GAVIN ROSSDALE

"Wanderlust"

(Interscope)

Gavin Rossdale made a pretty big splash with his music before becoming the envy of men everywhere with his marriage to ultimate rock girl Gwen Stefani.

The former frontman for Bush, whose 1994 debut "Sixteen Stone" was one of the more popular discs of the 90's, returns with his first solo outing, "Wanderlust," and the result is a decidedly mixed bag.

While his raspy voice and soaring choruses echo his finer '90s moments, Rossdale settles for overly slick production and the result makes the disc quite derivative (maybe we can blame that on mercenary producer Bob Rock, who somehow managed to make even Metallica sound too slick).

"Wanderlust" succeeds in its simpler moments. Disc opener "Can't Stop The World" is a melodic rocker with a knockout chorus and lead single "Love Remains The Same" is a lush ballad that works well with Rossdale's rasp, as do dynamic tracks like the escapist "Drive" and the electro-charged doom of "Future World."

Where the frustration sets in is on tracks like the muddy "This is Happiness," which is just plain sloppy but contains one of the catchiest choruses on the disc. And there's the rub: each song does boast a moment where you take notice before it retreats into dry repetition.

I won't even get into it with "Another Night In The Hills" -- which lyrically seems a bit beneath Rossdale's typical stream-of-consciousness style: "She likes her cocaine/right on the membranes/She's one to give favors/to the movers and shakers."

Gavin Rossdale offers a respectable effort but rests on his laurels a bit too much on "Wanderlust."

CHECK THIS TRACK OUT: Emotive disc closer "Beauty in the Beast" showcases a very welcome introspective side to Rossdale's persona.

WEEZER

"Weezer"

(Geffen/Interscope)

Rest easy slacker geeks -- Weezer have gotten it right once again.

Plowing through another set of snarky power pop, Weezer's self-titled sixth studio disc is a bit audacious without skimping on what makes this band great -- popping riffs, infectious choruses and an almost silly nostalgia for youth.

Frontman Rivers Cuomo relinquishes lead vocal and songwriting duties here and there, which may turn off some fans, but Weezer remain smarter than most acts and Cuomo and his mates still pen some of the best power pop ditties you're likely to find.

Opening track "Troublemaker" is a kicking tongue-in-cheek knock on rock star misconceptions: "I'm gonna be a star and people will crane necks/to get a glimpse of me to see if I am having sex/and studying my moves to try and understand/why I am so unlike the singers in the other bands."

Lead single "Pork and Beans" is already pleasing fans of previous hits, "Everybody Get Dangerous" tackles the risks of youth that we manage to survive and "Heart Songs" is Cuomo's sweet ode to his myriad influences that references everyone from Gordon Lightfoot and Bruce Springsteen to Rob Bass (yes, really) and Kurt Cobain.

Other standouts include an homage to boyhood escape on "Dreamin'," diverse, pulsating rockers in "Thought I Knew" and "Automatic," and the gloomy synth freak-out of "Cold Dark World."

With their most challenging disc since 1996's "Pinkerton," it would seem Cuomo and Weezer have grown up a bit -- but thankfully not too much.

CHECK THIS TRACK OUT: "The Greatest Man That Ever Lived" may be the most ambitious song in the Weezer canon. Piano, acoustic and electric guitars, choir chants and Beach Boy-esque falsetto harmonies (among other elements) propel continual switches from punk, folk and metal over the course of six jaw-dropping minutes.

THE PINKER TONES

"Wild Animals"

(Nacional Records)

Fresh and wildly eclectic, Barcelona-based electropop wizards The Pinker Tones dazzle on their latest disc, "Wild Animals."

Comprised of neo-lounge lizards Mister Furia (Salvador Rey) and Professor Manso (Alex Llovetand), The Pinker Tones provide an ambitious mix of styles -- including funk, pop, psychedelia, hip-hop, soul and bossa nova -- but remain grounded by contagious melodies.

The greatest praise is how simple they manage to keep things, with retro synthesizers, vocal harmonies, crisp guitars and disco-bass grooves providing a retro vibe that still sounds futuristic and progressive.

They bring some serious funk on "Working Bees," drop a reggae-flavored delight with "The Whistling Song," rave it up with the staccato rhythms of "Fugaz," and shuffle through the joyful pop of "Hold On" and "Biorganised."

They also function on a multilingual level with a vocal mix of English, French (the sweet "On Se Promenait"), Spanish (a bossa-heavy "Electrotumbao") and German (the futuristic hip hop of "Wild Eleganz").

Raising the bar for electronica used to be the realm of bands like Depeche Mode and New Order -- but now groups like The Pinker Tones are bringing a wild energy and ambitious focus to a new generation.

A real treat.

CHECK THIS TRACK OUT: With a robotic vocal track and smooth dance-ready groove, "S.E.X.Y.R.O.B.O.T." contains way too much fun for one track and is a perfect snapshot of The Pinker Tones' style.

ASHANTI

"The Declaration"

(The Inc./Universal)

At first glance, Ashanti seems to have the ingredients needed to be a legitimate, top-tier R&B diva -- the designer-clad look, a platinum-selling pedigree and a resonant, if not booming, voice. But big name soul sisters such as Mary J. Blige, Mariah, or Beyonce need not look over their shoulders. Despite Ashanti's attributes, it's hard to identify what sets her apart.

On her fourth solo album, "The Declaration," Ashanti operates without frequent collaborator Ja Rule or her former mentor/producer Irv Gotti. Instead, she attempts to assert her own identity. Yet the disc doesn't manage to break any new ground, with Ashanti singing mainly over unremarkable contemporary R&B tracks about her own good loving and cheating boyfriends. The single, "The Way That I Love You" -- and its revenge fantasy video -- shows Ashanti's potential, with the track's tumbling piano notes and her belted vocals that exhibit believable anguish.

But the woman-scorned sentiment grows tiresome when revisited on the synth-pop of "Your Gonna Miss" and again on the anthemic high-pitched keys of the Rodney Jerkins-produced "So Over You." Meanwhile, her forays into sexy-soul territory ("Good Good" and "Body On Me" with Akon and Nelly) seem to undermine the good-girl balladry ("Mother" and "Shine") tacked on near disc's end. On the disc's intro she states, "I'm declaring me." But next time out, she'll need to dig deeper to reveal a more evolved Ashanti.

CHECK OUT THIS TRACK: Ashanti ups her hot-girl quotient a notch, professing to be "the bad girl that loves to get in trouble" while Robin Thicke adds his breathy falsetto to the sultry "Things You Make Me Do."

JEWEL

"Perfectly Clear"

(Valory/Big Machine)

"Perfectly Clear," singer-songwriter Jewel Kilcher's move into country music won't seem as surprising as that of, say, Bon Jovi. After all, she grew up in rural Alaska, she's an avid horsewoman with a long-running relationship with a rodeo star and early hits "Who Will Save Your Soul?" and "You Were Meant for Me" have more in common with recent country hits than with current pop music.

Jewel takes the reassignment seriously. She co-produced the album with John Rich of Big & Rich, wrote or co-wrote all but one of the 11 tracks, and will tour this summer with country star Brad Paisley. Country fans have already welcomed her, too: Her first single, "Stronger Woman," shot into the top 15 of the country radio charts.

The strength of "Perfectly Clear," as with many contemporary country singers, comes from Jewel singing her own words. The best songs -- "I Do," "Everything Reminds Me of You," "Til It Feels Like Cheating" -- have a distinct and believable point of view, and the arrangements merge modern Nashville gloss with an acoustic base that works with Jewel's idiosyncratic, breathy voice. Also, her typical lyrical slant -- taking a positive yet earthy look at everyday life -- fits country music as snugly as two Lego blocks locking together.

Nothing on "Perfectly Clear" will separate Jewel from the pack as markedly as her first pop singles a dozen years ago. But her new album suggests her shift to country music could benefit both singer and genre.

CHECK THIS OUT: On "Anything But You," Jewel sings a barroom weeper over a crying steel guitar that updates classic country music more effectively than most current country singers could. It should erase any doubt whether she belongs in Nashville.

YOUR VEGAS

"A Town and Two Cities"

(Universal Republic)

It takes great fortitude for a newbie band to attempt the kind of epic-rock grandeur U2 has perfected. Judging by their sweeping debut album, Leeds, England-born, New York-based quartet Your Vegas isn't afraid to give it a shot.

Luckily, the band also has the talent, if not the originality, to back up their ambition. It helps that lead singer Coyle Girelli is a latter-day Bono who can make poignant declaratives soar over bright guitar jangle and layers of synth, but the arena-pop sound is nothing without expert songwriting. You need surging verses, big choruses and lyrics about everything anyone in the world ever cared about. "A Town and Two Cities" has all that too.

But maybe Your Vegas is a little too good at packing whole roller coasters of human emotion into neat 3- and 4-minute guitar anthems. Their catchy tunes do rely heavily on cliche. On "Troubled Times," the world's gone mad, and on "Birds of Paradise," it's you and me against the world, and so on. After the initial thrill wears off, it all seems a bit studied. Now that Your Vegas has mastered outsize pop-rock, the band's next challenge is to make the idiom their own.

CHECK THIS TRACK OUT: Namesake song "Your Vegas" neatly showcases the band's strengths: spare verses, anthemic choruses and carpe diem lyrics.

DIRTY HARRY

(1971, 102 min. )

Dir.: Don Siegel

Clint Eastwood is back to make your day again as all five of his "Dirty Harry" cop thrillers return to DVD and debut on Blu-ray high-definition disc. Eastwood introduced the character of San Francisco inspector Harry Callahan in 1971's serial-killer tale "Dirty Harry" and reprised the role in "Magnum Force," "The Enforcer," "Sudden Impact" and "The Dead Pool." The original film comes in a two-disc DVD set or a single-disc Blu-ray release. The others are available separately as single DVDs or in a seven-disc DVD or five-disc Blu-ray "Dirty Harry Ultimate Collector's Edition." The films are accompanied by extensive cast and crew interviews in new and vintage documentary segments, while each includes commentary with such people as critic Richard Schickel, "Magnum Force" screenwriter John Milius and "Enforcer" director James Fargo. The boxed set comes with the documentary "Clint Eastwood: Out of the Shadows," a 40-page book and a replica of Harry's wallet with police badge and identification card. "Dirty Harry" two-disc DVD set, $20.97; single-disc sequels on DVD, $14.97 each; "Dirty Harry" seven-disc DVD collector's set, $74.92; "Dirty Harry" single-disc Blu-ray release, $34.99; "Dirty Harry" five-disc Blu-ray collector's set, $129.95. (Warner Bros.)

SEMI-PRO

(2008, 100 min.)

Dir.: Kent Alterman

Maybe Will Ferrell should have appended a long subtitle to this box-office dud, which failed to score with audiences the way his "Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy" and "Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby" did. This time out, Ferrell plays a former pop singer who's now the owner and player for a flashy but second-rate American Basketball Association team with an uncertain future as the league merges with the NBA. The movie comes in a bare-bones single-disc release or two-disc "Let's Get Sweaty" editions on DVD and Blu-ray. Among the extras are behind-the-scenes featurettes and a segment on the ABA, plus Ferrell's music video for his character's hit song. Single DVD, $28.98; two-disc DVD set, $34.99; two-disc Blu-ray set, $39.98. (New Line)

MEET THE SPARTANS

(2008, 87 min.)

Dirs.: Jason Friedberg, Aaron Seltzer

The Hollywood craze for releasing dumb spoofs of its own hits continues with this comic knockoff that takes its cue from the blockbuster "300," centering on a last-stand siege in which a small band of Spartan soldiers held off hordes of Persian invaders. The filmmakers behind previous parodies "Epic Movie" and "Date Movie" are at the helm of this one, which was brutalized by critics, and the cast includes spoof queen Carmen Electra and Kevin Sorbo (TV's "Hercules: The Legendary Journeys"). Available in an unrated edition on DVD and Blu-ray disc, the movie comes with cast and crew commentary, a gag reel and a few making-of segments. DVD, $29.98; Blu-ray, $39.98. (20th Century Fox)

THE EYE

(2008, 97 min.)

Dirs.: David Moreau, Xavier Palud

The U.S. remake of the Japanese horror hit landed with a thud among fans of fright flicks. Jessica Alba stars as a blind woman who has her sight restored by a surgical eye transplant only to find herself seeing terrifying visions, sending her on a quest to find out whose eyes she inherited and what the images mean. The movie comes in a single-disc DVD or two-disc DVD and Blu-ray sets, with extras that include deleted scenes and four behind-the-scenes featurettes. Single-disc DVD, $29.95; two-disc DVD set, $34.98; two-disc Blu-ray set, $39.99. (Lionsgate).