LETOYA LUCKETT

“LeToya”

(three stars)

Capitol

ORIGINAL Destiny’s Child member LeToya Luckett is giving her ex-partner Beyoncé Knowles a run for her money in the solo CD department with a self-titled debut of stylistically diverse urban pop. The writing pizzazz Luckett brought to DC, including signature hits “Bills, Bills, Bills” and “Say My Name,” is apparent here, especially the up-tempo “All Eyes on Me” and the ballads “Something 4 Ya” and the soaring “No More.” The big mistake is anointing the mild “Torn” as the single. After weeks on the singles charts, “Torn” is in tatters, having failed to crack the top 20. In Destiny’s Child, Luckett provided the soprano highs, but as the lead she shines, hitting her mark best when the song has a story, like “I’m Good,” where she sings about giving her man the boot.

Download: “Tear Da Club Up” (bonus track version)

BILLY RAY CYRUS

(two and a half stars)

“Wanna Be Your Joe” (New Door)

REMEMBER Billy Ray Cyrus, the guy with the “Achy Breaky Heart”? He’s back with a 14-track disc that has some excellent honky-tonk tunes, including “I Want My Mullet Back” and the Dale Earnhardt tribute “The Man.” Too bad the rest is filler.

Download: “Country Music Has the Blues”

LOS LONELY BOYS

(four stars)

“Sacred” (Epic)

THE Texan brother trio that took pop radio by storm in 2004 picks up where it left off, plugging into Tejano, twang and soul. The single “Diamonds” has a smooth melody and Southern-rock guitar, but the Santana-esque “Oye Mamacita” is even better.

Download: “Oye Mamacita”

SEETHER

(three stars)

“One Cold Night” (Wind-up)

SOUTH African nu-metal guns Seether unplug for this acoustic display of unexpected musicianship and songwriting. True, it’s hard to headbang when you’re sitting down, but the band’s powerrock anthems still deliver.

Download: “Gasoline”