* CELIA CRUZ

“Regalo Del Alma”

½ Sony

Although Celia Cruz didn’t live to see the release of her album, “Regalo Del Alma,” it stands as a testament to the talent and dedication of the queen of salsa.

Completed while Cruz struggled with the cancer that took her life last week, the result is anything but weepy.

Instead, “Regalo” is an album that celebrates life by a woman who wasn’t afraid of the darkness. The well-named disc – the title means “A Gift From the Soul” – is just that.

Starting with the opening track, “Ella Tiene Fuego,” a mambo that experiments with a rapped dance-hall bridge, “Regalo” proves as vivacious as its creator.

The crisp studio production captures Cruz’s famed energy, like on “Diagnostico,” where – over bouncy acoustic guitars and a violin – a woman sings about going to a doctor to find out what’s wrong, only to find herself diagnosed with another case of Cuba in the heart.

For classic Cruz, check out “Me Huele a Rumba” – a near-perfect Cuban sandwich of voice, percussion and horns.

Much will be made of Cruz’s selection of the disco hit “I Will Survive” (“Yo Vivire”) as the final track.

When she sang the song in the past, it alluded to her making it in the male-dominated world of Latin music. But after her passing, it says that with more than 70 albums to her name, it’s going to take more than death to kill Celia Cruz.

This disc hits stores next Tuesday.

* JANE’S ADDICTION

“Strays”

Capitol

It’s been 12 years since Jane’s Addiction last tried out new material, so those expecting clean-needle perfection best think again.

This new disc – featuring three of the quartet’s original members – is a little rusty, but vocalist Perry Farrell is the band’s strong link to its ground-breaking alt-rock of the early ’90s.

Only the title track fits into the band’s old songbook. The rest of the album plays with the same modern metallic sounds that Linkin Park and Limp Bizkit play with, along with some of the funk the Chili Peppers know never goes out of style.

Those two elements are grafted together nicely in the funk ‘n’ roll crunch of “Wrong Girl,” one of the disc’s best cuts.

This album’s deep bow to contemporary rock might make it a hard listen for those who dig the old Jane, but “Strays” grows on you. Even the soft-headed acoustic guitar ballads “Everybody’s Friend” and the psychedelic “To Match the Sun” get better with time.

* YELLOWCARD

“Ocean Avenue”

½ Capitol

Like so many other SoCal punks trying to crack the big time, Yellowcard sings about the pangs of teen angst – but with a violin.

As far as punk-pop arrangements go, this is as musically bold as it gets – and it works. Guitarist Ryan Key’s slightly nasal vocals are raw, unpracticed and have urgency, as if the kid’s going somewhere fast and doesn’t have enough time to get everything off his chest.

Sean Mackin’s fiddling matches that urgency with fleet gypsy flourishes and a virtuosity that would suit virtually any symphonic orchestra, let alone a band of punk skate-rats. He’s best on “Believe” and the fast electric stomp “Life of a Salesman.”

This is a good album, but the band seems to hold back. They’re probably best appreciated in concert.

* THE DANDY WARHOLS

“Welcome to the Monkey House”

Capitol Records

With a synth-powered sound that recalls the heady, ethereal musings of ’80s electronic Brit pop, Portland’s Dandy Warhols hang from old vines in “Welcome to the Monkey House.”

Seminal synth-romantics like Simon Le Bon, Nick Rhodes and Nile Rodgers helped inspire the band’s excursion into the retro riffs that break no new ground, but are fun to listen to.

Lead singer Courtney Taylor-Taylor displays fantastic range, easily stepping from his middle tenor into a falsetto so high it seems impossible for a man to reach. That up-scale vocal glide hits its peak on the song “The Dandy Warhols Love Almost Everybody.”

That may be true – and listening to this album, it’s easy to ape that affection.