FRED HERSCH

The Fred Hersch Trio + 2

Palmetto; $16.98

3 1/2 stars

Cincinnati-native pianist Fred Hersch draws the beauty of classical music to his jazz, using chords that are dusk-colored and lush. The joining of his trio mates, bassist Drew Gress and drummer Nasheet Waits, with trumpeter Ralph Alessi and saxophonist Tony Malaby produces a serious quintet.

The group reinterprets the Beatles' "And I Love Her" as a dark, impassioned love song, and traverses poignantly over the all-minor chords of "Black Dog Pays a Visit," a phrase Winston Churchill used for depression.

Hersch inhabits the tunes he plays. His band has a clean and warm finish and a strong dash of complexity. Some solos go on too long and a few passages get twitchy and modernistic. But the high taste is evident throughout.

"Down Home," a tribute to guitarist Bill Frisell, features vigorous interplay and some countrified Americana, and "Rain Waltz" gives a smooth report of the weather.

Karl Stark, The Philadelphia Inquirer

TREY ANASTASIO

Seis De Mayo

Elektra; $15.98

3 stars

Phish frontman Trey Anastasio's second solo album is a musical diary, sometimes unassuming and filled with charm, other times sweeping and bold.

It's not rock 'n' roll, really. Nor is it a collection of jam band anthems, the sort Phish helped foster over the past decade. It's Anastasio the composer, always favoring experiment over any structure.

Entirely instrumental with seven tracks lasting 29 minutes, Seis De Mayo transforms Phish's music into pure composition. Many of the songs are just snippets or three-minute melodies, some already recorded under the Phish banner.

But by putting the compositions on the sheet music stands of an orchestra, Seis De Mayo gives them an air of musical legitimacy outside the rock spectrum.

"Guyute" is the album's longest piece, and arguably its finest. About 12 minutes of orchestral movement, listeners can hear emotive melodies that might have been drowned out in the din of a trap set.

"The Inlaw Josie Wales" is another gem. The solo guitar piece originally tracked at the band's Vermont recording studio has been redone for guitar and strings to create a foot-tapping, feel-good sound.

Unlike Anastasio's previous solo effort, which dripped with post-production effects and a lounge sound that left fans wincing, pairing Anastasio with an orchestra proves to be a beautiful match.

It's a tiny album, indeed. But little - in this case - is definitely better.

Ryan Lenz, The Associated Press

BLONDIE

The Curse of Blondie

Sanctuary; $18.98

2 stars

Good news first: Deborah Harry, the golden-maned singer that many wrongly assumed was Blondie, has lost little with the years. It's fun listening to her drift between a sexy, throaty growl and little-girl innocence. Madonna should age as well.

Her band, in a continued comeback, retains the musical adventurousness it had at its peak, opening this disc with a rap, then a dance floor workout that recalls "Heart of Glass."

That's about it, though. The curse of Blondie, it seems, is the same one that afflicts many reformed bands - what was once effortless sounds labored, clunkiness has replaced grace. Attempts to update their sound with a tougher guitar attack only makes Blondie sound generic.

And while Harry may sound good, most of what she sings does not. The chorus to "Shakedown" appears to be about hiding drugs in a body cavity. Ugh. "The Tingler" opens with this laughable couplet: "Fate points the finger, it's a double-barreled ringer."

The only promising direction that presents itself is riding "Good Boys" and reinventing themselves as a dance act/gay icon like Cher.

David Bauder, The Associated Press

DILATED PEOPLES

Neighborhood Watch

Capitol; $17.98

2 1/2 stars

Unabashedly trying to climb their way out of the Los Angeles underground, Dilated Peoples made a few concessions to mainstream hip-hop.

Two compositions on the group's new album get a much-needed melody boost: Devin The Dude croons about "Poisonous" women and soulful producer-rapper Kanye West lends his sing-song voice and a signature soaring chorus to "This Way."

But the other 11 songs retain the dirtier edge and slower, atmospheric beats that have mostly kept this talented crew off the radio since their major label debut in 2000.

Rappers Evidence and Rakaa Iriscience avoid gangsta cliches and don't sing on the hooks. Their insightful rhymes about fans, politics, and the life of musicians are instead woven together by scratched-up samples, perfectly selected by the crew's DJ Babu and New York-based collaborator Alchemist.

But overall, production on Neighborhood Watch ranges from subpar to mediocre, no single theme emerges, and Evidence's monotone voice doesn't always command attention. Dilated may have dug up a hit song with "This Way," but their album isn't headed way up the charts.

Ryan Pearson, The Associated Press