Fans of country megastar Luke Bryan will appreciate the southern charm and slick production on his new album, “Born Here, Live Here, Die Here (Capitol Records Nashville), but Bryan mostly stays in his comfort zone, even if he sounds like he’s crashing the party. On this, his 7th album, Bryan does what he does best: churn out hit after hit. The single “One Margarita,” is a light and breezy summer ditty, albeit a bit thin and nihilistic. The opener, “Kickin’ Boots,” is the expected sex jam – you can imagine Bryan doing his signature bump and grind on stage. What gives “Live Here” its unabashed mojo is the second half of the CD as Bryan digs deeper with his songs. With his distinctive voice, Bryan plucks at the heartstrings on “Build Me A Daddy,” an acoustic number about a boy who asks a toymaker to build a replica of his daddy who is a soldier overseas. The lyrics are poignant: “Could you build me a daddy?/Strong as Superman/Make him ten feet tall with a southern drawl/And a crooked smile if you can.” “Where Are We Going” is country with a curve; the song features some dandy finger picking and up-tempo drum kicks. There’s no question that Bryan has spent years crafting his sound- that boom and twang of a voice – and he’s easily a key artist in the transition of country music aswe know it today. “Live Here,” doesn’t move the needle on Bryan’s artistry, but sometimes staying in the comfort zone is exactly what we need during such trying times.

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It’s been 35 years, but Los Angeles punk laureates X are back with “Alphabetland” (Fat Possum Records). Although they’ve always been reluctant to release another album, “Alphabetland” picks up where the band left off in the ’80s with their prickly lyrics and off-kilter harmonies. This time around, the four original members, vocalist, Exene Cervenka vocalist/bassist John Doe, guitarist Billy Zoom and drummer D.J. Bonebrake, don’t stay far from the formula of bare sound, three guitar chords, straight-forwards base lines and thrashing drums. But somehow, in between perceived restraints, X has made an album for the new millennium. On the opening title track, Cervenka sing-songs, “Tearing up the sidewalks/pouring wet cement/erasing your initials/alphabet wrecked.” Punk rock is typically all attitude, and the licks come later. But “Alphabetland” is practically jaunty, as the foursome bursts with passion and romance. Who’d have thunk that punk could be so fun? And despite the fact that the 11 tracks cover a mere 27 minutes of music, X packs a punch of fiery familiarity. Doubting Tommy’s can relax. X still produces high-velocity revelry, all the while wearing their black heart on their collective sleeve.

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With a name like Mondo Cozmo, you better rock out. And for Josh Ostrander, the singer/songwriter behind the name, that time has come. The genre-hopping popster follows roads paved by artists like David Bowie and Prince with his new album, “New Medicine” (Last Gang), a jumbled collection of songs that displays Ostrander’s love of Ray Charles and Dylan, to name two varying styles. (Ostrander even emulates Dylan, puffing on a smoke in Manhattan on the cover of “New Medicine.”) On the second album under his new moniker, the former member of Laguardia and Easter Conference Champions ups the ante with bigger riffs, punchier beats and songs delivered with a wiry, anxious urgency reminiscent of vintage Stones and Iggy Pop. Each track clomps onto the next, creating a discord that’s actually quite cohesive. “It’s kind of all over the place,” Ostrander said earlier this year. That it is. As indie pop goes, “Medicine” reeks of Oasis, the Verve and even some dreamy Echo and the Bunnymen. If this cluster of musical stylings sounds bizarre, check your attitude at the stage door. Ostrander soars on cuts like “Black Cadillac,” as he sings of karma with lyrics like, “I am Jackie’s dress untattered and unfurled/I am hanging up for the eyes of the world.” “Upside Down,” finds the protagonist channeling Beck with the loopy chant, “Everything is upside down.” And Cozmo got lucky when the song “Generator” was featured on the TV show, “The Good Doctor.” This “Medicine” may not be a cure all, but it beats the heck out of hydroxychloroquine. Look what happened to the last guy who took that.

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