CD Pick Joshua Redman Quartet Passage of Time Warner Bros. By Steve Greenlee, Globe Correspondent This is the recording we've been waiting for from Joshua Redman - ambitious, mature, and unself-conscious. Since bursting onto the scene 10 years ago, Redman has produced a series of good to excellent recordings. His newest is nothing short of outstanding. It's an eight-part song cycle reminiscent of the suites Ellington or Coltrane did (I'm tempted to compare it to "A Love Supreme," but I'll check my enthusiasm) with each song flowing into the next. One might be tempted to think the emphasis here is on playing free, with two songs titled "Free Speech," but even those pieces - as wild as the quartet gets - are firmly anchored in melodic structure. The highlight on an album of highlights is "Enemies Within," a 9-minute tour de force on which Redman plays peek-a-boo with the melody, dropping in and out while using several approaches to improvisation and three distinct styles of attack. Joshua Redman, 32 years old, has his first masterpiece. Redman is at Berklee Performance Center on April 14.

BS 2000
Simply MOrtified
Grand Royal

By Ken Capobianco, Globe Correspondent
Musical side projects by established artists are often indulgences that probably shouldn't see the light of day. For every A Perfect Circle there is a BS 2000. The group is made up of Adam Horovitz of the Beastie Boys and Amery Smith. Essentially, the duo has concocted 20 well, they're not quite songs, call them noodles. Noodles which even Maruchan Ramen would reject. Based around calliope farfisa work, odd beats and rhythms, samples, keyboards, vocal histrionics, and a giddy attitude, the disc initially has a kitschy kick. But repeated listenings become grating. At times, this is lounge music and at times, a punky pastiche. Yet, this is stuff that should appear on disc six of the inevitable Beastie Boys outtake boxed set. BS indeed.

D.B. Leonard
Windows + Sky + Angels + Lies
Circus Addict Records

By Richard Thorpe, Globe Correspondent
A singer-songwriter in the tradition of Bob Dylan, Carly Simon, and James Taylor, D.B. Leonard is a Framingham native and New York transplant. Musically, "Windows+Sky+Angels+Lies" is a lively mix of funk and folk, a predominantly acoustic combination of guitar, drums, percussion and bass, broken only by electric bass and organ. Leonard's voice is eerily similar to Dylan's, with a more comprehensible articulation and husky bent. Lyrically, the songs are soothing and uplifting, particularly the spiritually infused "Crumbs": "There's a God in this house/ might have dropped some crumbs down in my way/ could be good if somehow they got swept away/ you swear someone could come clean the mess I've made." These are observational songs about life and love, pain and sacrifice, retribution and redemption, and Leonard and company carry them off very well. "Windows+Sky+Angels+Lies" is well-produced and conceived. The only downfall is the length. Clocking in at a mere 14:14, the four-cut EP leaves the audience wanting more. Leonard performs at Toad Friday.

Gladys Knight
At Last
MCA

By Paul Massari, Globe Correspondent,
This album has nothing to match the soulful storytelling of Knight's past hit, "Midnight Train to Georgia," or the shattering vulnerability of "If I Was Your Woman." It disappoints with vapid lyrics and a production that is often superficial and synthetic. We're frustrated to see that Knight has abandoned much of her classic, robust sound for drum machines and canned beats that often transform R&B from soul music to pablum. And yet, throughout the album, there is Knight's honest, incomparably rich voice, growling on "Grandma's Hands," speaking plainly on "That's Why They Call It Love," and engulfing the forgettable Jamie Foxx on "I Wanna Be Loved." The album's gem is probably "Greatest Love of All," with an updated gospel flavor that gathers steam as it progresses to a symphonic end where Knight's husky, holy voice winds around the angelic tones of the chorus. "At Last" may not live up to its title as the album we've been waiting for, but it does provide some moments of brilliance. Knight stars in "Smokey Joe's Cafe" (featuring the songs of Lieber & Stoller) at Lowell Memorial Auditorium on April 23.

Raisins in the Sun
Raisins in the Sun
Rounder

By Linda Laban, Globe Correspondent
Though featuring superstar Boston producers Paul Q. Kolderie and Sean Slade, and Memphis legend Jim Dickinson, Raisins in the Sun ditch knob-twiddling and technological enhancements to record an easygoing set of country and R & B-influenced, rootsy pop. Raisins in the Sun also feature singer/songwriters Jules Shear and Chuck Prophet, as well as seasoned players, bassist Harvey Brooks and drummer Winston Watson. Written and recorded over two weeks in Arizona, Slade and Kolderie (once of Boston based bands the Sex Execs and Men & Volts, respectively), and Dickinson (Big Star), get to work out any musicianly jones. Opener "All The Way" is a gorgeous love song boasting Prophet and Shear's rich vocal harmonies. The swampy rocker "String Bean" is fueled by plain lust. The bluesy "Chicken Fried" bristles with betrayal. And the R & B-styled tomcat call, "Candy From A Stranger," sees Shear and Prophet smoothly swapping vocals. Raisins in the Sun certainly bear the stamp of a skilled, old hand. Or in this case, seven pairs of them.