In Brief

*** Illya Kuryaki & the Valderramas, “Versus,” PolyGram. The oversexed creativity of late-’80s Prince permeates this ambitious effort by Argentine rappers Dante Spinetta and Emmanuel Horvilleur. Using a lyrical thread about a land where sex and dreams are fused to achieve funk nirvana, the duo delves into boisterous raps framed by flutes and live strings, creamy ballads and ominous jams. The polished results make it hard to believe that Spinetta and Horvilleur, who produced the album themselves, are still in their early 20s.

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Albums are rated on a scale of one star (poor), two stars (fair), three stars (good) and four stars (excellent). The albums are already released unless otherwise noted.

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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