While their name would seem to indicate something a bit saucy, sexy even, Philadelphia trio G. Love & Special Sauce' recipe includes more folk and blues than hip shakin' stuff. Less funky than 1999's Philadelphonic, Electric Mile opens with the reggae strains of "Unified" before settling into a jambalaya that includes dashes of folk, blues, jazz and hip hop - a style originally termed "ragmop" by leader G. Love. With the explosion in so-called "jam bands," G. Love & Special Sauce's idiosyncratic blend may not sound as novel as it once did, but with their fifth album they demonstrate that they remain atop the heap - a welcome breeze of quality songwriting and integrity at a time when image and youth seem ever more dominant in determining commercial success. G. Love & Special Sauce play Akasaka Blitz on June 7-8. See listings for details.


BEN HARPER / Live From Mars
(Virgin)

Being derivative isn't always a bad thing. Especially when you've got the talent and chops to bring off a passable, folkified version of Jimi Hendrix psychedelic blues like young American singer-songwriter Ben Harper does. Recorded on various stops on Harper and his band the Innocent Criminals' worldwide tour over the last two years, Live From Mars documents wickedly electricized versions of Harper's more restrained recorded material. Generating something of a cult following over the past few years, Harper and Co prove that their live show is one of the best around as they rock out on original material and even a worthy cover of Marvin Gaye's classic, "Sexual Healing." Tickets are sold out for Harper's upcoming Tokyo dates, but with luck, promoter Smash will add an extra show. See listings for details.


NEIL FINN / One Nil
(EMI)

"Where ever you are, it's three a.m. and I'm awake," is an unforgettable, haunting line from the former Crowded House frontman on his new solo release. How can you forget the spirit of one of the greatest international bands ever to originate from the Southern Hemisphere? Finn's latest work continues in a highly introspective vein with the flavor of his home, New Zealand that is reminiscent of Crowded House's last album, Together Alone. New Zealand's Southern Alps and proximity to Antarctica unmistakably influence the tracks "The Climber" and "Hole in the Ice." This time around, Finn has enlisted help from his family, songstress Sheryl Crow, and producers Tchad Blake and Mitchell Froom, who both helped on past Crowded House albums, ensuring that those ghosts from Finn's musical past have yet to be silenced. Ryan Hart