Jamie Foxx, Keyshia Cole have new CDs

NEW YORK - Jamie Foxx, “Intuition”
Tapping his musical side, actor/comedian Jamie Foxx debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 with this latest outing. That ascent was no doubt buoyed by the infectious first single, “Just Like Me” featuring T.I., and the remix “She Got Her Own” with guests Ne-Yo and Fabolous. Sporting production by Chris “Tricky” Stewart, Terius “the-Dream” Nash and Timbaland (on the funky standout “I Don’t Need It”), “Intuition” contains additional assists from the usual suspects (Lil Wayne, T-Pain) on songs mirroring the formulaic vein of most contemporary R&B and pop. But it’s during the album’s romantic second half that Foxx winningly struts his stuff. He channels Marvin Gaye on the melodic “I Don’t Know,” then steams up the proceedings on the sexy duet “Freak’in Me” with Floetry’s Marsha Ambrosius. Bonus track “Love Brings Change” is a sublime reminder that music is more than just a wannabe sideline for Foxx.

Various artists, “Music From the Motion Picture Slumdog Millionaire”
The star of this soundtrack set is M.I.A.’s already lauded “Paper Planes” — which appears in two versions, one of them a groovilicious, gunshots-free remix that’s worth the price of admission by itself. But if there’s justice in the world, that established hit will serve to expose pop and club fans to the music of A.R. Rahman, the prolific Indian film composer who wrote the other 11 tracks on this set. There are traditional moments in the polyrhythmic wash of “Ringa Ringa” and the album-closing tattoo of “Jai Ho,” but Rahman focuses more on synthesis, bringing slinky funk overtones to “Gangsta Blues,” thumping Germanic electronic patterns to “Millionaire” and a popping synthesizer straight out of Donna Summer’s “I Feel Love” to the tuneful “Aaj Ki Raat.” It’s one of those rare soundtracks that holds up well independent of its film.

Fall Out Boy, “Folie a Deux”
“Change will come,” Patrick Stump sings on “(Coffee’s for Closers),” a typically excitable cut from the new Fall Out Boy album. Considering that the Chicago band’s original plan to release “Folie a Deux” on Election Day, that lyric was likely intended as a tip of the hoodie to Barack Obama. Now it plays more like an acknowledgement of the evolution of FOB’s sound, which since 2005’s breakthrough “From Under the Cork Tree” has taken on new complexities without losing the fist-pumping qualities that made Stump and his bandmates mall-punk superstars. “Folie” is easily the group’s most adventurous outing yet, with assured forays into blue-eyed soul, arena-ready glam and ‘80s-style electro. Next time, maybe we’ll get that long-promised polka jam.

Keyshia Cole, “A Different Me”
Moving past the pain and tears of her first two albums, a sultry Keyshia Cole lets fans know she’s ready to give them “A Different Me.” Underscoring her mission, the singer-songwriter jump-starts the proceedings with the rollicking party jam “Make Me Over,” whose pulsating kick is flavored by interpolations of Ike and Tina Turner’s “Tina’s Wish” (originally known as “Tina’s Prayer”). She keeps the playful fervor going on “Please Don’t Stop” before coyly slowing things down on “Erotic.” Whether hooking up with real-life friend Monica on the midtempo girl-talk duet “Trust” or channeling her trademark passion on the noteworthy ballads “You Complete Me” and “Brand New,” Cole exhibits a growing confidence and command of her vocal talent.

Good Charlotte, “Greatest Remixes”
Diehard fans of Good Charlotte’s early pop-punk records can’t say they didn’t see “Greatest Remixes” coming — at least not if they heard last year’s dance-flavored “Good Morning Revival,” much of which could’ve passed for an album by singer Joel Madden’s ex, Hilary Duff. Still, the electro-rock remixes collected here (by the likes of Fall Out Boy frontman Patrick Stump, the Academy Is ... and Joseph Hahn of Linkin Park) should serve as definitive notice that GC has left behind its three-chord roots for good. What’s less clear is precisely whom this set is intended to lure, considering that “Revival” didn’t exactly build the band a base in dance-floor hipster circles. One diamond amid the head-scratching, infrequently booty-moving rough: a hilariously overdriven pump-up of “Girls & Boys” by the Ed Banger Records Allstars.

Anthony Hamilton, “The Point of It All”
Best known for soulful ballads like 2006’s “Can’t Let Go,” Anthony Hamilton kicks it up a couple of notches on his latest album. He’s still discoursing on his favorite subject, the love of a good woman. But Hamilton wraps his feelings around a more uptempo framework, like the lead single “Cool” featuring rapper David Banner and the strut fest “Fallin’ in Love.” While proving he can get down with the best of them, Hamilton doesn’t forsake the ballad. He poignantly shifts into Smokey Robinson falsetto on the moving confessional “Please Stay.” And the spare yet powerful title track is worth the price of the CD alone. Forget the retro tag that’s usually affixed to descriptions of his work. Hamilton is simply a damn good singer with a rich, warm voice that just gets better with time.

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