In Brief

A cult figure in Britain until 1995, this sardonic Scot finally scored an American hit with “A Girl Like You.” On his follow-up, Collins blends dub, glam, country, ‘70s disco and ‘60s pop, sounding like Beck doing a slow jam with Austin Powers. Rather than resting on this groovy, smart record’s swinging vibe, however, Collins tweaks the fascist bent of the fashion and pop worlds with flair.

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Albums are rated on a scale of one star (poor) to four stars (excellent).

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Hear the Music

* Excerpts from these albums and other recent releases are available on The Times’ World Wide Web site. Point your browser to: http://video.nohib.com./soundclips