Ocean Colour Scene One From the Modern

“It is not many bands in this era of constant change that can be found celebrating their tenth anniversary.” Yet, I had never heard of this Birmingham based band. “One from the mod- ern” (C)

is easy to listen too, but just as easy to get fed up with. This album has not made a lasting impact on my auditory nerve, and probably won’t impress yours either. Cute, but a little too cute. Murphy

Music For Our Mother Ocean 3

Hollywood Records/Universal

A strong compilation, this CD (C+) has an eclectic range of songs, from a slightly punked up version of “Little Deuce Coupe” featuring Brian Setzer with Brian Wilson, all the way to Snoop Dogg with members of Rage Against The Machine on “Snoop Bounce.” Rounding out the CD are cuts such as Beck’s “Electric Music And The Summer People” and James Taylor’s “Gaia.”

O’Connor

Puya Fundamental

MCA

Move over Ricky Martin; make way for Puya! In their debut full-length album, these Puerto Rican rockers (Puya role call: Eduardo, Sergio, Harold and Ramén) combine heavy metal with traditional latino sounds. Just as the musical styles inter- mingle, so do the languages, as most songs feature lyrics in both Spanish and English. The result is beautifully schizo- phrenic. Puya may not be for everyone, but for those yearning for something just a little bit to the left of unusual, this could be it (B+). Coll

Mary J Blige

Mary MCA Universal

As the title and cover art suggests, sometimes simplicity is the best way getting one’s point across. Blige engaged on a journey of self- discovery in order to release this album which narrates her struggles and those of her predecessors. With the participation of the notori- ous Lauryn Hill, and Elton John, Blige’s Mary (B) is her best release to date. Murphy

Oh foor-Ly