First it was the glossy record company brochures arriving in the mail, then it was the discovery that Rodney Jerkins, favored producer of Whitney Houston, Jennifer Lopez and Destiny' Child, had signed Rhona to his Darkchild records. Next it was learning that Rhona a.k.a. 20-year-old Chicago native Rhona Bennet emerged from the same Disney Channel Mickey Mouse Club show that spawned such names as Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera. In other words, Rhona is a record company Product with a capital P. Aside from that, her music isn't especially loathsome, just plenty of middle-of-the-road contemporary soul, slick dance moves, luscious lips and a finely chiseled bod. Think Whitney Houston with whose voice Rhona's bears an uncanny resemblance before her cocaine problems.


DAN BRYK / Lovers Leap
(maximum10/Scratchie/Avex)

Imagine something along the lines of US indie-pop raconteur Ben Folds, add about 50 pounds of flesh and subtract about 50 pounds of ego, and you've got a close approximation of Toronto talent Dan Bryk. Like Folds a tunesmith and teller of tales from behind a piano, Bryk recorded his second album, Lovers Leap, in his Flabby Road studio - located in his parents' basement - and spends most of his 16 tracks painting a portrait of himself as a pathetically hopeless, overweight suburban geek. Whether it's computer programmer envy on "Mark Turmell V2.0" or co-dependency issues behind his breakup with his longtime girlfriend, Bryk spares himself nothing. Sometimes all this self-loathing can get excruciating, but in the end Bryk - who recently toured Japan with indie icon Stephen Malkmus - has the unassailable songwriting talents to make this album a rewarding listen.


JOSE PADILLA / Navigator
(eastwest)

"The truth is I think it is very sad what has happened with Ibiza," says JosEPadilla, the man synonymous with the chilled out sounds of the CafEDel Mar CD series. Padilla is mournful of the wave of British clubbers who have turned his Spanish Mediterranean island home into a drug-drenched summer playground. But while his island may have gone to the dogs, this hasn't stopped Padilla from maintaining the level of quality on his fresh release, Navigator. Ranging from jazz-toned house to ambient dub to Latin-flavored ballads, the album also boasts a typically inspirational number, "Adios Ayer," from singer Seal, and a soulful contribution from N'Dea Davenport on "The Look of Love." Wash this one down with a cool drink and tropical sunset and you'll be doing fine indeed.