From New Jersey comes a voice that may remind you of Janis Joplin's or Melissa Etheridge's. Martucci has a solid set of pipes, and is able to inject a decent amount of soul into her performances. As for the material, well, it's pretty standard blues rock, songs that motor along at a moderate pace, peppered with guitar solos, and the occasional breaks and stops. I wonder in part, if it's the formulaic and predictable songs that make her voice stand out. "She Don't Know," for example, has that Springsteen sheen to it, and is one of the better cuts, while "Full Steam Ahead" sounds as if it could have come out of any garage in America filled with kids and guitars. That's no knock on the band or anything, just the genre has been played out, so much so that there's the danger of sounding flat and lifeless. Yet the blues rock of "Release Me" shows Martucci's ability to rise above, spreading out the band a bit more, playing with the notes and working the voice. All in all, a solid effort. www.christinemartucci.com

Also from New Jersey comes a trio doing, well, a progressive rock thing. And while the production is on the lo-fi side, the boys clearly can play their instruments – and they do play their instruments quite a bit, in fact. Since the liner notes state this was, for the most part, a live recording with minimal overdubs, you'll recognize what some in the music business describe as "overplaying." Oh sure, it's not always like that, but I did have pronounced flashbacks to the '70s when fusion ruled (well, sort of ruled), and sixteenth notes were a dime a dozen. Kidding aside, you'll find this band is more in the vein of groups like King Crimson, with guitarist Mike Lucisano always active and mobile on the guitar, Tim Riley on the keys, and Jeff Pritchard on drums, with all three doing vocal work. And while some of the frenetic and busy songs tended to buzz by me, a slower number like "OK Let's Go" stood out, with Lucisano's more reserved playing, and Pritchard's hammering the keys. It caught my attention. And while I'll admit my fusion-loving days are long gone (though I was tempted to grab the guitar and start running scales again), there were moments when I got misty eyed. Not for everyone, but what they do, they do well. www.morphair.com.

Looking for something new, something fresh sounding? Go no further than Table Dreams, which is probably best described as Russian punk, though that's not quite fitting. More a meld of styles and influences as played by Russians. Of the players that started in '98, only Dmitry Azarov on bass/vocals and Vadim Budin on guitar remain. Also on this disc are Chris Gillis on drums, Okkon on saxophone, and Mike Chinusoff drumming on one track. The diversity is apparent on "Women Love," which starts out with a bass line playing a minor melody. Soon guitars crash in like Spinal Tap, followed by a short break. Then there are vocals and frenetic punk-like attacks while rhythm takes hold. About a minute into the song, there's a shift to a Vegas-lounge/surf ballad that is cut by the punk stuff again. Additional shifts take place in the song, like a jazzy break with a sax solo, but I think you get the picture. Chaotic? Sure. Entertaining? Man, I couldn't get enough. Add in the Russian accent hacking away at the English language, and I was clamoring for more. Every now and then you come across a gem like this that gives you reason to hope in a field that is often crowded with mediocrity. Rock on boys. www.tabledreams.com

As the first song "Cool Dry Place" fires from the speakers, you hear the influences jump out – the Beatles, Frank Black/Pixies, Elvis Costello – and it's a pretty sound. The second number, "While She Whistles Wily," is even more upbeat, but again an admixture of pop styles that falls together beautifully. And you wonder, where the heck did this guy come from? Would you believe Staten Island? Doesn't matter if you do, that's where he's from I'm told, and was formerly in the band the Zipperbits. Yet as his disc plays out, I am overloaded, in the sense that there is so much harmonic wealth that it will take several listens to fully appreciate the beauty of this pop masterpiece. Like Elvis Costello, there are unexpected chord changes, vocal lines that shift, the clash of going from minimal instrumentation to richer sonic territories, and so on, so much so that it's difficult to grab initially. I suppose it's more the expectation of the usual pop songs, as in you know what the next chord will be; yet Henrickson surprises at every turn, tossing in a chord that shouldn't fit but does, or taking a stylistic turn that spins the song on its end. A stellar offering from what should soon be a household name. www.enginecompanyrecords.com.

For a band that just plain out rocks, the Mercury Seed (spelled "theMercurySeed." on the press and the like, but I'm too tired to follow that convention) is a good bet. Influences are '70s rock, like the Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, yet you'll also note some '80s bands as well, like the Cure. Confused? No worry, as a listen to their second release will put you at rest. It'd be easy to remark that they share a similar sound with the Black Crowes, and that would be right insofar as both bands share their blues-rock roots with '70s bands. The Mercury Seed, however, sound like they have more depth and variety, as if they are students of their mentors, but not afraid to look to other influences. And listening to the songs on Dust is a comforting experience, in that what comes across is an integrity in the music, that it seems these guys care about what they play. There are no gimmicks, no flashy tricks, just solid rock and roll. Songs are crafted; they build dynamically; vocals are emotional, and the production is rock solid. What more could you ask for? Another solid release this month. www.themercuryseed.com