It’s easy to wax cynical about celebrity projects like this, which are often released to fulfill contract deals or in the absence of fresh material. But get beyond the fact that the Queen of Soul’s best work is four decades behind her, and what you have is a nice romp through two decades of unreleased collaborations, some hits, and even a couple of new songs. Aretha and Keith Richards on “Jumpin’ Jack Flash”? Aretha with Mariah Carey on a live outing of “Chain of Fools”? Hard to go wrong with crowd-pleasers like these. Also lining up to diminish themselves against Aretha’s still all-mighty voice are Annie Lennox, George Michael, Elton John, Luther Vandross, Mary J. Blige, Bonnie Raitt and even Frank Sinatra. A new studio album is due out in spring.

Does the world need another bunch of white surfer dudes playing roots reggae? Before you answer, listen to the latest album by San Diego collective Diego Roots. Buttery singer Chris McConnaughey fronts a rhythm trio that refines to a T the reggae-lite of bands like Steel Pulse and UB40. On their third album, the band handles with aplomb styles ranging from the jammy vibes of “Wait A Minute” to the Bob Marley-esque “Why Is The World,” even breaking out some glistening Afrobeat guitar melodies on “Sunday Morning.” Released in Japan by Surfrock International, Diego Roots can often be found lending their talents to the global machine that markets surf culture worldwide. Don’t hold that against them; they’re just four dudes trying to support their surfing lifestyles through irie music.

From New Orleans (of all places) comes this young electro-alt-rock outfit. With nary a hint of the funk influences of their native city, Mutemath instead pay tribute to the ’80s ele-pop of bands like Duran Duran and New Order, topped off with a liberal helping of contemporary emo-punk. Fronted by smoky-voiced hunk Paul Meany, their self-titled debut album launches in with the soaring melodic power pop of “Collapse” before taking in terrain ranging from brooding post-rock (“Obsolete”) to pop-punk laced with dance beats (“Plan B”). If you’ve noticed the word “pop” already appear several times in this review, then you’ve got the idea: Mutemath are essentially a pop band with a few extra, well-placed tricks up their sleeves.

Where does ambient techno end and post-rock begin? When do cinematic sound effects constitute music? These are some of the questions posed by the seven-year career of composer Katsuhiko Maeda. Maeda’s latest outing on noted Japanese indie imprint Human Highway has long passages of atmospherics: on songs with evocative titles like “Yesterday’s Light Circus” and “Old Winter Ferris Wheel,” chimes ring and sampled voices mumble against backgrounds of subterranean pulsings. But where you might expect this to lead to the techno beats of an Orb song, instead you find melodies played on guitars, strings and synths. Given his ability to conjure moods from the disturbed to the sublime, it’s no wonder Maeda was chosen to pen the soundtrack for Go Shibata’s new art flick Osoihito (Late Bloomer). DG

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