Pearl Jam’s hope again burns bright

Pearl Jam

“Riot Act” (Epic)

****

From “Alive” on, Pearl Jam has been as much about hope as disaffection, even if some of the balance was lost in misdirected emotions and unfocused musical explorations after that early-’90s burst. The balance is back, as “Riot Act” (in stores Tuesday) builds on the confidence and growth of 2000’s “Binaural” for an often stunning album that is PJ’s strongest since 1994’s “Vitalogy.”

“To the universe I don’t mean a thing / And there’s just one word that I still believe and it’s love,” Eddie Vedder sings in “Love Boat Captain,” evoking John Lennon and delineating what he can and cannot change. Yet while he covets stability and contentment, he’s constantly checking his emotional compass. Looking outside himself, he turns Beat poet to address political change, tackling the president on “Bushleaguer.”

All this is supported by the band’s richest musical effort. On one front, Pearl Jam has evolved into a world-class folk-rock band. When it fires up the rock burners, it’s powerful and exhilarating.

“Riot Act” is a shining statement from a band unwilling to compromise its integrity and identity or kowtow to conventions or trends, and more alive and hopeful than ever.

Steve Hochman

Miss E.’s her own work in progress

Missy Elliott

“Under Construction” (Elektra)

***

Missy Elliott isn’t saying her fourth album’s not quite done. The rapper-producer-songwriter is just noting that she’s a work in progress. Yet she has formidable building blocks at her command, intricately weaving sexual braggadocio, social observations, feminist ideals, pop-culture references and fashion commentaries with a dizzying array of rap and R&B-pop; touchstones.

Although not completely riveting, this alternately playful and serious set (due in stores Tuesday) furthers the heavy tribal sound of 2001’s “Miss E ... So Addictive” by fusing deceptively minimal throbbing percussion to skittering dance beats, dirty funk and lilting soul. Abetted by longtime producing partner Timbaland, Elliott even captures the neo-new-wave zeitgeist with “Work It,” layering a “Heart of Glass”-like burble over techno and jangling percussion. If “Can You Hear Me,” her gospel-flavored tribute to such departed stars as Aaliyah and TLC’s Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes, is less artful, the sentiment is still agonizingly understandable.

Elliott is more entertaining (and educational) when wittily flipping rap’s masculine cliches on such tracks as “P***ycat” and having her way with guests Method Man, Ludacris and Jay-Z. But she also makes Beyonce Knowles the foil of “Nothing Out There for Me,” which takes an obedient-to-her-man girlfriend to task. Elliott even gets away with interrupting the flow with humorous monologues about why her raps are so sexually explicit and how hip-hop has changed. If this is Missy so far, can’t wait to see what she comes up with next.

-- Natalie Nichols

Bridge over two generations

Various artists

“Nothing Left to Lose: A Tribute to Kris Kristofferson”

(Incidental Music)

***

“Freedom’s just another word for nothin’ left to lose, and nothin’ ain’t worth nothin’, but it’s free.” That line from Kristofferson’s “Me and Bobby McGee” is worthy of Bob Dylan, and it was Kristofferson’s ability to mix Dylan’s literary edge with the soulful exposition of Hank Williams that made him one of the finest songwriters to come out of Nashville in the early ‘70s.

In such tunes as “Sunday Mornin’, Comin’ Down,” “Help Me Make It Through the Night” and “The Pilgrim (Chapter 33),” Kristofferson expressed loneliness and alienation with an uncompromising richness and detail. But the singer-songwriter soon left Nashville for Hollywood, and his identity as an actor now overshadows his songwriting accomplishments.

In this imaginative compilation, alt-country and alt-rock outfits including Grandaddy and the Handsome Family help interpret Kristofferson for a new generation of listeners. The versions tend to be stark and jarring, focusing on the desperate, uncertain undercurrents of the music in ways that probably go beyond what Kristofferson ever imagined. These are far from the definitive versions of the songs, but they are interesting approaches that serve as a bridge between young listeners who are looking for depth and truth in music and an artist who once supplied both with a rebel’s soul and a craftsman’s touch.

-- Robert Hilburn

In brief

The Pretenders

“Loose Screw” (Artemis)

***

Having exited major-label land to slug it out with the other indie bands, Chrissie Hynde and her cohorts sound every bit up to the challenge. Hynde’s songs respond to the complexities of adult life with the never-say-die spirit that is rock ‘n’ roll. She may be 51, but there’s still nobody who purrs, yowls or beckons the way she does.

-- Randy Lewis

WC

“Ghetto Heisman” (Def Jam)

***

Best known as one-third of the Ice Cube-fronted Westside Connection, this veteran rapper is one of L.A.’s most respected hip-hop figures. On his second solo album, WC tones down the political commentary and delivers a strong batch of funk-heavy gangster cuts that showcase his trademark exaggerated delivery patterns and clever wordplay. The moving “Something 2 Live 4” and “Tears of a Killa” add balance to this hard-core affair.

-- Soren Baker

Phil Collins

“Testify” (Atlantic)

**

Collins is a moody, muted romantic, dependably slick and vaguely soulful, and just as dependably bland. His first solo album in six years (in stores Tuesday) offers no new twists on the ‘80s hit-making schematic. He can still create a quietly tortured ballad that feels somehow genuine, but the hooks are so soft and anonymous that songs evaporate into a shapeless pop mist.

-- Steve Appleford

Deborah Cox

“The Morning After” (J)

***

The R&B-pop; diva drew from experience for her third album, a tough-tender treatise on modern romance. Standouts such as the hopeful-yet-wary “2 Good 2 Be True” and the self-respect ballad “Starting With You” define the real rules for cultivating practical relationships along with true love. But it’s Cox’s caramel-smooth, un-retouched voice that keeps every note human, even on two tingly house remixes of earlier tunes.

-- N.N.

Crazy Town

“Darkhorse” (Columbia)

** 1/2

The L.A. band isn’t fading into one-hit wonderland without a fight. “Darkhorse” (due Tuesday) has no fluffy, “Butterfly”-like ditties, and the best tunes are steered more by pop and prog-rock harmonies and crushing guitars than raps. It feels fresher and meatier than its debut, “The Gift of Game,” but until its brash, boastful lyrics evolve as well, Crazy Town may never get the respect it craves.

-- Lina Lecaro

*

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.