Daily Staff Writer

“Ray of Light”

Madonna

Good heavens, Madonna sounds almost as if she has joined a happy-head cult.

Never before has she given voice to such cryptic verse. But fear not — with whatever bliss she’s following this time, the energy in her new collection is bound to spread the joy.

Filtered through a quasi-drum ‘n’ bass lens and tinted by a few stray guitar riffs, Madonna’s electronic “Ray of Light” adds a new sparkle to her pop tiara.

Missing, however, is the sense of stylistic cohesion that producer Nellee Hooper brought to “Bedtime Stories,” and lyrics are never as sweet as “I’m not your bitch/ Don’t hang your shit on me.”

Instead, Madonna gets theosophical: “Sky fits heaven so fly it/ That’s what the prophet said to me.”

In her postpartum incarnation, she has discovered cabala, a fashionable type of Jewish mysticism. “Hand fits giving so do it/ That’s what the Gospel said to me/ Life fits living so let your judgments go,” she preaches on “Sky Fits Heaven.”

These are probably words to live by, yet somehow the pop image of Madonna, with her chemically-damaged hair on the album cover, diffuses any spiritual intensity “Ray of Light” might reach.

Wrapped in plastic, her message holds as much weight as a fortune cookie.

Still, I just adore fortune cookies. “Ray of Light” is a great dance album. Producer William Orbit works the same magic he created for Madonna on “Erotica.”

You must love Madonna. Material Girl or Mystical Mother, she is the reigning lady of white disco pop.

3 1/2 stars out of five

— Tom Owings

“Life In The So-Called Space Age”

God Lives Underwater

How two Perkiomenville, Penn., natives found a happy medium between Prodigy and Radiohead remains a mystery — but on “Life In The So-Called Space Age,” this unparalleled combination couldn’t sound any better.

On the follow-up to their debut L.P. “Empty,” which featured the critically acclaimed “No More Love,” Jeff Turzo and David Reilly let loose a menagerie of perfectly placed sound effects unheard of on any techno album to date.

From the duo’s home studio comes a record that bleeds with undefinable creativity, contagious on such spacey pop tracks as “Happy?” and “Rearrange.”

“From Your Mouth,” the first single from “Life In The So-Called Space Age,” sounds more like a random reading of Reilly’s most intense diary entries than a standard lost love song.

A storming drum machine and a synthesized organ lay the foundation for the tune, which is bound to do as well if not better than “No More Love.”

“Dress Rehearsal For Reproduction” exemplifies the duo’s rich guitar history, garnering comparisons to industrial powerhouses Sister Machine Gun and Skinny Puppy.

Perhaps the most impressive trait of “Life In The So Called Space Age” is there is not one track that sounds over-produced, a mistake made too often in modern techno.

God Lives Underwater take the perfect step with “Life In The So-Called Space Age,” as the record captures the sound of the band but in a fresh net.

4 stars out of five

— Corey Moss

“Caught Up Soundtrack”

Various Artists

It’s getting progressively harder to maintain an interest in mediocre movie soundtracks that milk the same formula: songs by pop or rap stars that sell albums based on name recognition instead of skill.

You could do worse than “Caught Up,” however. From the title track by Snoop Doggy Dogg and Kurupt through the finale by the Luniz, both coasts of rap are represented strongly with phat beats and excellent lyrics.

GangStarr swings to hard piano beats and loud snappy drums on “Work,” building enthusiasm for its full-length LP due out in March. Do or Die freak a little bit of “No Diggity” beat on the hardcore “All in the Club.”

Killah Priest’s “Cross My Heart,” a duet with Wu-Tang Clan’s GZA and Inspectah Deck, is the album’s highlight. “Make ’em suffer, the capacity of tragedy/Hold a crowd down like gravity,” growls the vitriolic Priest.

The most pleasing turn is hearing KRS-One rap on “Ey-Yo!” whilst reggae homeboys Mad Lion and Shaggy do chants inspired by the ’80s song “Walk Like an Egyptian” — you’ll either hate it or love it, but likely lean to the latter.

Guaranteed crowd pleasers like “Firm” rapper AZ with Jermaine Dupri, R&B crooner Joe and MC Lyte bring devoted fanbases who will no doubt swell soundtrack sales and meet the label’s expectations, but check for the surprisingly dope underground shit and you won’t be disappointed.

3 1/2 stars out of five

— Steve “Flash” Juon

“What If It’s You”

Reba McEntire

Although it has been out for awhile, Reba McEntire’s “What If It’s You,” is worth reconsidering if you passed it by the first time.

The CD is short — 36 minutes — but crammed with 10 great songs. In the past, Reba has always gone for the heart in her music, and it is often very heavy and serious (remember “She Thinks His Name Was John” and “The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia”).

She challenges her listeners to question their own feelings and values.

This latest CD carries a more relaxed mood, and the only questions are about love. The songs range from questioning what love is (“The Fear of Being Alone” and “She’s Calling It Love”) to where to find it (“How Was I to Know” and “Never Had A Reason”).

The songs flow quickly from one to another, and no one song dominates the CD. It has a great mix of slow songs like “What If It’s You,” “Just Looking For Him” and “It Don’t Matter.” Unlike other country artists, Reba’s slow songs rarely drag and are never too long.

The best part of this album are the upbeat swingin’ songs, including “I’d Rather Ride Around With You” and “Close to Crazy.” They are short, quick and fun.

Though four of the songs are already released, there is plenty on the album to enjoy. It is a well-balanced album, and it has great songs and music.

4 1/2 stars out of five

— Amanda Knief

“When Did You Leave Heaven”

Lisa Ekdahl

“When Did You Leave Heaven” is an appropriately celestial title for Lisa Ekdahl’s premiere jazz album.

But the real question is “When did I get to heaven?” For it can only be in heaven that a voice of such beauty and grace can emerge and shine.

The 26-year-old Swede is no stranger to success.

Her first album as a pop artist went quadruple platinum in her home country. The only surprise to her throngs of domestic and European fans is the complete musical style change she has made.

Moving from pop to jazz caused quite a shock in Sweden and the U.K. After all, how often do club- happy pop fans slow down enough to sit and relax to music featuring a real piano and strings?

That shock only lasted long enough for Ekdahl to develop a new European jazz movement that created a phenomenon of lounge-happy Europeans.

On “When Did You Leave Heaven,” Ekdahl is accompanied by the talented Peter Nordahl Trio.

Each song’s instrumental contribution is flawless and masterful, as the Trio’s instrumental components match the quality of Ekdahl’s vocals.

It doesn’t matter that most of the songs on this CD are remakes of classical American Jazz — Ekdahl has the ability to make every song her own.

From George and Ira Gershwin’s “But Not For Me” to Wolf, Herron and Sinatra’s “I’m A Fool to Want You,” Ekdahl rediscovers the draw and beauty of a real American art form and skillfully repackages it in true jazz form.

Ekdahl’s success on the European jazz scene is only the start for this talented musician.

With the newly reborn lounge movement, “When Did You Leave Heaven” should do amazingly well.

4 stars out of five

— Dave Faux

“Word of Mowf”

Danja Mowf

Braggadocio rappers with cajones claim they are the baddest men to ever touch mics, but Danja Mowf’s lethal tongue makes them look like wimps.

Calling his mouth “Dangerous” is no joke, as the song of the same name will attest. Danja and his Virginia crew, The SupaFriendz, have the verbal skills to shred writtens like Oliver North’s secretary.

Mowf flexes at his best when he straight freestyles, as in his “Make it Hot” duet with Lonnie B. He claims to be worth as much as “a thousand pound pearl” and bust nuts “like a thousand pound squirrel.”

Mowf’s forte also includes introspective, thoughtful hip-hop rhymes. “Strange Fruit” is reaped from the tree that grows in the blood of lynched black men, and “Question” asks why so many MC’s have to act like they’re hard or sell drugs in their raps.

The album is as tight musically as it is lyrically. The first single, “Vowel Movement,” has a simply strummed note with a snappin’ beat, and cuts like “14 Ladies” are bouncy and swingin’. Each song genuinely seems to match the theme of its lyrics.

Can you sleep? You could snooze like Rip Van Winkle if your local store doesn’t have it, but Web sites like www.flavatown.com (Mowf’s label) and sandbox.pair.com are selling his L.P. at ridiculously low prices.

This is one of those rap albums that in terms of originality and creativity is easily worth its weight in gold, so wake up and go get it.

4 1/2 stars out of five

— Steve “Flash” Juon

“Greatest Hits”

John Michael Montgomery

Versatility is John Michael Montgomery’s biggest attraction. He can sing the most beautiful love songs and then turn around and give his fans hardcore, honky-tonk music.

The 14 songs on his greatest hits album have a sample of every type of song Montgomery has ever done.

Though his ballads and more rowdy songs are equally popular, the ballads are far more numerous on the album and cause it to drag.

The ballads include “Rope the Moon,” “Friends,” “Angel In My Eyes” “I Love the Way You Love Me” and “I Swear.”

Though all of them were hits, it is an overdose to put them all on one album.

The well-known honky-tonk songs include “Sold: The Grundy County Auction Incident,” “Life’s A Dance,” “Be My Baby Tonight” and “Cowboy Love.” However, even the presence of these songs is overshadowed by the lengthy and numerous ballads that dominate the CD.

It isn’t necessary to include every hit song on a CD, and Montgomery’s latest effort could have been better balanced.

3 stars out of five

— Amanda Knief