This generation’s Harry Connick Jr.? True, Jamie Cullum’s an ivory-tickling stud who’s taming jazz for the masses, but where Connick conjured ghosts, Cullum mixes standards (“Singin’ in the Rain”) with modern classics (Radiohead’s “High and Dry”). The real revelations are his original compositions, which pair a musty Rat Pack vibe with contemporary laments: “Maybe I’ll go to the gym so I don’t get fat / Aren’t things more easy with a tight six-pack?” B+

Montreal-born Melissa Auf der Maur’s (Hole, Smashing Pumpkins) solo debut is a grunge revival record with a firecracker of a first single. Recalling Soundgarden at its peak, “Followed the Waves” swoops and crunches from loud to quiet and back in all the right spots. Unfortunately, with few exceptions (such as “I’ll Be Anything You Want”), the rest of the album is glossy, bland alterna-rock. She could use a bit of former gal pal Courtney Love’s anarchic energy. C

Picking up where Yankee Hotel Foxtrot left off, A Ghost is Born finds Jeff Tweedy moving further away from his No Depression origins. The instrumentation is sparser, but the songs are more daring; the driving “Spiders (Kidsmoke)” stretches into a 10-minute workout that comes off like a classic rock interpretation of Stereolab. Some may bitch about the overall lack of immediate pop (though “Theologians” is catchy), but stick with it—it’s a grower. A-

If you grew up in the ’80s, chances are you either owned Arena or had the poster, and if you were a 13-year-old girl, probably both. As a live album, it’s typical of the decade—slick like Alberto hair gel, it might as well be a studio record (Exhibit A: “Hungry Like the Wolf”). But as a de facto greatest-hits package (“The Wild Boys,” “Is There Something I Should Know?” plus new bonus tracks “Rio” and “Girls on Film”), it’s just good plastic nostalgia. B-

After almost two decades, the Junkies remain the epitome of consistency: a weary country-tinged pop sound and understated arrangements. But even One Soul Now’s sprightlier excursions, like “Stars of Our Stars,” sound only a few degrees removed from 1988’s The Trinity Session. I’m tempted to paraphrase one Simon Cowell and say that at this point in the competition, you have to show us something more. But really, they’ve earned the right not to. B

If you still have doubts that the ’80s are back (what, Duran Duran isn’t omen enough?), here’s fresh proof. Cribbing from the likes of Depeche Mode, the Human League and The B-52’s, Felix’s trashy synth-pop, like “Ready 2 Wear” and “Nina,” would be right at home on any John Hughes soundtrack or, say, during a Miami Vice warehouse bust. It’s a little style-over-substance, but as a retro-electro party album, Devin Dazzle & The Neon Fever is disposable fun. B