In Brief

* * * Mic Geronimo, “Vendetta,” Blunt/TVT Records. Unlike Mic’s monotonous 1995 debut, “The Natural,” the sonics on “Vendetta” have spawned several radio-friendly jams whose bass lines bounce and shimmy enough to make the low-rent diva-sung choruses marginally forgivable. Yet Mic’s brooding raps about a dead homie--his mother--and hectic street life strike a thankful balance. With ambient drones, plaintive strings and piano twinkles deeply rooted in an underground Queens rap ethos, he slyly undercuts his aspirations for mass appeal.

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