John Lewis

Lyle Lovett Step Inside This House (MCA/Curb) Lyle Lovett, the wry Texas songwriter whose deadpan wit and unmistakable hairdo have brought him attention from beyond the prairie, plays songs written by musicians from his home state on his new double CD, Step Inside This House. With an all-star backup band...

The Neville Brothers Live at Tipitina's (1982) (Rhino) Before they became the mere soundtrack for the increasingly treacly solo career of vocalist and Linda Ronstadt collaborator Aaron Neville, the Neville Brothers were the embodiment of New Orleans' vast music history -- from the second-line shimmy of Professor Longhair and the...

Lhasa La Llorona (Atlantic) Like seasoned songsters more than twice her age, Lhasa evokes an idyllic past that's tucked away in the folds of our collective musical consciousness. Borrowing from the vocal styles of jazz singers, cabaret divas, and traditional balladeers, the 25-year-old, Mexican-American singer brings to mind the likes...

Elliott Smith XO (Dreamworks) When singer-songwriter Elliott Smith performed his Oscar-nominated tune, "Miss Misery," on the glitzy award-show telecast last spring, it was a scene worthy of A Star Is Born. Alone at center stage, and looking out of place with his untamed hair and simple white suit, he proceeded...

Neutral Milk Hotel In the Aeroplane Over the Sea (Merge) Neutral Milk Hotel may make the world once again safe for altrock. In a subgenre that's glutted with formulaic grabs for the gold -- catchy guitar riffs, slack attitudes, irony-laced samples -- the Athens-based band is something of an anomaly...