* PATTI SMITH “Land” [] Arista

Three chords and a million words come together for “Land,” Patti Smith’s fine two-disc retrospective collection of her 27 years in music.

Fans whose record collections are weak in the Patti Smith department will find this an essential double disc. The 30 songs contained here include her best-known and -loved tunes, such as “Gloria,” “Because the Night,” “Rock ‘n’ Roll Nigger,” “People Have the Power,” “Piss Factory” and “Birdland.”

In the end, though, the highlight of this comprehensive collection is Smith’s very sensual take on Prince’s “When Doves Cry.”

* ANGELIQUE KIDJO “Black Ivory Soul” [ 1/2] Columbia

Angelique Kidjo was born in the West African country of Benin, she’s lived in Paris and she now resides in Brooklyn. Her varied cultural influences come together in a beautiful ethnic tapestry called “Black Ivory Soul.”

Kidjo – who sings in Portuguese, French and English – says this album is the second installment in her world music trilogy. The first was “Oremi,” which mixed traditional Benin styles with Western pop, including her famous cover of Jimi Hendrix’s “Voodoo Child.”

The final installment, due next year, will look at the music of Cuba, Haiti and New Orleans.

One of the best songs on “Black Ivory Soul” is the Kidjo/Dave Matthews duet on “Iwoya.” While you might find this pairing strange, remember Matthews’ South African roots and that Kidjo was the warm-up act for the Dave Matthews Band’s stadium tour last summer.

Kidjo appears at the Bowery Ballroom April 1.

* SCHATZI “50 Reasons to Explode” [ 1/2] Mammoth Records

On “50 Reasons to Explode,” Oklahoma quartet Schatzi employs the punk method of lashing blustery guitar crunch to melodic phrases in scruffy songs such as “Death of the Alphabet,” “We Might Collide,” “Flush” and “The Spider Smells Disaster.”

The disc is raw, and this young band seems to have the desire to take its punk-pop to the ear-bleed level, but it doesn’t yet have the horses to pull that load.

* CHRISTY McWILSON “Bed of Roses” [ 1/2] Hightone Records

Christy McWilson has a very pretty voice that works well with her doom-and-demons brand of country. It’s as if she knows the bed of roses she is lying in is more thorn than petal and wants to project that sentiment into her moody melodies, which are fat with reverb.

Think of her as the female version of Chris Isaak.

While a lot of listeners aren’t in the market for this kind of country, there is no doubt about her talent and her outsider’s take on the Nashville sound.

* KEVN KINNEY “Broken Hearts and Auto Parts” [] Evil Teen Records

Kevn Kinney has enjoyed great success in his band, Drivin ‘n’ Cryin’, but on his second solo disc, “Broken Hearts and Auto Parts,” the singer-songwriter seems more interested in storytelling, working out emotions and finding himself than selling records.

There’s no commercial potential to this record, which is basically coffeehouse folk music. It makes no concessions to pop or rock. Instead, Kinney offers an off-kilter yet adult look at his world.

Kinney doesn’t have the greatest voice, and he isn’t the greatest musician, but his believable lyrics make you want to listen.

Preferences for rock music will draw some to “Yes, That’s Me,” a song with a driving beat that indulges in a storm-of-horns conclusion.

Still, for the most part, this is a simple album that has the sonic quality of music recorded on a cassette at a kitchen table.