“CSNY/Deja Vu Live”/Crosby Stills Nash & Young (Warner Bros.) - The folk rock band provided much of the soundtrack for the antiwar movement of the Vietnam era. Four decades later, they reunited in 2006 for the Freedom Of Speech Tour. A mix of CSNY classics and more recent antiwar material from Neil Young, the CD marks the return to the socio-political stage of David Crosby, Stephen Stills, Graham Nash and Neil Young in a musical deja vu.

“Do You Believe Me Now”/Jimmy Wayne (Valory) - Jimmy’s new songs tend to explore more universal themes, yet still maintain inspiration from an intensely personal place. The CD runs the gamut from the summertime fun of I’ll Do That to the sensual One on One about a couple needing their alone time.

“That Lonesome Song”/Jamey Johnson (Mercury Nashville) - After a stint in the Marine Corps Reserves, Johnson hit the road - and the honky-tonks - with relish. As a consequence, Jamey acquired the reputation of being a country-music “bad boy.” Rumors and speculation flew, exaggerating his escapades, but professionally he always delivers the goods.

MOVIES/STAGE

“Gypsy”/2008 Broadway Cast (Time Life Entertainment) - The best-written (and most often produced) Broadway musical of all time gets a nearly definitive new rendition, thanks to leads Patti LuPone, Boyd Gaines and Laura Benanti, all of whom won Tony Awards this year for their performances. This is still a masterpiece, no doubt about it.

“Star Wars: The Clone Wars”/Film Score (Sony Classics) - John Williams took a break on George Lucas’s franchise, for which he scored all six other films, turning over scoring duties to newcomer Kevin Kiner. Perhaps he knew something that the rest of the production team didn’t. Kiner comes up with some solid action cues, but his efforts fail in comparison to Williams’ iconic themes which just won’t go away.

“Vicki Cristina Barcelona”/Various Artists (Telarc) - Woody Allen’s latest comedy uses his trademark anthology music collection, but this time featuring a decidedly continental flavor from all Spanish artists capturing Barcelona’s timeless mystique. As much as Allen could have supported the tradition of original film scores, he always comes up with something different, even if it’s rarely new.

RAP/HIP-HOP

“LAX”/The Game (Geffen Records) - The Game returns with his third and supposedly last CD. Keisha Cole is featured on the lead off track Game’s Pain. Other guests include Ice Cube, Raekwon, Ludacris, Bilal and Raheem DeVaughn, appearing on State of Emergency, Bulletproof Diaries, Cali Sunshine and Touchdown, respectively.

“Raw Footage”/Ice Cube (Lench Mob Records) - Ice Cube is one of rap’s pioneer’s and perhaps the personification of the genre. After a few years away spent dabbling in his acting career, he’s back and as strong as he ever was.

“The Recession”/Young Jeezy (Def Jam) - The Atlanta rapper is a great story teller, who has the ability to bring color and flash to a story that has been told so many times before. He’s a true digital age artist who doesn’t need 16 bars to develop a picture in your head.