Maroon 5 releases the idyllic follow-up to No. 1 "Makes Me Wonder"—"Wake Up Call," another hook-lined, uptempo one-spin smash. Despite jolly instrumentation, the lyric is cunningly sinister: "Caught you in the morning with another man in my bed/Came without a warning so I had to shoot him dead." Lead singer/songwriter Adam Levine remains a master of delivery, furthering the bands potential as a Grammy Award contender via a collection so chock-full of radio-ready hot shots that it is ultimately destined to become its own greatest-hits set. Maroon 5 is 2007s ultimate stateside pop banzai.

For the first time in 12 years, the Meat Puppets new album is a collaboration between brothers Curt and Cris Kirkwood, who formed the band in 1980 and built an indie-rock legacy on a druggy blend of punk rock and Americana. Singer/guitarist Curt welcomes his sibling back to the fold (after a decade of addiction battles and personal tragedy) with some killer songs. "On the Rise" is a triumphant pop song featuring the appropriate line "how much salvation can my stomach stand." "Enemy Love Song," a bouncy, ethereal soft rocker, also speaks of recovery from turmoil. And "New Leaf" boasts some impressive riffing around its lazily anthemic chorus. Even without original drummer Derrick Bostrom, the Meat Puppets magic is evident. The focused, yet relaxed, music throughout this album is among the best the band has ever made.

If "Beauty & Crime," Suzanne Vegas love letter to New York, was a tourist publication, it would be a pamphlet youd refer to regularly. At 34 minutes, it is a compact set of observations, anecdotes and sentimental reminiscences. Its trim rather than hurried, does not waste a note and, because of that, may be the best of Vegas seven studio albums. Shes seldom sounded more buoyant than she does on the opening "Zephyr & I" or as unself-consciously rocking as she does on "Frank & Ava" (that would be Sinatra and Gardner), with KT Tunstall adding backing vocals to both. The aptly titled "Unbound" blends midtown dance club with Greenwich Village coffee shop, while horns lend a jazzy touch to "New York Is a Woman." Vega is hardly the first performer to mine Manhattan for thematic inspiration, but shes managed to make more out of it than most.

The Chemical Brothers certainly have their formula, but nearly 15 years on, their mix of rock-show beats and accessible synthetics remains a pleasing one. The Brothers have never strayed far from the rocknroll foundation that supports their best beats, but when this sixth CD opens with a cataclysm of "Transformers" noises, it signals a record thats a little more unapologetically electronic than their previous ones. The title track and hit first single "Do It Again" are born of the same hypnotic, churning code that the Brothers have been writing for years, but they also leave themselves space to plant little seeds of folky melody into their songs mechanical exoskeletons on the oddly moving "Das Spiegel" and the epic "Burst Generator." They also score bonus points for employing rapper Fatlip to lay down vocals on the ridiculous and fully engaging "Salmon Dance."

With her U.S. career fully resurrected thanks to Jives tireless efforts to push Pinks gratifying "U + Ur Hand" to the top of pop playlists, the label steps back in time with the rerelease of what was originally the July 2006 previous single from CD "Im Not Dead." "Who Knew" is another cool, smart, plenty passionate melodic jewel about the death of a friend and/or friendship, with an instantly identifiable, quick-to-the-point, singalong track—maintaining Pinks stance as the smartest female millennium-era singer/songwriter, dazzling in star quality as alterna-pops premier princess. Hopefully, "Knew" will further Pinks status as an inimitable, ever-colorful pop icon.

It took only one listen to recognize that Rihannas "Umbrella" was destined to command chart heavens and become the red-hot ingénues second Billboard Hot 100 No. 1, following "SOS." With mission accomplished, the second single from third album "Good Girl Gone Bad," out June 5, further demonstrates why the 19-year-old continues to trailblaze as top 40s most consistent hitmaker. "Shut Up and Drive" again sounds like nothing before it, opening with grimacing guitars, a cagey sing-songy verse and a layered chanting chorus (borrowing elements from New Orders "Blue Monday") that taunts, "Start me up and watch me go, 0 to 60 in 3.5/You got the keys, shut up and drive." In short order, Rihanna and an able collaborative stable have catapulted a potential one-trick dancehall diva to the most dexterous singer of the decades second half.

This two-CD set, whose proceeds will support Amnesty Internationals work in Sudan and elsewhere, serves up 23 takes on the post-Beatles work of John Lennon. Although household names like U2, Aerosmith and Avril Lavigne make appearances on disc one, its disc two that really delivers. Green Day offers a passionate and profound reading of "Working Class Hero," while Jack Johnsons sparse, tender interpretation of "Imagine" easily outshines Lavignes slicker effort. The Black Eyed Peas also convince with a fresh, uplifting version of "Power to the People," and Regina Spektor dazzles with an almost classical-style rendering of "Real Love." Disc one has its moments, too, especially Corinne Bailey Raes soulful "Im Losing You," but disc twos more "alternative" vibe ultimately suits these maverick songs better.

Separately, Eddie Sr. and the late Gerald Levert are R&B icons in their own right. But something special happens when these two join forces. The duos combustible mix was first introduced in 1995 on "Father & Son," which yielded the love and encouragement anthem "Wind Beneath My Wings." Already in the works before Geralds untimely death in November 2006, this project once again underscores the uncanny resemblance of their singing voices. Its frequently difficult to figure out who is singing what verse. But theres no denying how well they complement each other, especially on the ballad "Thats What I Do" and the uptempo numbers "Close & Personal" and "A Situation." Two pop covers round out the selections: the title track made famous by Bonnie Raitt and Breads "Make It With You." Throughout, its just two guys having fun singing. Its also a reminder that Gerald left us way too soon.

Theres a lot riding on Daddy Yankees first full studio set under his new deal with Interscope. Perhaps that explains why this disc is a robust 20 tracks long, plus a remix of the single "Impacto," featuring Fergie. Daddy Yankee goes from middle-of-the-road, feel-good reggaetón to reggaetón with mainstream top 40 appeal ("Impacto," "Whos Your Daddy") to serious, socially minded fare on tracks like the soulful "Coraza Divina." Instead of simply patching rhythms together, as many reggaetón acts do, Daddy Yankees mix of styles here is far more thought-out, as on "A lo Clásico," which features Latin jazz improvisations. The singing is mostly in Spanish, albeit often with English choruses. As such, the feel is Latin, but imbued with that mainstream sensibility that has already served Daddy Yankee so well on the charts. Above all, this is simply a better-crafted album, at both a songwriting and a production level, than prior efforts.