In Brief

Brownstone, “From the Bottom Up,” MJJ Music/Epic (***). With En Vogue and SWV on hiatus, the time is ripe for a new girl group to make its mark. Enter this Michael Jackson discovery, with its mature, jazz-informed sound. “Don’t Cry for Me” and “Fruit of Life” are strong enough to form the foundation of a promising future.

New albums are rated on a scale of one star (poor), two stars (fair), three stars (good) and four stars (excellent).