On this new collection of original tunes Henry variously turns his attention to family, love, the weather and the American landscape, in pop-folk songs steeped in rootsy arrangements. "It's Only Business" is the imagined self-justification of a sleazy businessman; "Summer Blues" vividly captures the misery of those hazy, hot and humid July days in New England; "Baby's Coming Home" expresses a prospective father's anxiety- tinged excitement without sentimentality, and is probably the only popular song ever to contain the word "meconium." Henry is one of the growing number of Western Mass. singer-songwriters drawing national attention, and his "Home to Me" could well become the theme song of the new Pioneer Valley school of songwriters.

JOHN HIATT

Any effort to top 1995's career-topping "Walk On" would likely have met with failure, so Hiatt wisely sets his sights lower here, sticking with the more down-to-earth, wiseguy-rock for which he is best known. This doesn't make "Little Head" any less worthy than its epic, sprawling, ambitious predecessor. In fact, it's a welcome dose of old-fashioned, heartland- rock, the kind you thought they didn't make anymore. And yes, the title refers to what you think. [ 8/3/97 ]

JOHN HIATT

Rarely is an album bursting forth with as many great songs as this one, a baker's dozen of rootsy, soulful rockers and ballads imprinted with Hiatt's signature quirky vocals that belie his sincerity. In Hiatt's world, millionaire heiresses become teen-age mothers, anonymous lovers struggle in doorways and someone is always leaving or longing for home. "You Must Go" echoes the Byrds, the Beatles and the Band all at once, with a little Neil Young and Bob Dylan thrown in for good luck; "Good As She Could Be" is the best Bruce Springsteen song the Boss hasn't written in 20 years. "She was never born to run," indeed! Shorthand: buy this CD.

LAURYN HILL

The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill (Ruffhouse/Columbia)

Fugees' Lauryn Hill has come up with one of the most successful R&B/rap fusions ever on her solo debut, with contemporary dance beats rubbing up against vintage, Stevie Wonder-like funk and black pop tunes. Like Wonder, Hill has a gift for a melody and a rich, mellifluous voice that can alternately purr and scold. Unfortunately, this fantastic effort is marred by too much of the latter -- her excessive reliance on personal score-setting drags the material down. What could have been one of the great, uplifting R&B albums of all time is laced with bitterness. If you can get past it, however, Hill's "Miseducation" is a "Songs in the Key of Life" for the '90s.[ 1/10/98 ]

ROBYN HITCHCOCK

Hitchcock is part of the great English tradition of cynical, misanthropic singer/songwriters that goes back at least as far as Ray Davies and continues through Richard Thompson, Elvis Costello and Noel Gallagher. After a career dating back to the seminal '70s group Soft Boys and continuing in the '80s with the Egyptians, Hitchcock is on his own here on a minimalist effort on which half the tracks feature just him and a violinist. Without the distraction of a band, however, his moaning vocals and all-around dismal sensibility can get a little grating, but Hitchcock fans will undoubtedly love the chance to be up close and personal with this cult hero.

HOOTIE AND THE BLOWFISH

Music this backward-looking lives or dies on a string. To succeed it has to be either unabashedly retro or take a familiar formula and juice it with something extra _ vocals that grab you, melodic hooks, catchy riffs or some element of novelty or originality. Quoting Bob Dylan isn't enough, especially when the music has more in common with early-'70s Top 40 like the Doobie Brothers and the Guess Who. Plus, Darius Rucker's vocals span the emotional gamut from A to B. Ultimately, it's a wonder that they're still making music that sounds like this in 1995. Enough, already.

HOOVERPHONIC

In spite of -- or maybe because of -- the wispy, airy vocals of Belgian singer Liesje Sadonius, Hooverphonic's soulful, atmospheric, "trip-pop" tracks have a light, effervescent quality, more Cocteau Twins than Massive Attack. All the cliches about ambient electronica being soundtrack music ring true here. Even the best song, "Plus Profond," which starts out as a blend of Brian Eno-like guitar textures and jungle, winds up being just another dancefloor ditty. [ 11/16/97 ]

BRUCE HORNSBY

With help from Pat Metheny, Bela Fleck, Jerry Garcia and members of Black Street and the Yellowjackets, Hornsby has made another listener- friendly album that pays tribute to his love of jazz. If the album has a theme, it's about the sheer joy of playing music. Occasionally, Hornsby takes great elements and wastes them on generic pop music (``Walk In the Sun''). But more often than not, he lets his soloists stretch out (``The Changes,'' ``Spider Fingers''). He's not cynical or oblique enough to be Donald Fagen, but he's the next best thing.