NEW MUSIC

Mary J. Blige

Growing Pains (Geffen Records)
****

As the title for studio album number eight suggests, Ms. Mary dove into her own life experiences to pour out some of her most personal and inspired lyrics yet. The ups and downs of being in relationships inform the core of the tunes, making this a deeply revealing portrait of a woman in her prime. Like before, she's using a number of different producers (including C. “Tricky” Stewart and the Neptunes), but the album stands up as a cohesive whole and the tracks blend from one to the next. Another top notch effort that will help to justify her “Queen of Hip Hop Soul” status. —CHRIS FREEMAN

Hey Willpower

P.D.A. (Tomlab)
***

To enjoy Hey Willpower, you're going to have to do one thing: Get over yourself. This isn't music for cynics. It's unabashed dance-pop in a late-'80s vein—a nod to Janet Jackson, Pebbles, and Keith Sweat, among others. Will Schwartz (Imperial Teen) and Tomo Yasuda (Tussle) are responsible for this candy-coated trip down musical memory lane, and they nail the tone, with a nifty electronica twist. The best songs on P.D.A. (“Hundredaire” and “Uh-Uh-Uh”) perfectly recall an era of neon accoutrements, wide-eyed lyrics about “doing it,” and, frankly, forgetting the real world's problems. If that isn't something we need right about now, I don't know what is. —MIKEL WADEWITZ

Juno Original Soundtrack

(Rhino/Wea)
****

Played over opening credits, Barry Louis Polisar's “All I Want Is You” sets the tone for this funny, heartbreaking soundtrack to Juno. Though Juno (Ellen Page) and Mark Loring (Jason Bateman) listen to punk and grunge, respectively, the filmmakers smartly underscore this teen pregnancy comedy with fey pop: Belle & Sebastian, Cat Power, and—especially—Kimya Dawson. Dawson—solo and with The Moldy Peaches—has a feel for outsiders, dreamers; girls smart enough to know they don't know enough. And the Moldy Peaches's “Anyone Else But You”—in its original version and as performed by Page and Michael Cera—is perfect: a roundelay for awkward teens quietly wooing each other. —DAN LOUGHRY

Kylie Minogue

X (EMI)
****

Is there a special strand in our “gay” DNA that draws us — protestations notwithstanding — to frothy, frivolous dance divas? A love of pop trash is as difficult to deny as say, being Italian, or a receding hairline: it's hotwired into the blood. Which has both little and everything to do with Kylie Minogue's X, a set of new tunes as light as air and just as deep. The title could mean “carnal” or “generic” or — in this case — both. But after Kylie's cancer scare and clean diagnosis, why shouldn't she enjoy the shallow pleasures of dance floor liberation when they're this sweet and enticing? —D.L.

CONCERT CALENDAR

Billy Bob Thorton & The Boxmasters

Celebrates Elvis Presley's birthday with the Blasters, Fred Willard, and Groovy Rednecks.
The Music Box @ Fonda. Tue., Jan. 8. www.henryfondatheater.com.

Dan Deacon/Ultimate Realty with Health, Abe Vigoda

Became an instant figurehead of the once fledgling electronic music community.
El Rey Theatre. Tue., Jan. 15. 8 p.m. $12. www.theelrey.com.

Simple Plan

Promotes the French Canadian punk rock band's upcoming self-titled third CD.
Troubadour. Wed., Jan. 16. 6:30 p.m. $15. www.troubadour.com.

Skid Row

Attempts a comeback without Sebastian Bach as one of the top heavy metal bands in the 1990s. House of Blues Sunset Strip. Fri., Jan 4. 8 p.m. $16. www.ticketmaster.com.

Homo Must

Lenny Kravitz

Invades Los Angeles with his pulse-pounding rock “retro” style and six-pack abs.
Santa Monica Civic Auditorium. Thur., Jan. 17. $35. www.lennykravitz.com.