Choice Cuts: April 2003

like Cat Stevens' "Father and Son," while songs like "$2 Pistol" focus on the darker side of the psyche.

Highlight Tracks: "Sweet Love" and "$2 Pistol"

For More Info: Head to http://www.houstonmarchman.com

Artist: BOB MARLEY AND THE WAILERS

Album: Greatest Hits at Studio One

The Scoop: How to review Bob Marley? It is debatable whether any other musician in history has been so peerlessly lionized within their genre; even Beethoven, after all, has a Mozart. For countless thousands-millions?-of Americans, Bob Marley and the Wailers are reggae, and Legend is an almost universal soundtrack to "freshman year of college." The new release, lovingly culled from the band's early days at Studio One, is a wonderful educational step for those looking to go beyond Legend and the $4 CDs at Best Buy and see what Bob was like before the ganja. It may surprise some fans to hear that Bob shared the vocal spotlight; that those he shared it with, moreover, had smoother pipes. And they may be surprised that a lot of the music on Greatest Hits is better suited for a slow dance at their parents' prom than a joint passing in their dorm. The album is both a revelation and a history lesson, through both material familiar ("One Love," "Jailhouse") and unfamiliar.

Highlight Tracks: "It Hurts To Be Alone," "I Need You So" and, of course, the original "One Love"

For More Info: Visit http://www.rounder.com/Album.asp?catalog...

Artist: THE NEW FOLK IMPLOSION

Album: The New Folk Implosion

The Scoop: Critics tend to be a little too hard on Lou Barlow. Whether as head honcho or second fiddle, he's given us a lot to be thankful for over the years--Dinosaur Jr. and Sebadoh central among them. I mean, c'mon, what have you done for the history of alt-rock? High-profile bandmates (at least in an indie-rock sort of way) have come and gone, and now Barlow pulls the phoenix act with his Folk Implosion, joined by guitarist Imaad Wasif and former Sebadoh drummer Russell Pollard. Maybe critics want Mr. Barlow to start sounding like Jack White, but I for one am not that dismayed that the "New" Folk Implosion sounds a little bit like the old one, and a little bit like the old Sebadoh, even. There's lots of vulnerable lo-fi, mid-tempo grunge-some of which resonates, some of which does not-but the real gems are the acoustic, threadbare songs. Barlow can still deliver

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