Motown Remixed, Various Artists: There's this trend going on - one that grates my nerves - in which DJs go into record label vaults and remix classic recordings, incorporating heavy, programmed beats, atmospheric synths and other unnecessary additives into legendary recordings. Highlights include the sad, slow-dragging 'Old Times Sake' and the '70s AM pop-like 'Go With It.' Suit Yourself is definitely one of the best mature pop albums I've heard this year. Organic and impressionistic, the album weaves in bits of studio dialogue from demo recordings Lynne made at home, giving the record a loose, jam-session feel. On the follow-up, the shimmering Suit Yourself, the singer-songwriter wisely continues the downbeat, intimate vibe of its predecessor. Is she doing country this time? Slick, overproduced pop? A combination of both? On her last album, 2003's refreshingly solid Identity Crisis, Lynne found her way with direct, tuneful numbers laced with the blues and mellow pop. Shelby Lynne, Suit Yourself: Shelby Lynne is hands-down a talented singer-songwriter, but she can be frustratingly inconsistent. Common's snapshot-like lyrical style is best displayed on 'The Corner,' the album's first single, 'Faithful,' which features Bilal and John Legend, and 'Testify,' a dramatic piece that brilliantly samples the Honey Comb's 'Innocent Til Proven Guilty.' West deserves kudos for keeping the sound warm and consistent throughout, firmly rooted in '70s soul. Produced by fellow Chicagoan, superstar rapper-producer Kanye West, Be is Common's most cohesive long player since 1997's One Day It'll All Make Sense. Now, he's returned to the style that won him acclaim in the '90s: tight, journalistic narratives backed by warm, jazz-tinged beats.

Mezmerize system of a down album