Kelis is the art star of R&B. At 24 she's wisely set herself apart from the Brandis, Monicas, and Ashantis of the world by ditching all traces of the genre's gospel roots and heading straight for its other inspiration: moving asses. On her third album, Tasty, she again proves that what she lacks in vocal prowess she makes up for with seriously good connections. With production by omnipresent funkateers the Neptunes, classic new jack swing don Raphael Saadiq, and hip-hop spot-blower Rockwilder, Tasty can't help but rock, even when Kelis barely sizzles.

The album's hit single, "Milkshake," resembles Kelis's 1999 breakthrough, "Caught out There," in that it instantly assaults the eardrum, standing out from the drawn-out whimpers and '70 soul revivalism plaguing mainstream R&B. Kelis does little more than coo seductively about her freak techniques, but she does so over three minutes of devastating techno crunk from the Neptunes. Stripped of the vocals, the track's scissoring beats, tinny guitar stabs, and off-kilter bounce could be the by-product of an avant-garde garage producer or of an IDM fusionist.

Dallas Austin whips up a giddy reggae-meets-Western swing on "Trick Me," and Rockwilder concocts slow, sexually pumping electro for "In Public," on which Kelis makes like Apollonia while fiancé Nas raps about doing the nasty in club bathrooms.

There's plenty of predictable aspects to Tasty. The insipid intro and album cover present Kelis as the typical R&B tart: a toothsome morsel waiting to be devoured aurally and visually as she poses on a giant ice-cream sundae. Kelis also seems to lack any more than a rudimentary singing ability and showcases a serious lack of lyrical emotiveness. But Tasty also has its fair share of clever arrangements, a cameo by OutKast's Andre 3000, and lots of thrusting bass. And you can't help but imagine that, somewhere in England, in a dank basement studio, even Luke Vibert and Aphex Twin are shaking their asses to this one. (Vivian Host)

Al Green
I Can't Stop (Blue Note)

Al Green's return to secular music from gospel is a major event that aims Hi: I Can't Stop attempts to recapture the sound – and the spirit – of his classic recordings for Hi Records in the early to mid '70s. Many of the same musicians who conjured the love, happiness, togetherness, seductive fires, and baptismal rivers of that era have reunited with Green and his musical soulmate Willie Mitchell. Now, as then, it's a family affair. Mabon "Teenie" Hodges is on guitar, joined by his brother, the amazing Leroy Hodges (whose bass lines for Ann Peebles strut even more fiercely than his work with Green). Their sisters Donna and Sandra again provide backing vocals. Green even uses the exact same microphone – an RCA ribbon mic that's been reserved solely for him – he breathed magic into more than 25 years ago.

The result is one of 2003's best R&B albums; among this year's men, only Anthony Hamilton – whose debut album has the chitlin' circuit knowledge to remake Kenny Rogers's "Lucille" – is fit to walk the same stage as Green. Still, I Can't Stop is closer to the master's last few post-1975 Hi albums than to his earlier peaks. The setting may be the same and the method near identical, but unavoidable production "innovation" trades some spontaneity for gloss.

If Green's honeyed high notes now sound a bit like Ron Isley's, his attitude is considerably more romantic; the lyrics of songs such as "Not Tonight" – on which he pines for a lover who might leave on a train – don't flaunt ivory gold-tipped canes, let alone brandish them as weapons. Considering his long absence from the devil's music, I Can't Stop isn't a completely apt title, but thankfully, it fits much better than I've Fallen and I Can't Get Up. The heralding horns, the steady forward motion of the beat, and the subtle blues embellishments at the end of each bar – they're all back to crown the king. This exercise in nostalgia is also a present-day revival. (Johnny Ray Huston)

Nice Nice
Chrome (Temporary Residence)

Your first encounter with Chrome and the swirly, twirly gumdrop sounds of Nice Nice provides a constant head check for your eyes and ears. The Portland, Ore., group consists of only two people, and while there are plenty of duos roaming the American underground, Nice Nice are different because they execute all their sounds live, sans studio overdubs. Jason Buehler plays an intense game of footsie with his bank of effects pedals while coaxing a variety of warped sounds out of a guitar and handheld radio, ably mimicking a fuzzed-out human voice on the loosely funky jam "Cold Sweat Part XVI" and the skronky "Chrome Cabal."

With looping skills to spare, Buehler also manages to make the sort of electronic textures beloved of the laptop set, while drummer Mark Shirazi's improvisational telepathy keeps the jam element alive. In certain circles, the "jam band" peg is a total kiss of death, which is why it's somewhat surprising that indie post-rock stalwart Temporary Residence snatched up the duo. Nonetheless it turns out to be a happily functional marriage, with Nice Nice expanding their vocabulary into dub, ambient drone, panic rock, and "out sound" that still falls within listenable parameters for more-sensitive ears. Gonglike pots and pans make for a minimal percussion break on "Joinus," and the harmonic pluck of "Bees Make Honey" brings to mind the epic frostiness of the Constellation Records crew.

Nice Nice are like the canary in the coal mine for a burgeoning Portland underground that's as omnivorous about electronics and rock experimentalism as San Francisco's, but in their favor, they come up with totally different, perhaps more Luddite, results. While Chrome shows the group forsaking the basement-party vibe of their live show for ADD-like displays of versatility, the album is a welcome statement from a band that has seemingly infinite potential. (George Chen)

Lil Jon and the East Side Boyz
Part II CD/DVD (TVT)

There's a delicious candy bar in Japan called Crunky. It's possible Lil Jon and the East Side Boyz love that candy and that's why they have so many metal teeth. The latest offering from the kings of crunk is Part II – a remix CD and DVD including six videos and a behind-the-scenes documentary. Most of the remixes were produced by Lil Jon, so they're still crunk – full of whistles and drums – and Lil Jon yells all over them. It would have been nice to hear these guys rap over some Premier or Madlib beats for a change, or even MF Doom beats – after all, Lil Jon and Doom live in Atlanta. The most noticeable, and distracting, track is "Get Low Merengue Mix," which is basically crunk on speed. At the end of "Throw It up Remix," they chant, "Bitch I ain't scared!," echoing Bone Crusher's assertion that he "ain't never scared." These guys talk about not being scared so much, it makes it seem like they're really scared. In short, the CD offers very little.