DEF LEPPARD

"Yeah!"

It's quite possible that there's no room today for unironic rock. From the opening chord of "Yeah!," Def Leppard's first release in four years, the album's expectation's are set -- and met with predictable mediocrity.

Nearly every song can be described as "Sounds like Def Leppard covering ______," and this is precisely what a covers album should not be. The band's take on hits by T. Rex and Thin Lizzy flaunt how derivative Leppard is, while Bowie and Kinks covers reveal their thinness.

The band themselves may not be to blame; Gen-Xers deflated rock's sincerity. Today, only commercial rappers can get away without some amount of irony, unabashedly flexing their cash, money and hoes. Really, they're the ones rocking out.

Meanwhile Def Leppard will continue to land gigs playing to the same people they did two decades earlier, essentially as a tribute band to their former selves. There will always be a faction that will hear this album -- or any similar work -- and respond the same way: "Yeah!"

Some critics have lauded Def Leppard for not missing a step with "Yeah!" But in remaining steadfast, they are left with nothing but enthusiasm to propel them. The sad irony of the title "20th Century Boy" is unavoidable: Time has made Def Leppard's brand of whole-hearted fist-banging irrelevant.

--Orr Shtuhl, The Roanoke Times

T BONE BURNETT

"The True False Identity"

It's been 14 years since T Bone Burnett last released an album with his own name on it, but the tall Texan has hardly been idle, producing albums ranging from Elvis Costello and Cassandra Wilson to the mega-selling "O, Brother Where Art Thou?" soundtrack. On "The True False Identity," Burnett returns to the business of writing sly, mysterious, Dylanesque roots-rock rambles that look for a sliver of heart and soul in a cold, greedy world. And with the aid of able collaborators like guitarist Marc Ribot, the music churns up an uneasy backdrop well suited to Burnett's philosophical peregrinations like "I Am Going on a Long Journey Never to Return" and attacks on the closed-minded such as "Blinded by the Darkness."

--Dan DeLuca, Philadelphia Inquirer

JOLIE HOLLAND

"Springtime Can Kill You"

This year is turning out to be a great one for rootsy albums from left-of-center women. Add Jolie Holland to the list that's topped by Cat Power and Neko Case (and might include Beth Orton and Jenny Lewis). "Springtime Can Kill You," the third album from the former member of the Be Good Tanyas, is a spooky and entrancing collection of parlor songs, adult lullabies and haunted ballads.

A song cycle about lust and friendship, rife with images of spring and birds and moonshine, "Springtime" is sparse but subtly textured with pump organ, whistling and ghostly horns. Like Cat Power and Madeleine Peyroux, Holland warbles just behind the beat, whether on the molasses-slow "Mexican Blue" or the jaunty, centuries-old tune "Adieu False Heart" (to which Holland adds some Cajun-style fiddle).

Softly, with her song, Holland's "Springtime" can, indeed, kill you.

--Steve Klinge, Philadelphia Inquirer

SOUL POSITION

"Things Go Better With RJ and AL"

Newcomers to the mike can usually get away with dissing the hip-hop industry, explaining just how "real" they keep it and all that. DJ/producer Rjd2 and lyricist Blueprint, the extremely talented Columbus, Ohio, natives who make up Soul Position, never had to do such things. That's why "Things" gets off to a bad start.

The duo use the first real track "No Gimmicks" to explain what Soul Position never was. "No Slogans, no 20-inch rims rollin', no gold fronts ... "yadda yadda yadda. Why they wasted their skills on such reverse-pimping is a mystery.

Fortunately, things settle down later with Rjd2 proving he hasn't lost a step since collaborating with Cali rapper Aceyalone on the "Magnificent City" album earlier this year. The loops get crisper and Blueprint falls into more familiar and mischievous rhymes on songs like the excuse-ridden "Blame It on the Jager."

This group's third release is its third-best.

--Rob Watson, Philadelphia Inquirer

SUE FOLEY

"New Used Car"

She's a long-tressed redhead and guitar firebrand who started out emulating her blues heroes before developing a compelling personal style. No, it's not Bonnie Raitt, it's Sue Foley, and her 10th album makes you wonder anew why the 38-year-old Canadian has never gotten as big as her older American counterpart.

Unlike Raitt, Foley writes her own material, and much of it possesses the vivid imagery and piercing emotional power of another singer who started in the blues, Lucinda Williams. "New Used Car" begins with the title song, which flips around and breathes new fire into the old auto-as-woman metaphor. She delivers that one and the rest of the numbers here -- soul-dripping blues-rockers, a slippery swamp-rocker, a solo acoustic excursion -- with a voice that remains as lethal as her guitar work, a supremely seductive blend of swagger and vulnerability.

--Nick Cristiano, Philadelphia Inquirer

YELLOWJACKETS

"Twenty Five"

The Yellowjackets live on the cusp where jazz and R&B meet. Founded in 1981, the band is notable for being both popular and worthy of street cred.

This anniversary CD, recorded live at the New Morning nightclub in Paris, comes with a bonus DVD with 3½ hours of live music plus several interviews.

The package gives a pleasant recap of the band's 25-year connection with fans. Mainstays Russell Ferrante on keyboards and electric bassist Jimmy Haslip have kept the mix highly melodic and focused on bright tunes and major keys.

This band is full of small victories -- they don't knock you out, and the emphasis on sweetness can get tiring -- yet they consistently make compelling music.

--Karl Stark, Philadelphia Inquirer