Celebrating Triumph of Human Spirit

The soundtrack albums “Mandela” and “Sling Blade” differ greatly in musical style and subject matter, but both complement eloquently films that salute the triumph of the human spirit. The works highlight this edition of Calendar’s guide to keeping up with what’s exciting in pop on an album budget of $50 a month.

January

Deana Carter, “Did I Shave My Legs for This?” (Capitol Nashville). Most hit country music is so bland these days that it makes one suspicious of any newcomer who gets enough airplay to break into the Top 10 on the country album chart, much less crosses over to the pop Top 10. But Carter packs enough imagination and character into this debut to brush away any doubts, reflecting convincingly on romantic anxiety from various perspectives and in varying tempos.

DJ Shadow, “Endtroducing . . . “ (Mo’Wax/ffrr). It’s only fitting that the front and back covers of the album focus on the record store stacks of vinyl albums that hip-hop deejays turn to in search of the perfect beat for their aural journeys. Shadow insists that he is simply part of a long tradition of turntable masters, but he weaves scores of recorded samples into alluring, pioneering works.

The Chemical Brothers, “Setting Sun” (Astralwerks), and Prodigy, “Firestarter” (Mute). It’s rare for the Guide to include singles, but these discs offer a quick, inexpensive way to check out the techno-dance-rock sensibilities that have energized much of British pop in the ‘90s. If you want endorsements, Oasis’ Noel Gallagher joins the Chemical Brothers vocally on “Setting Sun,” and U2’s Bono calls Prodigy his favorite rock group. “Firestarter,” especially, asserts the underdog self-affirmation of the early Sex Pistols.

February

“Mandela” soundtrack (Mango). Decades of South African music--from traditional folk and jazz to pop--come together in a liberating and richly varied collection that toasts South African President Nelson Mandela and the struggle against apartheid. The emotional highlight: the moving “Black President,” which was recorded by Brenda Fassie more than a year before Mandela’s historic 1994 election.

“Sling Blade” soundtrack (Island). In much the manner of Ry Cooder and Ennio Morricone, Daniel Lanois brings a soulful quality to this soundtrack that enables the music to be just as enriching on disc as it is on the screen. Though Lanois, who has produced acclaimed albums for U2 and Bob Dylan, includes some outside works on the album (including Booker T. & the MG’s’ “Soul Dressing”), the most haunting moments are his own compositions, which accent brilliantly the film’s moving examination of innocence and primal justice.

Kula Shaker, “K” (Columbia). The Eastern mysticism that sneaks into a couple of tracks could pose a problem down the line if it begins to occupy a greater portion of the band’s work. For now, just program your CD player to skip tracks 4 and 9, and concentrate on the elements--from a strong sense of melody to youthful idealism--that are reminiscent of the early Stone Roses.