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Rather than stick with a single groove, Slater relies on a range of rhythmic styles, slipping effortlessly from airy ambient atmospherics into the cool, computerized thrum of techno (which he does in the near-seamless segue from "Score One" to "Origin"). Luke Slater's "Freek Funk" is a case in point. As a result, it's hard not to be moved by the strong stories and gritty, roots-rock feel he builds into "Taneytown," "Telephone Road" and "The Other Side of Town."Īlthough electronic dance music's most devoted partisans are fond of defining acts by sub-genre, some of the style's most inventive albums are impossible to categorize. But rather than turn each tune into a polemic, Earle frames his politics in terms of real people, humanizing the issues as Guthrie did.

But that's probably for the best, as it would be hard to imagine a Music Row regular delivering anything as harrowing and heartfelt as "El Corazon." A genuinely political album, "El Corazon" pulls no punches in its view of the world, slamming small-town racists and big-time politicians with equal daring. Steve Earle may still spend time in Nashville, but he's no more a part of the country music establishment than Woody Guthrie was. To be fair, there are some breathtaking performances here, including Radiohead's piquant "Fake Plastic Trees," Bjork's otherworldly "Hyper-Ballad" and U2's ineffably beautiful "One." There are also some delightful small-scale numbers, including Noel Gallagher doing a solo version of "Cast No Shadow." But the bulk of the offerings, from the Foo Fighters' "This Is a Call" to the Mighty Mighty Bosstones' "Noise Brigade," are sloppy and unfocused, offering more enthusiasm than accuracy. So even though the triple-CD set "Tibetan Freedom Concert" is full of good karma and great bands, it ends up a drearily disappointing live album. To rephrase a familiar saying, the road to bad albums is paved with good intentions. Tibetan Freedom Concert (Grand Royal/Capitol 59110) Still, biggest problem is that LSG seems more like three soloists than a group, and while that makes for exciting competition on the likes of "My Side of the Bed," it makes a muddle of other tracks.

"Door #1" has a great lover-man groove, and "You Got Me" nicely balances smooth harmony singing with a thumping Puff Daddy pulse, but "My Body" and "Let a Playa Get His Freak On" have more in the way of attitude than hooks. So why does "Levert Sweat Gill" seem less than the sum of its parts? Blame the writing for some of it. With Johnny Gill, Keith Sweat and Gerald Levert in the lineup, LSG ought to be a soul harmony supergroup, having more vocal power than the average choir.