Pick six: Half a dozen cool things in music

A half-dozen cool things in music, from two points of view:

R.E.M., "Accelerate." The bite, urgency and abandon have returned. Michael Stipe uses big words ("odious conceit") that sting, and the band rocks as hard as ever. "Accelerate" is excellent.

Ingrid Michaelson doing "Creep," Fine Line. It was the highlight of the overlong Hotel Cafe Tour show starring Dan Wilson. Hers was a painfully desperate reading of the Radiohead hit, complete with an eerie scat that almost qualified as a yodel. There was no way that any of her own songs could approach that kind of emotion.

Norah Jones, "Late Night With David Letterman." She's an actress now, so she got to chat with Dave before she sang. Her conversation was warm and witty. Loved her new, short Natalie Portman-evoking hairdo. Her piano piece was reassuring lounge blues. Overall, she exuded a newfound confidence.

JON BREAM, STAR TRIBUNE

Counting Crows, "Late Night With David Letterman." The band played all out on the new single "You Can't Count on Me" from its new CD, "Saturday Nights & Sunday Mornings." I was feeling Adam Duritz's voice and lyrics, but, geez, all of the Saturday big emo and erratic stage antics throughout a Sunday song made me kind of dizzy.

David Cook, "American Idol." I'm just a casual viewer. An exception this season to the usual showbiz kids with vocal acrobatics is Cook. Thus far, he has rocked out on Lionel Richie's "Hello," the Beatles' "Eleanor Rigby," Michael Jackson's "Billie Jean" and Dolly Parton's "Little Sparrow," which almost gave me goose bumps.

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, "Soundstage." This was a stellar homecoming in Gatorville, Fla. The only false note on the PBS special was Stevie Nicks. I had to divert my eyes from all of her studied, tired dramatics, with the twirling and the gestures.

TERI LAWSON, MINNEAPOLIS

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