ALBUM: AN OTHER CUP

NEW YORK (Billboard) -

Twenty-eight years is a long time between drinks, even if it is only tea you're sipping, but the artist formerly known as Cat Stevens (and, significantly, billed as such on U.S. album sleeves) still knows how to make a decent brew. His voice is seemingly unchanged by the best part of three decades away from the music biz, and the songs, while clearly informed by his faith and his unique experiences in the time off, retain much of the freshness and pop sensibility that made albums like "Tea for the Tillerman" such an inspiring presence in the '70s. It doesn't all hit home, but at its best ("Heaven/ Where True Love Goes," "In the End," "Green Fields, Golden Sands"), this record is uplifting enough to satisfy even a 30-year thirst.

ARTIST: KEITH URBAN

ALBUM: LOVE, PAIN & THE WHOLE CRAZY THING

"I don't have any aspirations to be a pop star or a rock artist." That's what Keith Urban recently told Billboard, and while it may be true, he could be either if he wanted to. The proof is in this CD, which rocks harder and is more diverse than its three predecessors. Few artists have the vision to see that country music isn't simply defined by fiddles and steel guitar (although this album has both), and even fewer have the talent to fulfill that vision. Urban does. Whether it's one of the 10 songs he wrote or the one he didn't (the Billy Nicholls-penned "I Can't Stop Loving You," previously a hit for Leo Sayer and Phil Collins), Urban sells every song with passion. It's fitting that he closes this varied set with "Got It Right This Time." Indeed.

ARTIST: JOAN OSBORNE

ALBUM: PRETTY LITTLE STRANGER

While a far cry from Joan Osborne's breakthrough, the delectable "Relish," recorded more than a decade ago, "Pretty Little Stranger" sets the singer in Nashville, where she soulfully transplants her roots music into fertile country soil. At times, producer Steve Buckingham gives the sessions a classic feel, a la Owen Bradley's signature steel guitar shadings and bright piano tinkles, on such sumptuous readings of Kris Kristofferson's "Please Don't Tell Me How the Story Ends" and Beth Nielsen Chapman's "Time Won't Tell." But Osborne breaks out of the Patsy Cline mode with folk-inflected tunes and more contemporary country fare like the lyrical title track. Split down the middle between covers and originals, the CD's best tracks come from Osborne's portfolio, including the sweetly swaying "Holy Waters," the skipping "Shake That Devil" and the funky "Dead Roses."

ARTIST: ...AND YOU WILL KNOW US BY THE TRAIL OF DEAD

ALBUM: SO DIVIDED

"So Divided," the third Interscope release from . . . And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead, offers a more diverse song mix than one might expect from these Texas-based rockers. There are still moments of gripping rock drama, particularly on "Sunken Dreams," which most resembles 2002's amazing "Source Tags & Codes." But the set veers into alt-country territory on the bluesy "Naked Sun" and "Witches Web," which features Dresden Dolls' Amanda Palmer on backing vocals. There's also a streamlined pop flair on display via the Beach Boys-style harmonies of "Eight Day Hell" and the propulsive major-key riff of opener "Stand in Silence." Still, the standout is "Wasted State of Mind," whose frantic piano melody and singalong chorus is a reminder that change, though unanticipated, can often be a good thing.

ARTIST: THE GAME

ALBUM: DOCTOR'S ADVOCATE

After getting booted from 50 Cent's G-Unit crew and losing Dr. Dre as the main collaborator for this sophomore album, the Game is sporting quite a chip on his shoulder. The against-the-odds mentality is set on a backdrop of menacing percussion ("It's Okay -- One Blood") and brooding soul samples (the groupie-bashing "Wouldn't Get Far," featuring Kanye West). The defensive approach can be great lyrical fodder ("Why You Hate the Game" featuring Nas and Marsha Ambrosius), but the Compton, Calif.-bred rapper is at his best on pensive cuts like "Ol English" and the Dre-aimed title track featuring Busta Rhymes. Cliched lady-pleasers like "Around the World" featuring Jamie Foxx are inconsequential, but even though "Doctor's Advocate" has its failings, it's a prescription that comes recommended.

ARTIST: THE IDAN RAICHEL PROJECT

ALBUM: THE IDAN RAICHEL PROJECT

This disc is surely one of the most fascinating titles to emerge in world music this year. Israeli keyboardist/composer Idan Raichel, who has become quite an item among Israel's and Ethiopia's music fans, collaborates here with Ethiopian immigrants in Israel, particularly vocalist Cabra Casey. The tunes are terribly alluring, and each song definitely has a life of its own. Make note of the superb, haunting groove of "Mi'Ma'amakim," an exquisite blending of a Raichel lyric and "Nanu Nanu Ney," a traditional Ethiopian song. "Brong Faya," sung by Suriname native Sergio Braams, boasts a strong hint of reggae, while "Azini," featuring Arab-Israeli vocalist Mira Anwar Awad, is a dramatic ballad with a pronounced Middle Eastern feel. Raichel's U.S. debut is a multi-ethnic tour de force.

ARTIST: TENACIOUS D

ALBUM: THE PICK OF DESTINY

Tenacious D insists it is the greatest band in the world, and on a couple occasions during this soundtrack to the duo's upcoming film of the same name, you kinda believe it. Simultaneously mocking and paying homage to metal, tracks like "Master Exploder" (cue the Judas Priest-style harmonized guitar solos) and "Car Chase City" (with a speed-addled Motorhead riff) is the D at its best -- unapologetically obnoxious and having a ball. Beyond some amusing genre parodies (power ballads on "Dude I Totally Miss You," flute-flavored '60s pop on "Papagenu (He's My Sassafras)," Jack Black and Kyle Gass unite in rock with such idols as Meat Loaf and Ronnie James Dio ("Kickapoo"), and deliver their life story in anthemic fashion (the title cut). Best of all: Black scatting atop Gass' acoustic renditions of "Fur Elise" and "Eine Kleine Nachtmusik" on "Classico."

Reuters/Billboard

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