In Brief

Although rock’s dark prince of melancholy jolted ‘80s rock with his sensitive personal confessions in the Smiths, his solo career has been a spotty affair. “Maladjusted,” his ninth album, doesn’t carry the punch of 1992’s “Your Arsenal” but does offer moments of redemption: “Trouble Loves Me” uplifts like the blues; “Satan Rejected My Soul” swings with a comic abandon that is, alas, much needed.

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Albums are rated on a scale of one star (poor) to four stars (excellent).

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Hear the Music

* Excerpts from these albums and other recent releases are available on The Times’ World Wide Web site. Point your browser to: https://www.latimes.com/soundclips