HIP-HOP

Three 6 Mafia, "Last 2 Walk" (Columbia)

In 2005, this Memphis posse had its first pop hit, the sweeping and sinister "Stay Fly," and in 2006 they won the Oscar for best original song, memorably performing "It's Hard Out Here for a Pimp," from "Hustle & Flow." But Three 6 Mafia had been making terrific, spooky albums for more than a decade, though it hadn't had much success or recognition outside the South until the Oscars and the ensuing MTV reality series, the occasionally amusing, more often uncomfortable "Adventures in Hollyhood." "Last 2 Walk," its first album since the excellent "Most Known Unknown," from 2005, sounds like vintage Three 6 Mafia: bruising production, gloriously foul-natured lyrics, single-minded focus on life's pleasures -- the humorously lewd "I'd Rather" and "Lolli Lolli (Pop That Body)" -- all under a cloud of paranoia. And yet, even when Three 6 Mafia menaces, it's exuberant.

JON CARAMANICA, NEW YORK TIMES

POP/ROCK

Journey, "Revelation" (Nomota)

The revelation of Journey's new album and lineup is not that this is the best Journey album in 25 years or that the San Francisco band found its new lead singer via YouTube. "Revelation," available exclusively at Wal-Mart and the band's website, features 11 new songs, plus a CD of 11 rerecorded Journey classics and a DVD of a concert shot in Las Vegas. New singer Arnel Pineda, 40, sounds remarkably like his idol, former vocalist Steve Perry. His high tenor caresses the ballads and soars on the rockers, especially evident on the studiously recorded covers. Pineda's energy seems to have inspired his revitalized bandmates because "Revelation" sounds like the true sequel to the 1983 smash "Frontiers." The new Jonathan Cain-written ballad, "After All These Years," sounds just like the 1983 classic "Faithfully." "Where Did I Lose Your Love" also boasts a hook and the feel of one of Journey's best rockers, "Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)." But no one seeks out Journey for originality. Fans come for well-crafted, über mainstream arena rock, and "Revelation" delivers these guilty pleasures flawlessly.

HOWARD COHEN, MIAMI HERALD