Sheeva Lounge resident deejay Mixmaster has been in the game for 25 years and has been involved in mixing and producing hundreds of releases. Not one to be confined to a certain genre of dance music, he’s dabbled in hard house, Latin beats and soulful grooves. On The Lounge Room Vol. 1, a relaxed atmosphere is key to keeping all the Indian gods happy. Usually a compilation disc features a variety of artists, but here Bob Brazil and Paul Harlyn dominate nine of 15 tracks — which gets boring fast. Maybe they’re trying to sedate the god of destruction and dance — they definitely made me feel sleepy. Lounge Room is a less than perfect disc for enjoying a few drinks with your friends but enjoyable enough to get you in the mindset for an afternoon nap or a soak in the tub.

Shannon Ander

Is it any wonder Snoop Dogg is considered the godfather of West Coast hip hop and urban funk-lore? Nope. Since Day 1 Calvin Broadus has been building his entertainment empire using only ambition, intuition and elbow grease, and this triumphant disc shouldn’t surprise anyone who’s been following Snoop’s career. On R&G the Long Beach native continues to skilfully combine different musical genres, creating complex tapestries exploiting common social protocol and industry politics — while still keeping it fresh and funky enough to dance to. The continuity on this 20-track disc is excellent, and every song seems to flow effortlessly into the next. So peep out some of these examples Snoop’s assembled with the help of producers such as Neptunes, Soopafly and none other than Lil’ Jon. Now that should keep the party crunk and the hoes in check. Fahsheezy!

Horace Carrington

Bands that capture a sense of place are rare and wonderful. All too much modern rock/fourth-generation punk/new-new-wave-of-new-wave stuff sounds generic, as if it springs from a larger culture that isn’t specific to place or time. Which is probably why kids from Ajax, Ont., can be stars in both Oklahoma City and Marseilles. The Summerlad, thankfully, isn’t one of those bands. This is Big Sky music from Big Sky country, a sonic kaleidoscope of arcing, yearning guitar sounds, dual vocal harmonies and stop/start dynamics of broad, almost cinematic scope. Yes, these songs can be challenging at times, but they’re also well worth the listen, even more so because the sleeve claims this was done for just $700. Imagine the possibilities with even 10 times that amount.

John Kendle

“Suffer the little children to come unto me.” So said a figure not often quoted when talking about wicked metal — but the words ring true in relation to Florida-based quartet Trivium, whose members range between 19 and 22. If you suffer these children to come unto your stereo, be prepared for some heavy music with roots deep in thrash, British metal and Eurometal. Like Killswitch Engage, Trivium relies on melody but can also punish you with thick chunk and/or hoarse screaming. The key to Ascendancy lies in the über-skilled assault of guitarists Matthew K. Heafy and Corey Beaulieu, the latter of whom joined the group shortly before the recording of this sophomore disc. Some hardcore bangers are already railing against the clean vocals featured on several tracks, but Jesus also said something about wicked solos and killer riffing being able to carry an album — or something like that.

Mike Warkentin

From opening track Sweet Melody the tone is set for the next 50 minutes on Zap Mama’s fifth release. Zaire-born Marie Daulne is the voice behind the popular world music group, whose previous releases were a capella only. After living in Belgium for most of her young life, Daulne immigrated to the U.S. On Ancestry in Progress it’s clear her past affects her present. Urban soul and beautiful African-influenced melodies combine for an enjoyable modern chillout album similar in style to efforts by Jill Scott and Angie Stone. Erykah Badu sings along on the breezy Bandy Bandy, while rappers Talib Kweli, Common and ?uestlove give some edge to Yelling Away. One of my favorites is Wadidyusay, where Daulne’s sweet voice is kept company by Scratch, The Roots’ human beatbox. A good addition to your nu soul CD collection.

Shannon Ander