(FORTUNE Magazine) – PATTI SMITH Gung Ho (Arista) All it takes is one hot blast of her new single, "Glitter in Their Eyes," to prove that Smith is ranting with an animal urgency that she hasn't truly uncaged in 20 years. Kills 'N Sync on contact.

ROBERT BRADLEY'S BLACKWATER SURPRISE Time to Discover (RCA) Having done time as a blind busker on the cold streets of Detroit, Bradley lends a bruised wisdom to these torrential blues/rock/soul testimonials.

LEE "SCRATCH" PERRY Ultimate Collection (Hip-O Records) Jamaica's mad professor practically invented the woozy bounce that defines reggae. This disk brings together his finest concoctions with acts like the Wailers and the Upsetters.

JIMMIE DALE GILMORE One Endless Night (Windcharger/Rounder) The West Texan's quivering croon remains the essence of serenity, and it's perfectly matched with laid-back, starry-evening strolls like the Grateful Dead's "Ripple."

EKOVA Heaven's Dust (Six Degrees) Float away with the Parisian trio's mesmerizing pan-global mix of Arabic trance, African rhythm, and wiggy vocal whoops straight from the subconscious of singer Dierdre Dubois.

MACHINE SOUL: AN ODYSSEY INTO ELECTRONIC DANCE MUSIC (Rhino) Dig songs about robots, cars, and electricity? Plug in this two-disk anthology, which traces the whizzing, burbling history of techno from Kraftwerk to the Orb.