Drunk With Passion

THE GOLDEN PALOMINOS Drunk With Passion (Charisma) On their fifth album, the + Golden Palominos are still not really a band, and it still doesn't matter. The concept remains simple: Invite an array of hipster musicians into the studio, anchored by the thundering rhythm section of drummer Anton Fier and bassist Bill Laswell, and see what sparks fly. The group's new album, Drunk With Passion, opens with ''Alive and Living Now,'' matching R.E.M.'s Michael Stipe with guitarist Richard Thompson and jazz keyboardist Carla Bley. The song, Stipe's ode to that special someone who re-energizes you after all seems lost, virtually explodes with a kicky blast of newfound love, and it's a thrill to hear Stipe, who enunciates every confessional word, go out on such an emotional limb. (By comparison, most of R.E.M.'s tame Out of Time sounds like a John Denver tribute album.) Unfortunately, the rest of the album is dominated by dulcet-voiced Amanda Kramer, whose songs are creamy but somewhat bland; they're mood music for postmodern college rockers. Still, hearing Stipe finally admit that unbridled emotions can be liberating-he's drunk with passion-is itself worth the price of admission. B -DB

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