A 'Reminder' from Jay-Z

Jay-Z, Black Crowes and a new team-up of alt-popster and movie star lead the new releases parade today.

THE PROPHECY: "Ten number one albums in a row. Who better than me? Only the Beatles."

So declares Jay-Z on "Reminder," one of several major ego trips on "The Blueprint 3" (Roc Down, B+).

But hey, when it's the truth, is it really bragging?

Despite the confused release date for this album, originally supposed to come out last Friday (9/11) then pushed out sooner because of Internet leaks, music buyers got on the case fast. In just the first three days, they snapped up as many copies (300,000-plus) of Jigga man's new set as buyers did of the complete remastered Beatles catalog (14 albums), which also came out last week with much bigger media attention.

This week, "Blueprint" is sure to claim the No. 1 album slot, taking over from Whitney Houston, whom Jay-Z also is kinda referencing, along with so many other slaves of modern studio technology, in another standout album track, the much played and talked about "D.O.A. (Death of Auto-Tune)." (You didn't really think Whitney was still singing that well without some serious studio tweaking, did you?)

Jay-Z (aka Shawn Carter) wanted this album out on 9/11 because it's also a celebration of New York. The message is best carried in "Empire State of Mind," with a sweet vocal refrain by Alicia Keys and lines that evoke Sinatra's "New York, New York."

You also feel the city vibe on the sassy stroll down the red carpet "Thank You," in which Mr. Carter lets his ego get the comic best of him - "Please don't bow in my presence . . . hold your applause." It's one of two on the set shared with the equally modest and stage-shy Kanye West.

So what's new here? Check out the plush synth strings on "Real As It Gets" and the wistful ballad "Young Forever," about as "middle of the road" as the man has ever gotten.

ONE FROM COLUMN A, TWO FROM COLUMN B: Our fave Southern rock tribute band, the Black Crowes, flashes ALL its influences on "Before the Frost . . . Until the Freeze" (Silver Arrow, B+).

The jaunty Bayou escapade "Good Morning Captain" is as blatant an homage to Little Feat as anyone's ever created. Elsewhere, Chris Robinson's piney vocal on "Appaloosa" and "A Train Still Makes a Lonely Sound" evoke Rick Danko fronting the Band.

Father of the British blues John Mayall still knows how to put on an entertaining show. His "Tough" (Eagle Rock, B) repeatedly changes gears from big picture to personal and with oodles of stylistic shifts - from, say, "That Good Old Rockin' Blues" to the Chicago-style boogie "The Sum of Something."

BACK IN THE SADDLE: After a four-year band hiatus, during which front guy Trey Anastasio battled out his drug demons in public, jam band stars Phish are swimming anew and spreading "Joy" (JEMP, B+).

Standouts like "Stealing Time from the Faulty Plan" suggest Trey's still got issues pending - declaring "Got a blank space where my mind should be." But the multipart, 13-minute "Time Turns Elastic" and sweet, Jerry Garcia-ish country rocker "Backwards Down the Number Line" prove this forced vacation was not for naught.

If you enjoy Mark Knopfler at his most cerebral and atmospheric, evoking old Glasgow with pennywhistle-flavored ballads, "Get Lucky" (Warner Bros, B) lives up to its name. Nothing tells the tale better than "Before Gas and TV," remembering a time when people had to make music to entertain themselves and keep warm.

If you're looking for Knopfler to rip off some blazing electric guitar solos à la Dire Straits, you've come to the wrong parlor, though. Even the punchiest, antigambling "You Can't Beat the House" barely moves at a trot.

PARTING IS SUCH BITTERSWEET SORROW: Her tribute to Tom Waits left a lot (OK, everything) to be desired. But Scarlett Johansson's collaboration with Pete Yorn, "Break Up" (Atco, B+) clicks almost from first note to last. It's all about a romance that's not clicking at all, that's tearing apart before our eyes and ears.

IF YOU LIKE . . . : As her alter ego A Fine Frenzy, singer/songwriter Alison Sudol serves up smart, rockin' takes on romance like she's a "Bomb in A Birdcage" (Virgin, B). Feist fans, this girl's for you.

All-4-One delivers tight, soul-pop harmonies on "No Regrets" (Peak, B-), aiming to please the Boyz II Men fan base. Try the separated father's lament "My Child."

Wishing for a new alt-rock album that takes you on a trip? Yo La Tengo ventures near and far, slipping into darkness and light with "Popular Song" (Matador, B), well-stocked with textural and dynamic surprises.

Jazz-tinged and soul-groovin', Karl Denson's Tiny Universe picks up where Curtis Mayfield and Marvin Gaye left off on "Brother's Keeper" (Shanachie, A-). Saxophonist Benny Reid doesn't only evoke the mellifluous crossover jazz of Pat Metheny on "Shadows" (Concord, B+). He covers one of Pat's tunes, alongside kindred originals. Comfort food for the ears.

On "A Time for Lions" (Wind-Up, B), Stars of Track and Field offer melancholy melodramas to rival the best of Coldplay.

Thrice beats its collective chest in a U2-ish vein on "Beggars" (Vagrant, B-), hitting the bull's-eye on "Doublespeak."