My initial reaction upon receiving this CD was one of skepticism. Many recordings of this work exist, not a few of which I've recently reviewed and found wanting. So who was violinist Norman Krieger to come along and crash the party? Well, I've since learned that he is a highly sought-after artist who received a full scholarship to Juilliard at the age of 15.

When the Queen of Reinvention released her first single, "4 Minutes" with Justin Timberlake and Timbaland, critics said the almost 50-year-old was shamelessly clinging to the bootstraps of pop powerhouses nearly half her age to manufacture a hit. But since when has Madonna done anything else?

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.

"Coal," the latest from Grammy award-winning singer Kathy Mattea, may be one of the finest in her more than two-decade-long career.

Hitchhiking back to Freiburg, West Germany, from Frankfurt in 1989 after seeing R.E.M. live during the “Green” world tour allowed time to reflect on the group’s steady climb from alternative college band to mainstream, lauded musicians. It also started a slow decline in R.E.M.’s appeal to me. Call it the I-liked-them-when-no-one-else-knew-who-they-were syndrome.

With the '70s as inspiration, Def Leppard's "Songs From the Sparkle Lounge" will release April 29 and features 11 new songs. Their last studio album, "X" - their 10th - released in '02. The album gets its name from a backstage area where the band would go to write during the '06 tour. Along the tour, it was decorated with twinkle lights.

The latest offering from dance doctors Groove Armada is, as the title suggests, a little mired in dancehall reggae. This isn't an entirely comfortable marriage; despite the two genres' affinity for razor-sharp electric flourishes and hyper-fast beats, they don't blend here as well as you'd like. Thankfully, GA doesn't stick to the ragga format, which is both rewarding and confounding.

"John Tesh Alive Music & Dance" is a March PBS special. It is a worthwhile effort, part of his Christian ministry. The music is upbeat and exciting, a mix of "Fame" and "Jesus Christ Superstar."

For those with a hint of gray in their hair, songs such as "Ventura Highway," "Sister Golden Hair" and "A Horse With No Name" - and the group that sang them, America - will bring back memories of an earlier time.

On the B-52's' first album (due out March 25) of new material since 1992's "Good Stuff," Fred Schneider sings, "Hey y'all/Last call/last chance to dance." Not while this group is in the house.