In Brief

** 1/2 Shawn Mullins, “Beneath the Velvet Sun,” Columbia. On his follow-up to 1998’s million-selling “Soul’s Core,” the deep-voiced singer-songwriter veers among old-fashioned country balladry, modern folk-rock and a disco-funk romp. These honest and exceedingly well-crafted tunes reveal Mullins’ multiple facets, but the effect is slightly scattershot. More disappointing, the bloated pop drama of some tracks works against Mullins’ more compelling and insightful tales of unconventional, real-life characters.

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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.