The Philadelphia Inquirer from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania • Page H07

THE PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER www.philly.com H7 Sunday, May 11, 2008 New Recordings Ratings: Excellent, Good, Fair, Poor Miguel's voice leans into its love's hard history with subtle theatrical passion. The quavering "Estrenando amor" and the envy-drenched "Te desean" cry out in a similar fashion. Bravo. A. D.

Amorosi and in his native tongue. More solicitous than hot, Miguel's cool fire made him into a Mexican Sinatra of sorts. He sold platinum in the U.S., dated Mariah Carey, even sang with 01' Blue Eyes on Frank's Duets II. While there's no real translation for "ring-a-ding-ding" in Spanish, the comparison is fascinating since Complices was written and produced with Manuel Alejandro, Spain's version of Nelson Riddle. Yet their gallant take on the intensity of improbable amor, "Si tu te atreves," isn't solitary like "Night and Day." Rather it smolders its strings build, Luis Miguel Complices (Warner Latina At a moment when most of what we know about Mexican pop culture comes from VH-l's Viva Hollywood, it's great that Luis Miguel has come to save the day.

While J-Lo, Ricky Martin and Shakira were busy Anglicizing their sound, Miguel, now 38, was doing it his way, albeit smoothly, with a richly earnest, romantic voice whose caramel-coated tones oozed perfectly through the grandest of strings and the slightest of Latin rhythms street-poet charisma the way he mixes elusive, Dylanesque verbiage with rock-solid hooks and a streak of hip-hop swagger. The hit parade could use this kind of Poison. Nick Cristiano Elvis Imposters Momofuku (Lost Highway Walter Hyatt Some Unfinished Business, Volume 1 (King Tears Walter Hyatt was working on a new album when he died in an airliner crash in See NEW RECORDINGS on H8 as Trust. And even slower tunes, such as the heart-on-sleeve romance "Flutter Wow," powered by Steve Nieve's piano, benefit from an off-the-cuff attack, with Costello shouting out "to the bridge!" instructions to the band. The songwriting isn't uniformly excellent, and at times, such as on "Harry Worth," Costello falls prey to the too clever punniness that is often his downfall.

But there are some tender, deeply personal songs here, such as the touching "My Three Sons," and angry, winningly rocking ones, like "American Gangster Time," too. A couple of years ago, Costello claimed he was never going to record again, and anybody familiar with his history of hyperactive productivity knew that was a lie. Momofuku, which shares a name with a most excellent New York noodle bar, is a tasty addition to his catalog. Dan DeLuca Clay Aiken On My Way Here (RCA Ike Reilly Poison the Hit Parade (Rock Ridge i2) "Who says you can't take a shot at the president, just say you're sorry and be on your way?" Ike Reilly spits out in "Fish Plant Rebellion." Like the best rockers, and you can count him among them, Reilly delights in wreaking havoc with polite society. He continues to do just that with Poison the Hit Parade.

The album is mostly demos and alternative versions of songs from some of the Midwesterner's great earlier albums "Duty Free," for example, gets a more countrified arrangement. The title track talk about causing an uproar is new, as is the ringingly melodic "Dragonflies," which shows Reilly has a heart, too. Put it all together, and you get another thrilling portrait of Reilly's audacious Thornton Wilder 's Town In Old City Elvis Costello's new album largely adheres to the 2008 R.E.M. school of old-guys-from-the-1980s record making. Like the Athens, band's Accelerate, Momofuku was written and recorded fast, and features mostly shortish, high-energy songs that hope to recall Costello's halcyon heyday.

For the most part, it works. Bashed-out rockers like "Mr. Feathers" bristle with tension, and harmony-heavy tunes like "No Hiding Place" (one of many to feature Jenny Lewis on backup vocals) recall classic early 1980s Costello albums such Locally performed at Arden Theatre Company and Historic Christ Church Top Albums in the Region Be a May 22 part of it. June 22 Locally Nationally 1 1 Madonna Hard Candy 2 6 The Roots Rising Down 3 2 Mariah Carey EMC2 1 4 4 Lyfe Jennings Lyfe Change 5 3 Leona Lewis Spirit 3 6 5 Def Leppard Songs From the Sparkle Lounge 7 7 Portishead Third 8 12 Steve Winwood Nine Lives 9 25 Lil Mama VYP: Voice of the Young People 10 16 Jack Johnson 1 5 Sleep Through the Static SOURCE: SoundScan based on purchase data from Philadelphia and Montgomery, Delaware, Bucks, Chester, Camden, Burlington and Gloucester Counties). Billboard Magazine 51708 2008 In Stores Tuesday Death Cab for Cutie, Narrow Stairs; Old 97s, Blame It on Gravity; Keith Sweat, Just Me; Jason Mraz, We Sing, We Dance, We Steal Things BOUBLIL and SCHONBERG'S 1 jLes I Not much has changed with this bathetic balladeer's fourth release.

(For those of you without a TV set, Aiken was the popular runner-up on the second season of American Idol.) He's wielding his lithe tenor with more emotionality, but he's still hopelessly addicted to would-be inspirational anthems. Surprisingly, Aiken does his best job vocally on the bluesy "Everything I Don't Need." His worst vocal? Easy. His weak Johnny Mathis imitation on "Something About Us." Most of the selections here are expertly crafted tunes. But perhaps because Aiken had no hand in writing them, they tend to sound off-the-rack rather than custom tailored, even the nostalgic title track, co-written by One Republic's Ryan Tedder, which has a country flavor. In the end, nothing jumps out of this maudlin pack.

David Hiltbrand LA iiiiiiifi i IE IB STARTS TUESDAY! For Tickets Visit: WalnutStreetTheatre.org ticketmaster OR CALL 215-574-3550 or 215-336-1234 FOR GROUP SALES, CALL 215-574-3550, ext. 504.