Celtic Tenors
Hard Times
(Tayberry Records)

The Celtic Tenors—Matthew Gilsenan, James Nelson and Daryl Simpson—call themselves "classical crossover artists," a vaguely insulting term that implies these frothy forays are a break from "serious" music. Maybe that's why most of these projects are horrifyingly awful. Let's start with the musical and ethical inappropriateness of staging misery with upbeat harmonies and operatic theatrics. Now ask what songs such as Bob Dylan's "You Ain't Goin' Nowhere" or Eric Clapton's "Lay Down Sally" have to do with "hard times." The Celtic Tenors are the latest darlings of the PBS nouvelle bourgeoisie. If PBS stops presenting music it doesn't understand, I won't put on a Big Bird costume and film alternatives to Sesame Street. —Rob Weir

Ray Mason
Like Bugs Chewing On Paper
(Captivating Music)

Ray Mason's new album has both the familiar sincerity of his usual pop style and more than a few interesting departures from the norm. Employing w?nderkind Jim Weeks as producer (and pretty much his entire backing band) has made for an interesting potpourri of musical flavor and instrumentation. Anyone who knows Ray's music will raise an eyebrow at songs like "Go On and Kiss Him" and "Tourist in Town," the former steeped in a slinky samba groove and the latter funked out with Stevie Wonder-style clavichord and Spoon-ish guitar parts. Still, Mason likes to keep them short and sweet, with the longest track (the dark and surfy "Ceiling") clocking in at a whopping 3:26.  —Tom Sturm

Beyond the Pale
Postcards
(Borealis Records)

Beyond the Pale describes itself as Jewish-Balkan twang, but in many ways the music is hard to define. It is fusion, where Jewish and Romanian folk songs, Yiddish poetry, Roma melodies and Serbian rhythms mix freely. The sounds are jazz, bluegrass and funk with accordion, clarinet, violin and cymbalom (a type of dulcimer). The group's chamber-style compositions are loose enough for improvisation. Their influences include old klezmer 78s, vocal scores and an unreleased cassette recording of '50s pianist Irving Fields, and their inspirations range from national and personal tragedies to a bombing in Belgrade and the loss of a brother. While the description sounds complicated, the music is simply beautiful.  —Jennifer Burwell

What Time is it, Mr. Fox?
And Other Stories
(independent)

The band may sport an unwieldy moniker, but Mr. Fox nonetheless possesses a sophisticated palate. The resultant sound combines folk-rock and pop with a keening string section and a wide selection of instruments. Singer Brian King colors the proceedings with a big, theatrical voice edged with warbling vibrato. That's the good news. The bad news enters with the lyrics, an over-reaching assemblage of maudlin melodrama ("I lie naked in the thorns of your love/ you say your love is God/ can turn my water into wine") and uninspired metaphor ("another shell opened to let in the world"). Don't listen too closely to that, however, and you'll be rewarded with a complex, surprising set of songs well worth giving a spin. —James Heflin