*** Happy Mondays, “Yes, Please!,” Elektra. In...

*** Happy Mondays, “Yes, Please!,” Elektra. In which Manchester funk does the 12-step? Singer Shaun Ryder’s much-discussed drug rehab experiences seem to be at the center of sharp, colorful lyrics detailing the process of self-betrayal giving way to self-discovery, and the music (thanks in part to production by the Tom Tom Club’s Tina Weymouth and Chris Frantz) is the band’s tautest, most vivid and most clearheaded yet.

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** Shinehead, “Sidewalk University,” Elektra. A terrific showman with imaginative experiments in reggae-rap hybrids to his name, this Jamaican/New Yorker misfires on his fourth album, half of which veers toward mainstream pop-soul, the other half toward routine dancehall reggae. He’s capable of more.

New albums are rated on a scale of one star (poor), two stars (fair), three stars (good) and four stars (excellent).