Out on CD

Frank
Amy Winehouse
Island

Turns out Amy Winehouse is even more precocious than we thought. Three years before her chartbusting Back to Black introduced America to the little girl with the big, idiosyncratic voice, Winehouse released this album in the U.K. Frank is a slightly mellower affair than Black, drawing more on jazz than sinuous R&B. There's a sameness to some of the stark arrangements, but Winehouse's extraordinary voice - soulful, sultry and playful, sometimes all at once - more than makes up the difference. Her sense of humor is often evident, both in her now-familiar pose of battered world weariness (which she pulls off with ease on the sad ballad "Take the Box") and overtly saucy songs like "Fuck Me Pumps" and bad-girl celebration of "Amy Amy Amy."

Sawdust
The Killers
Island

A B-sides album is not always cause for celebration, especially when it's only the band's third album. Shouldn't they be busy recording stuff that can't be categorized as also-rans? But surprise, surprise, this disc is solid. Most tracks bounce between straight-up rock and more airy, synth-pop stuff. The hard rocking numbers are fun and lead singer Brandon Flowers's voice has a plaintive quality that works well with the glammier songs, so there's plenty here to like. The moody "Tranquilize," with vocals from Lou Reed, is an obvious highlight. Other standout tracks include the ragged country-tinged "Leave the Bourbon on the Shelf" and the pulsing "Under the Gun." We could do without the Kenny Rogers cover, but otherwise it's a B+ for the B-sides.

The Moon Is Disgusting
That 1 Guy
Pop-Ten

I can't think of any musicians who have so sorely tested the covenant between pop artist and listener - give me a good hook and I won't make fun of your lyrics - as this Mr. Guy. The quirky musician uses homemade instruments, samples and his compellingly deep voice to serve up fascinating musical collages that cleave, barely, to the pop song format. He's like a sprightlier Soul Coughing, but instead of teasing with surreal lyrics, he has an unfortunate tendency to get cute. Above hard driving tracks he twitters on about the moon being made of cheese and bananas being sticky - it's like Nine Inch Nails made a children's album - and the songs are catchy but the cognitive dissonance is tough to take. The most successful track is the eerie, wordless "Rainbow."