Vocalist and dub poet Mutabaruka has been the social conscience of the Jamaican people since his first recordings in the early-1980s. But, it's the 2002 release Life Squared that's considered his masterpiece -- one that veers away from the angry and incendiary stance that marks much of his earlier work and instead takes a more balanced and thoughtful approach to political and social issues relevant to his native country and the world in general.

Born Allan Hope in Rae Town, Jamaica, in 1952, he began writing in his teens, inspired by Malcolm X, Eldridge Cleaver and other prominent Black Power figures. He eventually converted to Rastafarianism, rechristened himself Mutabaruka -- a Rwandan word that translates to "one who is victorious" -- and pursued a musical context for his poetry.

The third cut on Life Squared, "The Monkey," is a tongue-in cheek commentary (by a primate, no less) on the often irresponsible nature of human behavior, while "Life And Debt," the incisive title track for the 2001 documentary by Stephanie Black on Jamaican life, is a condemnation of the World Bank and a globalized economy. The rousing "The Confusion Today (Wha a Gwan)" takes its cue from Marvin Gaye's "What's Goin' On," in terms of both musical structure as well as subject matter. The brilliant set closes with "Dis Poem (Remix)," a sweeping ten-minute reinterpretation of a 2:49 track that first appeared on Mutabaruka's 1986 album, The Mystery Unfolds.

It's all tied together by a series of short tracks entitled "Muta Seh," brief snippets of wisdom and philosophy that create an additional layer of context and continuity. Life Squared may be rooted in the dub poetry tradition, but it addresses issues and concerns that extend well beyond Jamaican shores and speak to a worldwide audience.

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In the late-1950s, Latin jazz was still mostly unexplored country north of the Equator. Vibraphonist Cal Tjader staked out a significant chunk of that territory with a hybrid sound that influenced not only musicians of his own era but scores of artists in the generations that followed. Recorded at San Francisco's famous Black Hawk in 1958, Cal Tjader's Latin Concert captures the bandleader and composer at the top of his game and in front of an appreciative crowd, generating an energy that's sometimes smoldering and sometimes incendiary. He does so with the help of a highly talented crew: pianist Vince Guaraldi, bassist Al McKibbon, Willie Bobo on timbales and percussion and Mongo Santamaria on congas.

In January, this release will be available again on vinyl for the first time in more than two decades. There's plenty here to like, including Tjader's "Viva Cepeda" and "Mood for Milt," two simmering pieces that start off the set. Santamaria's lively "Tu Crees Que?" and infectious "Mi Guaguanco" serve as the high-energy centerpiece of the nine-song sequence. Also in the set are Latin-infused renditions of Con Conrad and Herb Magidson's mid-1930s classic "The Continental" and Ray Bryant's "Cubano Chant."

Each of the players here is clearly at the top of his game, but one of the standout figures is McKibbon, who had already delved into Latin jazz as part of Dizzy Gillespie's band a few years earlier. "Having Al in the band is an impossible dream come true," Tjader once said. This San Francisco date is part of the luscious soundtrack to that dream.

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With over 1 million CDs sold, The Celtic Tenors have earned their reputation as the most successful classical crossover artists Ireland has produced. Embracing repertoire that Irish tenors of earlier eras would never have imagined, their irresistibly warm vocal blend, catchy contemporary orchestrations, and pop crooner sensibilities have gone straight to the hearts of music lovers worldwide. For their seventh album, Feels Like Home, the three Celtic Tenors have chosen a winning assortment of touching love songs.

Their music includes two traditional ballads, unconventionally arranged by Coney Island Publishing (of Ireland!), as well as tunes by Randy Newman, Richard Thompson, and the very un-Irish sounding Yusuf Islam. Some composers may have Irish surnames, but their melodies, lyrics, and orchestration bespeak pop sensibilities. If you love PBS broadcasts of crossover artists, you will find yourself unable to resist dropping strong hints to your loved one about what a wonderful Christmas present this album would make. More likely, you'll stuff your own stocking long before Santa makes his veiled appearance.

The Celtic Tenors emerged early in the century, after what an impromptu audition for EMI in London netted them an international record deal. All have classical training. Although handsome Matthew Gilsenan opted for an engineering career over classical performance until The Celtic Tenors emerged, both James Nelson and Daryl Simpson have backgrounds in opera. You wouldn't know it from this Feels Like Home, which replaces classical affectation with welcoming sweetness and comfort. A winner.

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Climb The Ladder (Heartbeat, 2000) captures the magical time when the Wailers were the Peter Tosh, Neville "Bunny" Levingstone and Bob Marley vocal trio, and not the later, larger ensemble that backed up frontman Marley. Recorded in the early-1960s, it also captures the Wailers in a magical place, Clement Dodd's legendary Studio One in Kingston. Climb The Ladder is not the sound for which the Wailers became famous in the subsequent decade, but it's their foundational sound: Soulfully harmonized and alternating lead vocals, echoes of the era's famous Motown Records.

These first two rungs, formative skanking versions of "Dancing Shoes" and "(I'm Gonna) Put It On," endured as Wailers hits. Soft piano and guitar sketch a whispered portrait of a winsome, lovelorn "Sunday Morning" around frothy sweet vocals. "Love Won't Be Mine" moans with saxophone then cuts its swinging multipart vocals loose while Marley sings "I really don't want you, baby, I really don't" in precisely the way that lets you know he really does.

The rest of the set overflows with traditional pop and gospel tunes that will be familiar to many American listeners, such as their giddy-yap through "Nobody Knows," genteel "Lemon Tree," and a "Ten Commandments Of Love" so languid that it floats like a romantic cloud.

Other seminal titles in Heartbeat's Marley catalog include Greatest Hits At Studio One (2003) and Another Dance: Rarities From Studio One (2007), comprising rare titles, alternate takes, and original singles, that don't appear anywhere else in Heartbeat's catalog.

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