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Trying to keep up with everything in the world of music is like trying to arm wrestle mercury. You know it's there, but you're never quite sure where it's going. Anyway, to save you from doing battle with toxic metals, we have highlighted below a few interesting CD releases that may be worth checking out.

Various Artists

Love & Basketball
You don't have to be a rocket scientist to know that great music has been a 'must-have' ingredient for hit movies over the past few years. Certainly Spike Lee knows that as well as anyone. That's no doubt why the soundtrack album for his newest film (Love & Basketball, duh!) sports some delicious tracks. There's a little something here for everyone, from Al Green's "Love and Happiness" to Angie Stone's killer rendition of "Holding Back the Years." Overall it has a real funky, R&B kind of feel...sort of like a night in the city at some really hot clubs you never knew existed.

Barry Mann

Soul Inspiration
Anyone who has been near a radio over the last 20 years or so has heard the work of Barry Mann and his wife/songwriting partner Cynthia Weil. The pair have penned such pop classics as "We Gotta Get Out Of This Place," "On Broadway," and "Here You Come Again." Now, in his latest solo effort, Mann has teamed up with a number of talented friends and admirers. Carole King, for instance, joins him on "You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling," a Mann-Weil tune that turned into a big hit for The Righteous Brothers and Hall & Oates. What Mann lacks as a powerhouse singer, there is a warmth and tenderness that make each of these soft and inspiring tunes a real joy.

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