Kenny G, George Michael, Joe Satriani, M83, Jonathan Nelson

Here's a mood brightener with a sexy Latin beat, absolutely one of Kenny G's best.

There's a pop appeal to G's instrumentals that never sounds manufactured. It is pure sound and rhythm, upbeat and almost mystical at times. This CD marks a new deal with Starbucks Entertainment and Concord Records: It's the first since his departure from Arista, his home since his 1982 debut.

Fresh starts are intoxicating. Here G is paired with some of the best Latin instrumentalists available: Alex Acuña, Ramon Stagnaro, John Pena, Michito Sanchez, Nathan East and Walter Afanasieff (also the producer hes worked with Josh Groban and Andrea Bocelli). Featured vocalists are Barbara Munoz and Camila.

The combination works from first track "Sax-O-Loco" to the last, "Salsa Kenny." Standouts include "Mirame Bailar," with Munoz on vocals and G's lighthearted sax. We get another ultra "saxy" treatment with "Bessame Mucho," perhaps the most tender instrumental version I've heard.

But they're all good; don't miss this one.

Kay Reynolds, The Pilot

Kenny G: "Rhythm & Romance"

Rating: Go get it now

Tracks to download: "Ritmo Y Romance,"  "Besame Mucho,"  "Mirame Bailar, "Sabor A Mi"

It takes a bit of faith to be a George Michael fan.

This talented musician is best remembered not for his music, but for his "I Want Your Sex" episode at a public toilet in Los Angeles. Instantly, what once seemed sexy to so many, appeared slimy.

Erase those thoughts and what you're left with is his music as shown here: two discs of expertly crafted pop that transports you back to the moment you first heard it. Fans will note the presence of several new songs on Twenty-five, which show Michael to still be the effortless, effervescent songwriter he has always been.

Just check out the light soul of "As," a duet with Mary J. Blige, or the dance club-ready "An Easier Affair," where Michael admits that playing the straight man was ridiculous. "Heal the Pain" finds Michael sharing the stage with Paul McCartney and the results are predictably frothy, while another duet, "This Is Not Real Love," leaves the listener wanting more: another album of new material, rather than a padded souvenir issued in time for a worldwide tour.

Larry Printz, The Pilot

George Michael: "Twenty-Five"

Rating: Download a few tracks

Tracks to download: "As,"  "An Easier Affair," "Heal the Pain"

Joe Satriani has been making instrumental guitar records for 20-plus years ; his latest is a fresh, new conversation with the virtuoso.

Although it has a long, unusual title, the disc is pretty straightforward and an easy listen. The feedback coaxed from Satriani's whammy bar on the first track, "Musterion," demonstrates just one aspect of his physicality with his instrument. The noises he squeezes and eeks out of each track probably shouldn't come from an electric guitar but they do.

If you are a fan of Satriani, this CD will be like talking with an old friend. "Overdriver" is probably the closest to the old Satriani sound, but it still sounds more evolved and thought-provoking than his past shredfests. His tone is warm, fat and, as it should, pleasantly overdriven for most of the CD. That is the voice Satriani has developed for himself over his career.

This isn't for everybody, but it is a great, rock/fusion-based guitar record.

Mike Doyle

Joe Santriani: "Professor Satchafunkilus and the Musterion of Rock"

Rating: Download a few tracks

Tracks to download: "Musterion," "Overdriver"

Twenty-six-year-old Anthony Gonzalez, who is M83, says "Saturdays=Youth" is his attempt to recapture the excitement of being a teenager, equating that experience with the synth-pop splendor of the 1980s.

If nothing else, he accomplishes the later. So let's peel the cover off these tunes and expose the overt and obvious influences. The atmospheric "You, Appearing" is an ambient mix of Cocteau Twins and Radiohead. Tears for Fears would have been delighted to have "Kim & Jessie" as a danceable single. The slightly gothy "Skin of the Night" benefits from guest vocalist Morgan Kibbys mirroring of Elizabeth Fraser and the "Doot Doot"-like electronic percussion pioneered by Freur. "Graveyard Girl" revisits The Cure's "In Between Days."

Dance like you're Molly Ringwald on "Couleurs," have visions of Kate Bush on "Up!" The remaining tracks are more contemporary experiments in the vein of  "Das Ich" and "Sigur Ros."

If you were younger than 30 in the 1980s, "Saturdays=Youth" may come across as a cheap imitation. But if you're under 30 today, the 11-track CD may seem fresh and exciting.

Jeff Maisey, Lifestyles Magazine

M83: "Saturdays=Youth"

Rating: Borrow it from a friend

Tracks to download: "Kim & Jessie," "Skin of the Night," "Graveyard Girl"

Jonathan Nelson isn't the new guy on the scene. He won a Stellar Award for his writing creds on Donald Lawrence's "Healed."

"The Struggle Is Over" by Youth for Christ is his, too. Nelson shows off the face behind the hits with his debut disc, a spiritual cocktail of urban gospel and worship music.

It opens with "Champions" and "My Name Is Victory," songs meant to cement a believer's identity in Jesus Christ. About halfway through, Nelson dusts off the Hammond organ to take listeners to the old-school church "Yes Out There."

The traditional moment is followed by a timeless tactic - pure worship. "Capacity" gracefully opens a three-track worship medley with yearnings to inhale the fragrance of the Holy Spirit. "Only You" follows with a humble declaration to submit to God's will. The melodic set ends with an acknowledgment of the savior's sovereignty on "How Great Is Our God."

From there, the theme isn't as defined, with tracks that hopscotch through energetic and midtempo territory. The debut ends with Nelson's rendition of his Stellar-winning hit, "Healed."

DeAnne Bradley, Link

Jonathan Nelson: "Right Now Praise"

Rating: Download a few tracks

Tracks to download: "My Name Is Victory," "Capacity," "How Great Is Our God"