SOUND CHECK.

R. KELLY: "Double Up" (Jive) - Three stars

Kelly knows how to party. That is the message consistent throughout his 16-year career, and of his latest album, "Double Up," a 19-track disc filled with dance-worthy hip-hop beats backing his soulful vocals. His 10th solo effort, "Double Up," pumps out as much braggadocio as it does hard bass, with Kelly proclaiming his musical status on the opening track, "The Champ." The party starts with the first single, club favorite "I'm a Flirt," and continues with a slew of VIP guests (Nelly, Snoop Dogg, Ludacris, T.I.) contributing throughout. But the album's shining moments are in "Same Girl" and "Best Friend" (featuring Usher and Keyshia Cole, respectively), songs that provide a conversational style of singing Kelly has become popular for (most notably with the 2005 "Trapped in the Closet" five-part song series). "Double Up" slows down with signature bedroom-ready tracks "Sex Planet" and "The Zoo."

-- S. Debessai

NAWAL: "Aman" (nawali.com) - Three stars

Aman translates to "peace of the soul," so the title is an apt description of this album of Sufi chants and spiritual roots music. Nawal hails from the Comoros Islands, little-known land dotting the Indian Ocean between Africa and Madagascar. Her music mixes strong African rhythms with the airy acoustics of the Middle East, resulting in trancelike compositions that take you away from the worries of the world. She'll be performing tonight at the Mint in Los Angeles and Saturday at the Coffee Gallery Backstage in Altadena.

-- Glenn Whipp

AMY LAVERE: "Anchors & Anvils" (Archer) - Three stars

Stand-up bass-playing chanteuse LaVere sings in a girlish purr that somehow makes ditties about pointless drinking and still being in love with a boyfriend she killed sound more perverse than they naturally are. A sometime actress as well ("Walk the Line," "Black Snake Moan"), LaVere basically works a literate cabaret act on her second album, embellishing its torchy fundamentals with country pedal steel, Gypsy fiddle and a hint of mariachi. It's smart and sweet -- and more than a little mad. Produced by the legendary Jim Dickinson.

-- Bob Strauss

TIM ARMSTRONG: "A Poet's Life" (Hellcat/Epitaph) - Three stars

Rancid frontman Armstrong gets it right on this solo debut which beautifully captures the feel of Jamaican ska and dub of the '70s. Like the Clash's Joe Strummer, Armstrong (backed here by the Aggrolites, a fine reggae act from the singer's own Hellcat stable) has a knack for adding strong melodies and heartfelt lyrics to rock-steady rhythms that grab the listener and don't let go. The results, typified by instant standouts "Take This City," the radio hit "Into Action" and "Hold On," reveal how much life and inspiration can still be found in roots reggae.

-- Fred Shuster

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(1) no caption (R. Kelly)

(2 -- 5) no caption (CD covers)