Solomon Burke, 'Like a Fire' (Shout! Factory)

Soul-music royalty holds court with hard-won mellowness.

If Burke's voice now lacks the stirring richness of his early-'60s R&B hits like "Everybody Needs Somebody to Love" and "Cry to Me," his dramatic skills haven't faded a bit. Shifting gears from 2006's countrified Nashville, he turns to laid-back pop and gospel-flavored tunes about hard times and spiritual crisis, written by fans such as Eric Clapton, Ben Harper, and Jesse Harris.

Animal Collective, 'Water Curses' (Domino)

Electronic pop naturalists create a sonic life aquatic.

Amid the globules of sound on "Cobwebs," Animal Collective's Avey Tare mumbles about being "organic like strawberry meat." But on this new four-song EP, that's as close as the Brooklyn group gets to the compacted Day-Glo noise pop of last year's Strawberry Jam.

Quiet Village, 'Silent Movie' (K7)

Dj/production partners give cocktail soundtrack a twist.

Named for Martin Denny's seminal exotica/lounge album, Quiet Village opt for a sketchy sunset -- rather than the more traditional nymph in a loincloth -- on the cover of their woozy, sampledelic debut.

Orchestra Baobab, 'Made in Dakar' (World Circuit/Nonesuch)

African sophisticates rev up their groove machine once more.

Since re-forming for the 2002 comeback Specialist in All Styles, this ’70s/’80s Senegalese band, like elder rockers Mission of Burma and Wire, remain incan-descent and relevant a second time around. Revisiting tunes from nights spent in steamy

Jennifer Cardini, 'Feeling Strange' (Kompakt)

French mixmistress shatters minimal techno's glass ceiling.

The first female artist to release a record on the famed Kompakt label, Jennifer Cardini distills those disorienting moments when you first plunge into the murk of an underground club.

Atlas Sound, 'Let the Blind Lead Those Who Can See But Cannot Feel' (Kranky)

Eccentric avant-punk raconteur takes it back to the womb.

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