There’s Good Rockin’

Thanks to compelling works from PJ Harvey, Paul Westerberg, the American Music Club and Sebadoh, the emphasis is on rock in this edition of the guide, a way to keep up with what’s fresh in pop on a budget of $50 a month.

May

American Music Club, “Mercury” (Reprise). These guys are in their 30s and they wear suits onstage, so don’t expect grunge or youthful alienation. Yet Mark Eitzel and mates inject their music--mostly severe tales about the search for identity and self-worth--with such raw intensity and originality that they humble most of their rivals on the alternative-music circuit. Eitzel sometimes sounds a bit like Elvis Costello or Tom Waits, but not enough to detract from the wonder of this major-label debut.

PJ Harvey, “Rid of Me” (Island). Last year’s critical darlings have run into some naysaying this time, but don’t believe any of it. This examination of sexual politics and passion is one of the most striking albums of the ‘90s--a powder keg of emotions with a fuse that stretches all the way back to mid-’60s Dylan, whose “Highway 61 Revisited” is the only non-original tune here. A contender for album of the year.

Janet Jackson, “janet.” (Virgin). It’s no accident that the album’s “That’s the Way Love Goes” went straight to No. 1. It’s the most seductive slice of daydream romanticism in years, and several other tracks on this smartly crafted work would be centerpieces on most R&B-pop; albums. Among the other highlights: the funky energy and teasing Supremes sample featured in “You Want This”; the techno heat of “This Time,” and “Again,” a ballad that Whitney Houston would fire her bodyguard for.

June

Wynonna Judd, “Tell Me Why” (Curb/MCA). The album is short at just 38 minutes, and the material is uneven, but this is a major advance over last year’s cautious solo debut. In such highlights as “Just Like New,” “I Just Drove By” and “That Was Yesterday,” Judd asserts the vocal authority and independence that stamp her as arguably the best young female singer in country or pop music.

Sebadoh, “Bubble & Scrape” (Sub Pop). Nothing ever seems to shake alternative-rock hero J Mascis, but you know that somewhere, sometime--maybe late at night after a Dinosaur Jr. show--he’s got to wonder what his band would have been like if Sebadoh’s Lou Barlow had stayed in it and added a few of his confessional, folk-styled tunes to the repertoire. As for Barlow, he’s doing fine on his own, sharing that time at the mike with the more rambunctious Eric Gaffney and Jason Lowenstein.

Paul Westerberg, “14 Songs” (Sire/Reprise). In his official solo debut, the former Replacements leader delivers a flat-out great album, one that touches on all the classic rock themes in ways that combine the youthful innocence of the Replacements’ 1985 masterwork “Tim” with the perspective that eight years can bring. Another candidate for album of the year.