Too Short ½Blow Your Whistle – Jive 
Hip-hop
Too Short
“Blow Your Whistle”
Other rappers pony up lurid details of groupie love and strip-club sexploits, but no MC upstages Too Short when putting pimp-game specifics to music. Now on his 16th album – the unforgivingly graphic “Blow Your Whistle” – the Oakland hip-hop veteran has employed some friends to help the raunch go down smoother. A rap icon for his simplistic delivery and unique pronunciation of the B-word, Too Short has recently stayed relevant by recording with buzzworthy artists and employing hot producers.
– BRETT JOHNSON
Primal Scream ½Riot City Blues – Columbia
Rock
Primal Scream
“Riot City Blues”
Blues aren't so prominent here as the album's title suggests – at least not the rootsy, American sort (despite the obvious nod to Americana in the LP-opening “Country Girl”). Rather, the consistently infectious “Riot City” owes more to T-Rex, glam rock and Brits' peculiar take on the blues, most notably on the rollicking but dry “We're Gonna Boogie,” a far cry from the Stones' similar, but much gutsier, classic “Hip Shake.”
Standout tracks include the six-string workouts “Suicide Sally & Johnny Guitar,” “Dolls (Sweet Rock and Roll)” and “When the Bomb Drops.”
– JAMES HEALY
Various Artists ½Rogue's Gallery: Pirate Ballads, Seas Songs & Chanteys 5/8 Anti
Pop
Various Artists
“Rogue's Gallery: Pirate Ballads, Seas Songs & Chanteys”
The big names and no-names gathered on this two-CD collection of sturdy songs about the sea include Bono, Sting and Lucinda Williams.
The most important name, however, is Hal Wilner, the project's producer and arbiter of good taste. Wilner maintains his high standards on a sprawling set of scruffy British Isles-derived folk songs, reeling in Loudon Wainwright III (on the enjoyably profane “The Venus Song”) and Pere Ubu leader David Thomas, Richard Thompson, Bryan Ferry and Nick Cave (who stands on deck and bellows about “The Fire Down Below”), as well as coaxing rare performances out of Mary Margaret O'Hara and, of all people, gonzo illustrator Ralph Steadman.
– DAN DE LUCA
Under the Influence of Giants ½Under the Influence of Giants – Island ½
Pop
Under the Influence of Giants
“Under the Influence of Giants”
This unwieldy group handle becomes obvious once you play this debut album from L.A. act Under the Influence of Giants: Here's catchy pop/rock party music under the influence of “Fever”-era Bee Gees, 1960s Beatles' pop harmonies and modern music makers The Killers and Scissor Sisters (not yet giants, mind you).
“Mama's Room” is the insanely catchy cut that blends all those influences into one near-perfect summer single. The rest is fine but overshadowed by that must-have tune.
– HOWARD COHEN
Tego Calderon ½The Underdog/El Subestimado – Jiggiri/Atlantic
Reggaeton
Tego Calderon
“The Underdog/El Subestimado”
It would be easy for Tego Calderon to exploit his burgeoning popularity. His Spanish bits on hits by Usher and 50 Cent made him a natural for success. “Subestimado's” cover even finds Calderon posing with a pick in his hair a la ?uestlove from The Roots. But since “El Abayarde,” the Puerto Rican MC with the sweet but burly voice has become an ambassador for reggaeton's steely pop without sacrificing the richly layered traditionalism of Afro-Caribbean music.
“Underdog” isn't just hip-hop with Puerto Rican flair. Along with a stripped, vivid minimalism courtesy of producer Danny Fornaris, Calderon's voice is best when kicking through salsa's thick percussion and brass as on Oscar D'Leon's “Llora, Llora.” Joined by the song's originator, Calderon possesses a passion as tender as teardrops.
– A.D. AMOROSI
