‘A Cabinet of Curiosities’

‘A Cabinet of Curiosities’

Jane’s Addiction (Rhino)

Grade: A

A multimedia treat for fans, Jane’s Addiction’s box set is more than a collection of videos and rare tracks. It’s a celebration of the band’s influence on music and pop culture.

Open the “Cabinet of Curiosities” and you will find three CDs of music (mostly unreleased demos and live recordings), a DVD of music videos and personal footage from the band, a booklet that tells their story in words and pictures, trading cards featuring the four original members and four tiny worry dolls.

The DVD opens with “Soul Kiss: The Fan’s Video,” first released in 1989. Travel back 20 years and see frontman Perry Farrell frolicking with a girlfriend, literally lighting firecrackers in bed. A pre-tattoo Dave Navarro shows off his pet eel, taking it from its aquarium and whacking it against a table. Drummer Stephen Perkins bangs away on pots and pans with spoons, and bassist Eric Avery gives a book report from the bathroom, sitting on the toilet. The DVD also includes six original music videos and live performances from a Milan show in 1990.

The visuals are great, but the music is better: A total of 43 tracks, almost all previously unreleased.

Disc one is filled with demos recorded in 1986 and ’87. Disc two is a mix of demos, covers and live recordings. Disc three is all live tracks recorded at the Hollywood Palladium in 1990.

— Sandy Cohen, Associated Press

‘Asleep In the Bread Aisle’

Asher Roth (Universal Records)

Grade: B

Most people immediately compare Asher Roth to rap vet Eminem, but the 23-year-old newcomer proves he’s more than just Marshall Mathers 2.0 on his debut CD.

On “Asleep In the Bread Aisle,” Roth does sound like Eminem at times — not lyrically, but vocally. But after giving the CD a full run, listeners will quickly drop the comparisons. He addresses the issue on “As I Em,” rapping, “That’s all I got, there’s nothing else for me to say/If I don’t confront the problem, it will never go away.”

What Roth does best is storytell: He delivers his thoughts on partying, politics and growing up in suburban Pennsylvania. Tracks such as “His Dream,” the funk-soul “Be By Myself” featuring Cee-Lo and the Lupe Fiasco-sounding “Sour Patch Kids” serve as proof.

— Mesfin Fekadu, Associated Press

‘Forever in a Day’

Day26 (Bad Boy)

Grade: B

If you’ve been following “Making the Band 4” on MTV this season, it might come as a surprise to you that even with all the squabbling going on between members of Day26, the guys and their producers managed to make a surprisingly good sophomore album.

Any arguments over the musical direction of “Forever in a Day,” seem to have gone in the favor of those who wanted to stick with an R&B sound. But even so, the disc is anything but a collection of buttery-soft ballads

It’s all about hard-hitting beats — drum loops, keyboards and the occasional guitar riff — such as on first single “Imma Put it on Her,” featuring down South rapper Young Joc, or “Shawty Wats Up,” where the guys join T-Pain on the auto-tune machine.

Even slow jams such as “Girlfriend, “So Good” and “Babymaker,” have a certain kick, and the lyrics prove more steamy than sweet.

— Melanie Sims, Associated Press

‘Love the Future’

Chester French

(Star Trak Entertainment)

Grade: B

Listening to Chester French’s album “Love the Future” is like walking through a hipster boutique — graphic T-shirts with ironic sayings to the right, obscure vinyl records to the left and general nerdiness all around. The only difference is that D.A. Wallach and Max Drummey’s musical goods have more authenticity.

“Love Future” is sonically retro — lead single “She Loves Everybody” is vintage pop with a touch of soul, and “Beneath the Veil” could easily pass for a Johnny Cash cover.

The lyrics, however, are a bit more contemporary. It seems that part of what makes Chester French appealing is imagining lead singer D.A. Wallach, in his bow tie and khaki pants, crooning sincerely that “it ain’t groupie love ... you’re my Bebe Buell, my Puerto Rican Pamela Lee,” on the roaring track “Bebe Buell.”

“Love the Future” isn’t all facetious, however. “Fingers,” begins with a few happy-go-lucky piano chords, and quickly soars to include rumbling drums, delicate stringed-instruments and all the trappings of something orchestral.

— Melanie Sims, Associated Press