COMPILATION: Various artists, “Forever Changing: The Golden Era of Elektra Records (1963-73)” (Rhino/Elektra) 
Think of this five-disc box as the companion set to “The Rock Snob's Dictionary” – Nico, David Ackles, Delaney & Bonnie, Love, Tim Buckley, the MC5, the Stooges ... well, we could go on. They were all part of Elektra label founder Jac Holzman's strange stable of artists, most of whom wowed music geeks and left barely a ripple on the unwashed masses. Yes, the big names –the Doors, Carly Simon, Harry Chapin – are represented, but the set focuses mostly on the obscure, both for good (country confessor Mickey Newbury) and bad (three-quarters of the dated folk on the first two discs).
– GLENN WHIPP
GOSPEL: Kenny & Amanda Smith Band, “Tell Someone” (Rebel) ½
This bluegrass couple and their tight little band have finally made the gospel album that acts of God (literally; there was a fatal tractor accident) tried to delay. The result is marked by Amanda's clear, rich, Alison Krauss-like singing and an energized fundamentalist fervor. Indeed, there are so many references to Christ's blood that it sometimes sounds like the whole thing was inspired by “The Passion of the Christ” – only much sweeter. Hear them live at the Supergrass Festival in Bakersfield this Saturday and Sunday.
– BOB STRAUSS
SOUL: The Holmes Brothers, “State of Grace” (Alligator)
The incredibly soulful Holmes Brothers can turn a song upside down like no one else. There is an abundance of cover songs on the American roots-loving trio's latest album, but none quite so astonishing as the group's radical reinterpretation of Cheap Trick's “I Want You to Want Me.” With piano and organ backing, it's suddenly a ballad, buoyed by gorgeous three-part harmonies. That's nearly matched by the Holmes Brothers' renditions of Lyle Lovett's “If I Had a Boat” and the ever-amusing “God Will,” or their version of Hank Williams' “I Can't Help It If I'm Still in Love With You,” which features a guest vocal from Rosanne Cash.
– KEVIN O'HARE
