In Brief

*** “Boys on the Side” soundtrack, Arista. Boys as sidemen is the only way you’ll find them on this well-conceptualized collection of old and new from some of the most popular female adult alternative artists. Bonnie Raitt’s loping take on Roy Orbison’s “You Got It” is so good it begins and ends the album, whose other highlights are the Pretenders’ Morrissey- approved version of “Everyday Is Like Sunday” and Sarah McLachlan’s world-weary reading of Tom Waits’ “Ol’ 55.”

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