Slackers are 'ska'tacular act

THE SLACKERS, Thursday, at The Depot

It's easy to dismiss ska as a niche genre that's already long past its prime, but for fans of the music, and its close cousin reggae, ska is timeless. One thing is certain: ska shows are invariably a good time with a good vibe, especially in the hands of long-time practitioners The Slackers.

The New York-based band looked great in their classic suits, but sounded even better as they blew through songs from their new "Peculiar" album as well as older cuts. There's just something about a horn section that makes everything better in my book, and songs like "Propaganda," "What Went Wrong" and "Sauron" benefitted greatly from the brassy blasts coming from trombonist Glen Pine and sax player David Hillyard.

- Dan Nailen

AUDIO FILE

Innovation separates Wilson's latest from Young's

NEIL YOUNG, "Living With War"

Grade: C+

When Neil Young decides to crank out an album in a week or two, the results can be something like 2005's excellent "Prairie Wind," a rumination on mortality and time's passage recorded as a reaction to a brain aneurysm. Or they can be something like "Living With War," an occasionally slap-dash collection of lyrically questionable, topical songs, too-basic arrangements and and sentiments that are about three years too late in coming from the guy who wrote "Ohio," as well as "Let's Roll" in the aftermath of

9/11. The best songs here are the least-direct, including the expansive opener "After the Garden" and the title track. Less moving are songs such as the Barack Obama and Colin Powell-siting "Lookin' for a Leader" and "Let's Impeach the President," featuring lines such as "Let's impeach the president for hijacking/our religion and using it to get elected," and "Let's impeach the president for lyin'/and misleading our country into war." Someone needs to tell Neil that a great rant doesn't necessarily make for a great song. The album finishes strong, though, with "Roger and Out," and the Young-arranged choir take on "America the Beautiful."

- Dan Nailen

CASSANDRA WILSON, "Thunderbird"

Grade: A-

Writers grasp for words such as "smoky," "husky" and "dark-roasted" to describe Cassandra Wilson's voice. The Mississippi native has made a name with her vocal instrument, showcased with distinctive interpretations of jazz and pop standards on spare, self-produced albums (such as 1993's "Blue Light 'Til Dawn" and 1996's "New Moon Daughter"), that blend southern blues with percussive, improvisational jazz riffs. Thanks to a new collaboration with legendary producer T-Bone Burnett (think Elvis Costello and "O Brother, Where Art Thou?"), Wilson's "Thunderbird" is even more eclectic. Here, Wilson's vocal innovations are matched with funky keyboards and the juice of electric guitar riffs, all kicked off with the hip-hop sampling of the infectious opener "Go to Mexico." The singer's trademark eccentric song selection provide the CD's energy - a cover of Jakob Dylan's "Closer to You," a breathy, twangy remix of the traditional folk anthem "Red River Valley" and her own sensual "Poet" - but that range in mood also makes the album sound a bit unfocused. But boundary-breaking seems to be the point for Wilson, who makes a strong musical case that art can transcend genre, even nature, when she boldly claims "when we make love we change the patterns of the weather." Musical poetry, indeed.

- Ellen Fagg

DVD RELEASES

'McPhee' has the depth that 'Stranger' is missing

"NANNY McPHEE" Grade: A-

The quietly strict but magical nanny of the Nurse Matilda children's books comes to the big screen in a whimsical and charming adaptation about a group of naughty children who are tamed by Nanny McPhee. Emma Thompson is wonderfully mysterious but loving as the nanny who taps her magical staff to discipline the children. The movie is colorful and its production design is draped in detail. There's also a heart at the center of the movie that focuses on the importance of family and sticking together. It's the perfect family fantasy film with a bright script from Thompson herself. The DVD has deleted scenes and a documentary showing how they transformed Thompson into the wart-covered, snaggle-toothed McPhee.

- Vince Horiuchi

"WHEN A STRANGER CALLS" Grade: C-

When I see that a horror flick is rated PG-13, that typically is a sure sign that I will be more bored or annoyed than scared. "When a Stranger Calls" is not the movie to change my attitude, and it probably won't bring any late-night chills or thrills to anyone old enough to remember at least the concept of the 1970s original starring Carol Kane. For young teenagers, this movie might work a little better. A teenager (Camilla Belle) is baby-sitting in a remote, enormous, shadowy house when the phone starts to ring. At first it's just her friends and boyfriend checking in or prank-calling, but soon enough, the caller is decidedly less friendly. And he's calling from inside the house! The best thing director Simon West does is play the story straight; there isn't a deluge of tongue-in-cheek one-liners or air of conscious campiness. Belle is responsible for carrying the movie, and while she's decent, the few other characters are all disposable, literally and figuratively.

- Dan Nailen

DVD/VIDEO RELEASES:

"The Producers"

"Duma"

"That Girl - Season One"

"Napoleon Dynamite - Like, the Best Special Edition Ever!"

"Hill Street Blues Ð Season 2"

THE LIST

MUSIC CHARTS

BILLBOARD 200 TOP 10 ALBUMS

From a national sales sample compiled by SoundScan.

No. Album Artist

1. ''1,000 Days'' Tool

2. ''Pearl Jam'' Pearl Jam

3. ''Blood Money'' Mobb Deep

4. ''High School Musical'' various

5. ''Me and My Gang'' Rascal Flatts

6. ''Now 21'' various

7. ''IV'' Godsmack

8. ''Goodbye Alice in Wonderland'' Jewel

9. ''We Shall Overcome: The Seeger...'' Bruce Springsteen

10. ''Greatest Hits Vol. 1'' Phil Vassar

BILLBOARD HOT 100 TOP 10 SONGS

Compiled from radio lists monitored by Broadcast Data Systems and sales compiled by SoundScan.

No. Song Artist Featuring

1. ''SOS" Rihanna

2. ''Bad Day" Daniel Powter

3. ''Temperature" Sean Paul

4. ''Ridin' " Chamillionaire Krayzue Bone

5. ''Where'd You Go" Fort Minor Holly Brook

6. ''What You Know" T.I.

7. ''What's Left of Me" Nick Lachey

8. ''Dani California'' Red Hot Chili Peppers

9. ''Over My Head (Cable Car)" The Fray

10. ''Ms. New Booty'' Bubba Sparxxx Ying Yang Twins

TOP CD RELEASES

Compiled from icemagazine.com, cmj.com, amazon.com

Album Artist

"We Don't Need to Whisper" Angels and Airwaves

"Every Man for Himself" Hoobastank

"Boneclouds" Mason Jennings

"The True False Identity" T-Bone Burnett

"Twenty Twenty: ...Essential T-Bone..." T-Bone Burnett

"Broken Boy Soldiers" The Raconteurs

"Versions" Thievery Corporation

"Powder Burns" Twilight Singers

"Over the Hedge" soundtrack various

"Born Again" Warrant

"Catch That Train!" Dan Zanes & Friends

TELEVISION RATINGS

NIELSEN TOP 10

A.C. Nielsen Ratings for May 1-7:

No. Name of show Network Rating Viewers

1. ''American Idol"-Wed. Fox 16.9 29.3

2. ''American Idol"-Tue. Fox 16.6 28.6

3. ''CSI" CBS 16.2 26.0

4. ''Grey's Anatomy" ABC 13.6 22.0

5. "House" Fox 13.5 22.7

6. "Desperate Housewives" ABC 13.3 21.3

7. ''Without a Trace" CBS 12.8 19.1

8. ''CSI: Miami" CBS 12.5 19.3

9. ''House SP" Fox 10.5 17.2

10. ''Law & Order: SVU" NBC 10.2 15.3

TOP GROSSING FILMS

WEEKEND TOP 10 MOVIES

FRIDAY, SATURDAY AND SUNDAY

No. Name of Movie Earnings*

1. ''Mission: Impossible III" $24.5

2. ''Poseidon" $20.3

3. ''RV" $9.5

4. ''Just My Luck" $5.5

5. ''An American Haunting" $3.7

6. ''United 93" $3.6

7. ''Stick It" $3.2

8. ''Ice Age: The Meltdown" $3.0

9. ''Silent Hill" $2.2

10. ''Hoot" $2.1

* Estimated earnings in millions.