A Plucky Carnation From Pink

Everything about Pink and her 2000 debut album, “Can’t Take Me Home,” smacked of calculation: the name, the matching hair color, the music. But the 22-year-old singer undergoes a delightful transformation in her sophomore collection, which brightens this edition of Calendar’s guide to keeping up on what’s noteworthy (and fun, we should add) in pop on an album budget of $50 a month.

January

Pink’s “Missundaztood” (Arista). MTV has helped make countless stars, but usually by playing their videos. What caught my eye in Pink’s case was her interview of the “Ocean’s Eleven” cast in a channel special. She exhibited so much personality that the actors seemed like amateurs at the media game. This album also shows that Pink is more than a marketing and studio creation. Rather than pursue the teen pop/R&B; direction of the debut, she teams with former 4 Non Blondes leader Linda Perry to write songs with rock-edged intensity and individuality, while the hit single “Get the Party Started” shows she can still compete in the youthful, mainstream radio field with winning flair.

Kasey Chambers’ “Barricades & Brickwalls” (Warner Bros.). Here’s another young singer-songwriter who steps up dramatically in her second album. When Chambers arrived from Australia last year, she showed a winning affection for the kind of American country music that both salutes and challenges country tradition, in the manner of Emmylou Harris and Lucinda Williams. There were moments in “The Captain” with some of the emotional power of those artists, but too much of that debut seemed second-hand. This time, Chambers digs deep inside to tap into feelings that are more convincing and revealing. Framing the music with rock and blues urgency, she is sometimes vulnerable, sometimes defiant. She’ll be at the Roxy on Tuesday.

The Coup’s “Party Music” (75 Art/Tommy Boy). For all its early revolutionary spirit, rap during the last half-dozen years has become as predictable and bland as the rest of mainstream pop--at least if you just listen to best-sellers. But there’s an imaginative layer of alt-rap that is as worthy of attention and respect as the best of alt-rock and alt-country, and nothing underscores the point more than this Oakland entry. Boots Riley’s politically charged tales of social oppression remind you of Public Enemy’s commentaries, and the beats are frequently explosive. Riley’s language is rough in spots, but the dialogue is important. In the potent opening track, “Everythang,” he declares, “Every little cent to the rent/Every roach is a resident/Every truth ain’t evident/Every slave story is present tense/Every uprise a consequence.”

February

JJ72’s “JJ72” (Lakota/Columbia). Mark Greaney, the leader of this promising young Dublin trio, can hook you with the wonder and mystery of his high, searching vocals, and the music mixes many rich pop-rock elements--from slices of feedback to lush strings--in ways that will remind you of everything from the Velvet Underground to the Stone Roses. Much like the latter’s debut album, you feel in the best moments that here is a new generation announcing its arrival. In “Willow,” the band even declares, “We are new now.”

Buddy & Julie Miller’s “Buddy & Julie Miller” (Hightone). Because labels are slow to release product in the new year, the Guide gives us a chance to pick up on some 2001 releases--like this one--that deserve continuing attention. The alt-country husband-and-wife team shows you how they can bring life to what once seemed like a Bob Dylan throwaway (“Wallflower”), but they mostly dazzle you with the vitality and depth of original songs, including “You Make My Heart Beat Too Fast” and “That’s Just How She Cries,” that speak about romance in both its glorious and dark moments. They’re at the Roxy on Feb. 25.

Jaguar Wright’s “Denials, Delusions and Decisions” (MCA). A graduate of the same Philadelphia scene that also played a role in the launching of Jill Scott and India.Arie, Wright comes to a crowded female neo-soul movement a little late. But she’s got the authority and dynamics, as a singer and writer, in this debut to force everyone to move over and make room. She can be as outspoken as Millie Jackson, then be equally enticing on a straightforward ballad.

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Robert Hilburn, The Times’ pop music critic, can be reached at robert.hilburn@latimes.com.