album reviews: Spin Cycle is a biweekly roundup of the latest music releases selected by Citysearch editors.

Charlotte Church [ tickets ]
"Enchantment" (Columbia)
Street date: 10/9

Charlotte Church is the operatic equivalent of a good bar band. You don't go see Bobby Blue and the Rhythm Kings for their artistic interpretations, you go because they skillfully play familiar songs. The technique-ly gifted Church is 15, and art may be too much to expect from her right now. The songs on "Enchantment" are comfortably enjoyable at best, silly at worst. (Does producer Keith Thomas not realize how ridiculous it is for a teenage Welsh soprano to sing "Can't Help Lovin' Dat Man"?) "Enchantment" is for fans of the classically trained voice-as-instrument, especially those who don't care about whatever Product is presented as instrumentation. Or maybe it's for teens who trust only a peer to introduce them to songs from such musical productions as "West Side Story" and "Carmen"--a grown-up who's unfamiliar with those classics might want to start with cast recordings. --James Woster, LiveDaily

John Mellencamp [ tickets ]
"Cuttin' Heads" (Columbia)
Street date: 10/16

John Mellencamp grew up in front of America. From his Johnny Cougar days through the release of his 16th studio album, Mellencamp has evolved with his name into a socially conscious voice of the Midwest, a less-intense Springsteen who still manages to write the sort of songs that originally made him famous. On "Cuttin' Heads," Mellencamp combines twangy fiddles, flutes and banjos (reminiscent of "Lonesome Jubilee") with his recent experiments in happier, dance-influenced music. He receives soulful input from R&B ingenue India.Arie and an unabashed race-relations rap from Public Enemy’s Chuck D. "Cuttin' Heads" isn't covering much new ground, though. Lyrically, Mellencamp continues to dwell upon enigmatic romantic relationships and the country's overall disillusionment. Melodically, he's just playing the kind of music he knows best--perhaps a good idea after the lukewarm responses he received for his last two albums of feel-good, danceable pop songs. "Cuttin' Heads" is pure Mellencamp. --Randi Schmelzer, citysearch.com

New Order [ tickets ]
"Get Ready" (Reprise)
Street date: 10/16

Perhaps it was the particularly malignant strains of electronica currently pulsing through the music industry that inspired British electro-rock geezers New Order to make a record as vital as "Get Ready." The opening blast of "Crystal" proves that the 20-year-old band is back to its vibrant mid-'80s form. "Get Ready," the band's first album of new material since 1993's "Republic," demonstrates a virility missing from that limp release. Fresh air comes in the form of mixes from producers Mark "Spike" Stent and Flood, who've invigorated pop dinosaurs like U2, Depeche Mode and Madonna. Billy Corgan and British dance-rock band Primal Scream provide some vocals and instrumentation. New Order has experienced a blustery career--the tragic demise of band ancestor Joy Division, the trips up and down the pop charts, the iffy side projects--yet has maintained fierce critical acclaim. But rather than rest on its laurels, New Order is ripe and ready to fight. --Scott Henkemeyer, citysearch.com

Death Cab for Cutie [ tickets ]
"The Photo Album" (Barsuk)
Street date: 10/9

The latest album from this survivor of the Northwestern indie scene is beautiful at its core, but as uneven as Seattle weather. The overall work is sure to please the band's intellectual fan base, but the admittedly catchy, three-chord pop structure isn't as effective as in previous DCFC releases--as a basic approach, it seems more thoughtless than deliberately anaesthetizing this time. Perhaps leader Benjamin Gibbard put all his energy into his truly poetic lyrics, which he gently intones. Most notably in the childhood reflections of "Styrofoam Plates," Gibbard handles themes of alienation and emotional exposure with Radiohead's complexity, but free of pretense. Not all instrumentation is an afterthought in this musically slim, symbolically dense, 38-minute album: soft, syncopated drums and poignant piano codas ("Information Travels Faster" and the soaring "Coney Island") will resonate with even casual listeners. But the rest of the songs are is more repetitive and less accessible. --Jack Shay, citysearch.com

Dan Bern [ tickets ]
"New American Language" (Messenger)
Street date: 10/9

Dan Bern's fifth disc is powerful, soulful and cerebral enough to propel this singer-songwriter beyond his modest cult following into the land of broad horizons, where the Next Big Things reside. Bern’s delivery is at times extremely Dylanesque, and listeners unable to get past this will miss out. Bern and his band bring a rare, magical ingredient to Americana: frenzied abandon. The best example of this is on “Black Tornado,” a song that captures Bern grappling with his free-spirited essence just long enough for us to get a glimpse of the dark clouds churning in his soul. The album's most outstanding track, "God Said No," takes on big philosophical and spiritual questions with humor, honesty, imagination and grace. With "New American Language," Bern demonstrates that he is capable of transcending his influences and that he's sure to influence others. --Don Harvey, austin.citysearch.com

Previous Spin Cycles:

Oct. 4: Elton John, Garbage, Spiritualized, tribute to Hank Williams, The Strokes

Sept. 20: Bob Dylan, Tori Amos, Ryan Adams, Diana Krall, Charlie Hunter

Sept. 6: Toby Keith, Macy Gray, Mary J. Blige, Slayer, Jimmie Vaughan

Aug. 23: Björk, The Isley Brothers, Sparklehorse, John Lee Hooker, Robbie Fulks

Have a comment or question? Send a message to the Spin Cycle editor: Don Harvey.