Kellie Pickler, 100 Proof
Three albums in, the Idol alum trades in her ''Small Town Girl'' shtick for gratifyingly raw off-Nashville grit. Pickler evokes the ghost of ''honky-tonk angel'' Tammy Wynette more in name than in spirit, but Proof is her meatiest, most adventurous output yet. B+ —Ray Rahman
Rodrigo y Gabriela, Area 52
Riding high after their work with Hans Zimmer on last year's Pirates of the Caribbean flick, the Mexican folk-metal duo recruit a 13-piece Cuban orchestra for percolating big-band renditions of some of their finest tunes. Call it Buena Vista Shredding Club. B+ —Mikael Wood
Nada Surf, The Stars Are Indifferent to Astronomy
''It's never too late for teenage dreams,'' Matthew Caws sings on this Brooklyn indie-pop trio's seventh studio disc. And with its ringing guitar hooks and winsome nostalgia, Stars suggests he might just be right. B —MW
Craig Finn, Clear Heart Full Eyes
Finn's solo debut could use the bar-band heroics that infuse the choruses of the best songs by his revered fivesome, the Hold Steady; these windy beach narratives tend to lie back in the hammock when they should be shooting the curl. B —Kyle Anderson
