New and Notable

Ice Cube, “War & Peace Vol. 2 (The Peace Disc),” Priority. This return to his angst-filled roots has seemingly reinvigorated the rapper, who has been criticized over the last several years for abandoning his political platform in favor of dance songs.

Ricardo Lemvo & Makina Loca, “Sa~o Salvador,” Putumayo Artists. The Los Angeles salsero’s third musical vision is gritty and humid, adding an almost painful melancholy to the most kinetic salsa jams.

Trisha Yearwood, “Real Live Woman,” MCA Nashville. Yearwood unerringly applies one of the great voices in all of country and pop in a variety of settings, from spunky bluegrass to melancholy folk-rock to soaring country waltzes.