"U.S.A. (United States of Atlanta)" by Ying Yang Twins; TVT

Ying Yang Twins are the most accurately named pop group since the Dixie Chicks. The Atlanta duo of rappers Kaine and D-Roc (not brothers, though their gruff voices sound alike) make Southern-fried crunk hip-hop that is a study in stark contrast.

Half the songs on their fourth album are devoted to such noble sentiments as fraternal love ("My Brother's Keeper"), opposition to war ("Ghetto Classics"), and, uh, sympathy for the plight of strippers ("Live Again"). But the other numbers are strictly misogynistic sex raps. "Wait (The Whisper Song)," already a hit, simultaneously repels and seduces with its artlessly raunchy and threatening lyrics and addictive minimalist groove.

For every "U.S.A." innovative marvel like "Wait," there's a "Bedroom Boom," a derivative R&B slow jam. Somebody hire these guys a shrink.

— Amy Phillips

OKEMAH AND THE MELODY OF RIOT BY SON VOLT; TRANSMIT SOUND/LEGACY

New players surround Jay Farrar in Son Volt 2.0, which is still the former Uncle Tupelo member's show. And while his High Plains yarl and gift for finding the ethereal sweet spot in a torrent of Dust Bowl twang remain, the turbulent political times have affected Farrar's worldview.

On the lurching "Jet Pilot," he calls out the fortunate sons of Washington like an alt-country Michael Moore over a seesaw guitar dynamic. That song's carefully aimed vitriol (no doubt who the line "Junior liked to let his hair down" refers to) eventually lapses into naive sloganeering on "Endless War."

Farrar's other concerns are less dire, but he airs them with equal passion. The purity of the 12-inch vinyl record is celebrated on "Gramophone." And he stands by his convictions — Okemah is being released on vinyl.

— Patrick Berkery