements of soul, hip-hop and R&B (sometimes all at once in a body bouncer like "Doin It Big") gives the Detroit native both currency and historic credibility, with an unusually wide audience reach. People compare his effortless vocals to an Anthony Hamilton or Robin Thicke, though I'm thinking latter-day Marvin Gaye. Especially with the "let's get it on" vibe of "After the Club," or the hot-weather chill of "Summer Rain."

Yearning, earnest teen-idol-in-training Kristinia DeBarge seems likely to get well "Exposed" (Island/Sodapop, B) with her bubbly soul-pop debut of the same name.

DeBarge is a member of the famous singing clan, though an album note addressed to father James suggests he was less than thrilled with her career plan. Album producer Kenny "Babyface" Edmonds has been encouraging the now-19-year-old singer since she was 14, though, and Kristinia clearly learned a thing or two participating in the "American Juniors" talent show.

The good-advice tune "Speak Up" and kiss-off "Good-bye" (integrating the familiar hook from "Na, Na Hey Hey Kiss Her Goodbye") and angel vs. devil tug of "Sabotage" make for an especially potent triple play. LOGGING IN: There are kids' albums and then there are family albums. Kenny Loggins' "All Join In" (Walt Disney Records, B+) is definitely of the second breed. Cheery and wholesome but never babyish, grown-up fans will be as happy spinning this set as the kids, as Loggins takes on the Beatles' "All Together Now" and "Two of Us," Donovan's "First There is a Mountain," Feist's "1234," the street-corner harmony classic "Come Go With Me," and Mika's "Your Lollipop."

Loggins also has a couple of entries on "What Love Can Do" (429 Records, B), a pleasant assemblage of (mostly) old songs refashioned in new treatments by seasoned producer Phil Ramone. Also on board are the likes of Stephen Bishop, Jane Monheit and Richard Marx, plus Kris Kristofferson ("Sunday Morning Coming Down"), Willie Nelson (sounding positively Kermit-like on "Rainbow Connection"), Burt Bacharach and Peabo Bryson ("Alfie") and Brian Wilson, bookending the set with something classic ("God Only Knows") and something brand new and collectible (the album title track).

PHILLY LOCALS: The band broke apart when saxophonist Malik AlKabir moved to Tuscon. But his old Philly friends and playmates John McCullough (piano) and Cliff Kellem (bass) recently ventured west for a reunion recording as the Mesa Jazz Trio. The results, "Falling Up" (www.pianorequest.com, B+), prove an apt study in mainstream, mellow tune-crafting and playing. Another crop of seasoned Philly jazzsters, including tenor saxophonist Robert "Bootsie" Barnes - help enliven cabaret singer Julie Charnet's standards-oriented "Is You Is" (www.digstation.com, B-). Like torch singers of yore, Charnet often suggests sensuality (on songs like "Round Midnight" and "Lady Is The Tramp") by sliding up into a note rather than hitting it square. The technique bothers my pitch-focused ears, though others don't even notice!

Folksingers today don't come more earnest, old school or dramatic than our own John Flynn on "America's Waiting" (www. johnflynn.net, B-). His torn-from-the-newspages themes range from a Pennsylvania Amish girl's sacrifice (remember that horrific school house massacre?) to the aftermath of Katrina to his rallying, reawaken America title track.

Dentist by day, rocker by night, Jimmie Lee/The Jersey Outlaw lives out his fantasies on "Let's Go" (www.jimmielee songs.com, C+) One minute he's sounding like Elvis ("How Bout Now"), the next he's Mick Jagger fronting the Stones ("No Luck"). In the right bar, on the right night, this could be fun.

HISTORY LESSONS: Speaking of the King, RCA/Legacy proves he can go home again with "From Elvis in Memphis" (B), gathering all the tunes Presley recorded 40 years ago at the American Studios hit factory. "In the Ghetto" and "Suspicious Minds" were the biggest of the big comebacks that resulted from those dates. Most of the rest aren't all that, however, and this set would have been far more interesting if re-issuers could have stripped off the strings, horns and backing vocals to reveal Elvis in the raw.

Chock full of previously unseen home movies and recollections from former play pals, "The Beatles: Rare and Unseen" documentary (MVD Visuals, B) offers a good quotient of fun. Meet the guy who came up with the expression "Fab 4"! Learn how John Lennon got a police escort home from his pot dealer! The scoring is all tunes that sound like (but aren't actually) Beatles songs. Well done, though.

Folk parody duo "The Flight of the Conchords" leaves no musical genre (old or new) unscathed on "The Complete Second Season" (HBO Home Video, A-). One favorite episode finds Jemaine and Brett devolving into a Simon & Garfunkel tribute band.