'NSync
"Celebrity" (Jive)

Since parting ways with RCA, 'NSync has been driven to prove itself a serious music entity, and with its new record, "Celebrity," the group succeeds. The first single, "Pop," a montage of electronic beats courtesy of influential producer-mixer BT, gives the musical middle finger to doubters. Meanwhile, the sprightly title track chides celebrity hangers-on. Most of the members of 'NSync co-wrote songs for the album (other writers include R&B mainstays Brian McKnight and Rodney Jerkins), all of which work well --something that can't be said about the member-penned songs of Backstreet Boys. The Justin Timberlake tune "Gone" is a hauntingly gorgeous ballad. But, to get right down to it, "Celebrity" is fun, like its predecessors. "The Game Is Over," an ode to a cheating partner, was created with old-school '80s videogame noises. Pop music's most skeptical critics will find this one cause to champion.
--Christina Fuoco, liveDaily contributing writer

Aaliyah [ tickets ]
"Aaliyah" (Virgin/Blackground)

Pioneering R&B producer Timbaland is fond of calling Aaliyah "baby girl"; she couldn't have asked for a better father figure. Though he's only credited with producing a few tracks on "Aaliyah," Timbaland's spacey hip-hop sound dominates the third record by the 22-year-old singer. High-tech drumbeats attack like a Martian marching band, while Aaliyah's unforced, velveteen vocals keep the listener here on Earth. The first single, "We Need a Resolution," sets ambivalence about a troubled relationship to a sinuous snake-charmer's groove. When Aaliyah tells off an abusive lover in "No Never More," the old-school soul sound keeps threatening to fall apart, but never does. At times, the studio perfectionism can obscure the human element in the songs--"What If" comes across like the R&B version of a King Crimson song. And the overblown "I Refuse" is schlocky melodrama. But when it clicks, "Aaliyah" transforms the confusion of young adulthood into exhilarating freedom.
--Justin Hartung, citysearch.com

Cake [ tickets ]
"Comfort Eagle" (Columbia)

Nearly three years ago, when we last heard from Cake, the alt-rock radio landscape was ruled by unimaginative, oafish rap-metal acts. In the face of this din, Cake's smart electro-folk stood out by virtue of its understatement, and the band managed to log its second consecutive million-selling album. Just as little has changed on the radio front, so has Cake stuck with its market-proven formula on "Comfort Eagle." For the album's first single, singer-songwriter-producer John McCrea chose "Short Skirt/Long Jacket," a song that has been in Cake's live set list for years. But the song's sound exists somewhere between the band's biggest hits-to-date--"The Distance" and "Never There"--and is utterly predictable. Fortunately, there are signs of Cake's growth. "Meanwhile, Rick James ..." and "Commissioning a Symphony in C" may have the best melodies that McCrea has ever written, and the title track is a bouzouki-rock chant that would've made Camper Van Beethoven proud.
--Rob Evans, liveDaily News Editor

Toni Price [ tickets ]
"Midnight Pumpkin" (Antone's/Texas Music Group)

By the stroke of midnight, Toni Price will have traveled through time from Tin Pan Alley in the '20s through Memphis in the '60s and back home to 21st century Austin. Price has a beautifully sensual voice, and glides effortlessly between classic R&B, hillbilly, folk, jazz, blues and rock numbers. "Midnight Pumpkin"'s greatest strength is that it is undiluted by any attempt to homogenize the diverse styles it represents. However, the album's laid-back feel sometimes lapses into somnolence. Exceptions include "Call of My Heart" and "Who Needs Tears," each of which has enough energy to power Austin's Sixth Street on a Saturday night. And "Measure for Measure," with an instrumental intro that's a slowed-down ringer for the top of Dylan's "Everything Is Broken," has Bonnie Raitt-like hit written all over it. With "Midnight Pumpkin," Toni Price is a just a step away from wearing that elusive glass slipper.
--Don Harvey, austin.citysearch.com

The Beta Band [ tickets ]
"Hot Shots II" (Astralwerks)

Trading craggy, backwoods beats for tight grooves, Scotland's Beta Band tries its hand at trip-hop on its second full-length, "Hot Shots II." The feat of the foursome's sleek new direction will not be lost on fans, who've come to identify the Beta Band with a crude, thrift-shop sound a la Beck. On past efforts, the Beta Band's homespun approach to beats and samples made for some thrilling moments and interesting textures, but dangerously risked novelty. The quartet has cooled its eclectic babbling, and "Hot Shots II" whirrs and purrs like a gleaming silver sports car. Standout tracks include the spry "Dragon," funk-peppered gospel "Broke" and uplifting "Quiet." Fans of the Beta Band's screwball approach to songsmithing take heart: "Hot Shots II" features the odd nut "Won," a hip-hop reading of Harry Nilsson's "One." But under the quartet's blissed-out direction, "Won," like the bulk of the album, is an easy nut to crack.
--Scott Henkemeyer, twincities.citysearch.com

Previous Spin Cycles:

July 12: Melissa Etheridge, Tha Liks, Perry Farrell, Ray Wylie Hubbard, Craig David

June 28: Sisqo, Gorillaz, Built to Spill, Miles Davis, The White Stripes

June 14: Blink-182, Mandy Moore, Travis, Rufus Wainwright, The Webb Brothers

May 31: Tool, Radiohead, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Ron Sexsmith, Mark Eitzel

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