In Brief

* * * Skunk Anansie, “Paranoid & Sunburnt,” Epic. A London alternative trio with sonic verve by the truckload. Imagine a voice containing Courtney Love’s sneer and Sinead O’Connor’s purity, seasoned with lyrics detailing 400 years of oppression, and you have Skin, destined to be the one of the most talked-about lead singers this year. Standouts like “I Can Dream,” “Charity,” and “100 Ways to Be a Good Girl” show that the group can rock hard and wax poetic with the best of them.

Albums are rated on a scale of one star (poor), two stars (fair), three stars (good) and four stars (e x cellent).