By Paul V.

Singled Out

Frank Sinatra - This Town - Mint Royale remix

Frankie might be dead, but he’s still the hippest cat in town. Here, Sinatra gets his cocktail club funk on, courtesy of Mint Royale. The original version is on the Ocean’s Thirteen soundtrack, and you can grab this remix on iTunes. Bang zoom!

Kelly Rowland - Ms. Kelly - Sony

Is Kelly Rowland to Beyoncé what Mary Wilson is to Diana Ross? Both of their more famous, diva lead singers always get more attention, yet without the contribution of their sweet voices in the background, the blueprint of their respective groups would have sounded much different. Granted, neither Kelly nor Mary has the powerhouse pipes of their former leaders, but they can certainly hold their own in the spotlight. Kelly, on her second solo disc, makes it clear just how much her voice added to every Destiny’s Child hit. She kicks things off impressively with the Southern, slow-drawl funk and finesse of “Like This,” her infectious duet with Eve featuring some bristling beats from Polow Da Don. On “Ghetto,” her whispy but slinky falsetto works nicely with the always fresh-sounding Snoop Dogg. Next up is the jamming “Work,” which could be her biggest hit for both radio and the clubs. With its percussive-heavy Scott Storch beats and streetwise flow, it’s a fast-paced thumper right out of the Destiny’s Child hit-making machine. Unfortunately, most of the middle section of the disc wallows in generic, slow-jam R&B molasses, and exposes some of Roland’s vocal shortcomings, with the exception being the very powerful “Every Thought Is You.” Some of the sass from the beginning of the disc returns on “Love.” While Rowland never quite takes full flight into something extra special here—or new-sounding, for that matter—it’s certainly a decent, respectable showing.

Stateless - Stateless - K7

After a few years of delays and record company woes, Leeds U.K. outfit Stateless finally see their work released on the K7 label, and it was worth the wait. Let me start this review by saying that if you love DJ Shadow’s early releases, you’ll love Stateless, too. In fact, Stateless singer Chris James appeared on Shadow’s last record. And while James sounds uncannily like both Radiohead’s Thom Yorke and Coldplay’s Chris Martin—with just a hint of Jeff Buckley—that’s a positive and not a negative. This is a truly gorgeous effort, an emotional journey with a lot of layers and a dreamy, drift-away cinematic sheen. Lead single “Exit” fully demonstrates the group’s ethereal yet beat-laden textures, while elsewhere a darker side is revealed through a menacing violin loop, which rumbles under the UNKLE-like beats of “This Language.” Stateless are at their shimmering best, however, during the more soulful moments like the ultra-moody “Bloodstream,” the piano-driven “Down Here,” and the simply exquisite “Running Out.” I think my favorite track is the closing track—the six-minute-plus swoon of “Inscape,” with its lullaby, trip-hop pedigree. The inclusion of some turntable scratching and varied electronic programming makes for an oft-unpredictable listen on these 10 tracks. On first listen, Stateless might obviously sound like they take too many cues from Massive Attack, Portishead, Radiohead and Coldplay, but further spins reveal their own charms in spades. This is a near-perfect listen for late-night excursions.

Junior Senior - Hey Hey My My Yo Yo - Rykodisc

My, my, indeed. In the indie rock world, three years away from the spotlight can kill a career, because by the time you return with a new release, 20 other new bands have put out records, and your buzz can become a faded memory. This isn’t entirely true for Junior Senior, but many of us have been scratching our heads asking, “Fellas, when is your new joint coming out?” Truth is, this actually came out almost two years ago, just not here in America (hello, f--ked up U.S. record biz). Well, it’s finally time for our favorite Danish gay/straight duo to share more tunes and continue the party they started in 2003. They’ve kept their infectiously goofy charm intact, dropping 11 completely unselfconscious and smile-inducing ditties that meld glittery disco strings, wah-wah guitar riffs, Motown-style beats, perky girls, white-boy rap and lots and lots of handclaps. Speaking of the girls, it’s none other than the B-52’s Cindy Wilson and Kate Pierson who appear on the wonderful “Take My Time,” and riot grrl compadres Le Tigre on five tracks, most notably on the hip-shakin’ “Dance, Chance, Romance.” Every track is so thick with retro glitz, you might feel like you’re trapped in a 40-year time warp. But every summer needs a record like this: one hell of a bubbly, spirited, playful and just plain fun flashback. And while Junior Senior might border on cheesy, they remain hard to resist.

Check out DJ Paul V. spinning: Bootie L.A. the first Saturday monthly at Safari Sam’s and at Miss Kitty’s Parlour various Fridays. Tune in to Indie 103.1FM on Fridays at 5:30 p.m. for the “Smash Mix” and Saturdays from midnight-3 a.m. for “Neon Noise.” More info at MySpace.com/SmashMix.