Jen "Lil' Bit" Adams could very well be the Mighty Mite of the rockabilly scene. The diminutive gal's big voice is punchy, in a classic Patsy Cline sort of way. Luckily, the energy of the band's live performances carries to their latest CD, Whiskey Nights. "Red Hen Hop" struts, while "Free and Fairly Sober" is a dead-on honky tonk weeper. Add a saucy flamenco guitar in "No More," and you've officially broadened what a typical rockabilly-slash-swing album brings to the table. Bassist Tomcat Miller joins Lil' Bit on vocals for many songs, which proves to be a nice diversion, and lead guitarist Brian Duarte throws on his fancy pants for "Stampede," a testament to guitar artistry that has to be seen to be believed. Luckily, you can see them. They're in town this week. Check page 32 for details. -- Kara Luger
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Stellastarr*
Harmonies for the Haunted RCA Contemporary
Poor, poor Stellastarr* have it all stacked against them. They're from New York, their vocalist sounds like Robert Smith and their bassist evokes Kim Deal with every backing coo and holler. But man, do these kids want it. They don't rest on their formula in their sophomore album, Harmonies for the Haunted. Instead, they crank out a completely sincere and intriguing form of apery, blending together The Cure's romanticism with The Pixies' madcap restlessness to forge a cool, pulsating sound. But sometimes the reference points hang too close to the proceedings for this to feel like it's still Stellastarr*'s game. (Their debut even included a track titled "Pulp Song.") When they can keep from falling back on their influences, they really come into their own as a bunch of stargazers making dreamy rock music for stargazing. -- Eric Phillips
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Killer Mike
Ghetto Extraordinary Purple Ribbon/Sony
In a recent interview, rapper Killer Mike explains the title Ghetto Extraordinary as making the best of what you've got. It doesn't matter what you do, it's what you do with it. "Look at Condoleezza Rice," he crows. "That soul ass name sitting next to the president, that's ghetto extraordinary!" A member of the ATL brethren and an Outkast protg (he debuted as a cameo/ strongman in their hit "The Whole World"), Killer Mike scored big with his own 2003 album, Monster. His sophomore effort, Ghetto Extraordinary, starts off confusingly uneven, with the awkward, homemade-sounding "Bad Day, Worse Day," leading into the basstastic "Get 'em Shawty." Outkast's Big Boi shows up on the single "My Chrome," a sure radio hit. Unfortunately, like the rest of the album, it's nothing new. -- Kara Luger
