LOCAL

*** (out of four)

"Forty One Sixty: The Songs of The Shambles"

Various artists

Blindspot Records

The Shambles are an interesting band. A San Diego mod revival combo that missed the local '80s mod revival by a good half-decade, their songs have nevertheless appeared on and been covered by different bands on all kinds of compilations from around the world ---- but unless you're in a scooter club, you're unlikely to have heard them live in San Diego. They play relatively few shows, yet regularly show up in the annual San Diego Music Awards finalist lists.

Lead singer Bart Mendoza deserves much of the credit for the band's far-reaching reputation ---- a tireless promoter and born (if quiet) salesman, Mendoza is so utterly likable that it would be difficult to tell him no.

And he's not a half-bad songwriter, either ---- add up his charisma and a nice collection of songs to choose from, and a new collection of covers of songs from the Shambles' catalog makes good sense.

While most of the 22 covers are by fellow mod revivalists and give the collection the feeling of an outtake from an "Austin Powers" soundtrack, the more interesting tracks are those that step outside the mod mentality. San Diegan Marie Haddad's take on "Where You Are," for instance, is a beautifully haunting piano-driven ballad. And the contemporary psychedelia of the Truckee Brothers' reading of "The Waiting Game" fits in perfectly with the '60s ambience running throughout while also giving it a nice modern updating.

While it's not clear if these tracks were recorded specifically for this project or are assembled from existing recordings, it's still impressive that bands from Serbia, Denmark, Spain and England have covered songs from a band even most San Diego music fans have never heard ---- or possibly even heard of.

The Shambles play Nov. 29 at the Casbah in San Diego.

---- Jim Trageser

Staff writer

*** 1/2

"Doghouse Rose"

Sara Petite

Self-released

Hard to believe it's only been three years since Sara Petite released her first album and began taking the local scene by storm. With an energetic stage show built around her twangy-as-a-musical-saw vocals and hard-charging rock-and-country band (and a superb and growing set of original songs), Petite has risen to the top of the short list of the next artist or band from San Diego likely to achieve national stardom.

Her third album finds no great artist breakthrough, but since she arrived on the scene seemingly fully formed with "Tiger Mountain," looking for dramatic artistic growth from album to album doesn't make much sense in Petite's case. What is different is that this album was recorded in Nashville, with an A-list of country studio men backing her instead of her usual San Diego band.

Hard to say it's better, given how good her regular lineup is. But given the stellar playing and super-clean production on this new disc, you sure couldn't say it's a step back. It's just different from what her San Diego fans are used to in her live shows and first two discs. It's much more polished, for sure, and a cleaner production than the surprisingly muddy mix on last year's "Lead the Parade."

Petite remains the utterly in-control singer she's been since that first release. A less-strong personality, or one with less talent, might have wilted in front of a band composed of folks who've backed everyone from Johnny Cash to Marty Stuart to Dwight Yoakum. Petite, though, sings with the same smiling confidence as she does at her gigs at the tiny Ould Sod bar in Normal Heights, her distinctively nasal vocals as country as country gets, with fine control and a purity of pitch that would leave most classically trained singers deep in envy.

Then there are the songs ---- her songs, all but one of the 13 found here. Some seem new, others, like "Fade Away," have been in her regular set list for a couple of years at least in one form or another. Among the newer titles, the best ---- such as the rocking "Baby Let Me In," the plaintive "We Shouldn't Be Doing This" or the tender "Souvenirs" ---- remind more than a little of Tom Russell and Guy Clark in their blending of storytelling and song.

It's a tremendous collection of strong songs and Petite's remarkable singing, as great a listen as it is testament to her hard work and talent.

---- JT

POP

****

"For Your Entertainment"

Adam Lambert

19/RCA

For reasons still unfathomable six months later, Adam Lambert finished second in this year's "American Idol" competition to Kris Allen.

But none of that matters now: With the release of his debut album, Adam Lambert is about to become a huge star, assuming he is not one already. Few human beings have ever been blessed with a voice like his, a ridiculously multi-octave weapon that can coo seductively in the lower registers, and shatter diamonds in the highest ones (Gene Simmons is probably still half-deaf from the high note Lambert uncorked at the end of "Rock and Roll All Nite" during the show's May finale when he sang with Kiss.)

This vocal chameleon can be all things to all listeners, and he kills at whatever he sings. Lambert is equally adept at hard rock, pop, disco, and power ballads, often blending ingredients of several in a single track to produce unforgettable results.

A perfect example is "Sure Fire Winners," a hip-hop-infused track with scratches and weird sound effects, yet just enough heavy guitar and drums to appeal to the rockers, and a sing-along chorus to tie it all together.

"Music Again" is a sinewy guitar-heavy rock anthem set to a funky beat that would have made a fine Queen song. There's unquestionably a lot of Freddie Mercury in the over-the-top Lambert, and it wasn't by accident that the "Idol" producers had him and eventual winner Kris Allen do a duet with Queen on the show's finale.

On "Soaked," Lambert channels his inner Mercury even more, starting with the melodramatic keyboard and strings flourishes that conjure images of him pirouetting in a bullfighting ring. Then he croons softly a la "News Of the World"-era Queen, before launching into yet more soaring vocal drama on the chorus and later verses.

"Strut," co-written with "Idol" judge Kara DioGuardi, is a preening, pounding ode to attitude, and he gets a songwriting assist from Pink on "Whataya Want From Me."

The rock-disco "If I Had You" is yet another of the four or five tracks on this album that could become smash hits, and "Broken Open" re-creates the vibe of Lambert's breakthrough performance of "Mad World," which vaulted him to the top tier of contenders during last season.

The Maybelline-adorned Lambert waited until after the "Idol" voting was over to confirm he's gay, but now that he's out, he's out! On "Fever," co-written with Lady Gaga, he sings: "There he goes, my baby ... ."

---- Wayne Parry

Associated Press

FOLK

** 1/2

"Live"

Po' Girl

Self-released

After five studio albums, Canadian roots and jazz folk band Po' Girl has released a live set. And while listening to its studio sets would lead one to believe that its live shows must be phenomenal, a muddy mix and too little of lead singers Awna Teixeira and Allison Russell leaves the album a bit of a dissapointment ---- particularly on the heels of the wondrous "Deer in the Night," issued earlier this year.

Still, the positives are many. First, there is the magic of the vocal harmonies between Russell and Teixeira. Not since early '70s folk-jazz combo Joy of Cooking (built around the vocals of Toni Brown and Terry Garthwaite) has there been a jazz-oriented female vocal duo with the talent and charm of Po' Girl. With deep, rich voices and a resonant vibrato, their two voices meld into a single, spine-tingling sound.

Russell's facility with clarinet reminds what an underutilized instrument that is ---- expressive, sad, rich in tone; there's a reason Benny Goodman and Artie Shaw were famed soloists only two generations ago.

The band's relaxed approach to music, and traditional instrumentation and sensibility, gives the performance here an old-timey feel. Never hurried, Po' Girl allows each song to unfold organically.

With no track-by-track credits, it's unclear who the male singer is on several tracks toward the end, but it's a distraction. He's OK as a singer, but one buys a Po' Girl album for Teixeira and Russell. Let them sing.

Po' Girl plays Nov. 28 at Acoustic Music San Diego.

---- JT