Various Artists: Lounge-A-Palooza

One look at the retro-cocktail cover of Lounge-A-Palooza, and it seems obvious that this will be another slow seep of ironic smugness from the trend that may or may not be sweeping the nation. One look at the contributors, which range from Fastball to Cassandra Wilson, and the disc's potential seems a bit more promising. There's no overriding theme to Lounge-A-Palooza, which also helps: If it were only a collection of modern musicians covering lounge music, it would get tired a lot more quickly than it does. Instead, the album offers a loose and wide-ranging selection built around the lounge theme, including PJ Harvey and Eric Drew Feldman covering Mel Torme's morbid "Zaz Turned Blue," Ben Folds Five doing Flaming Lips' "She Don't Use Jelly," and Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gorme interpreting Soundgarden's "Black Hole Sun." It's not entirely solid—"Wichita Lineman," as performed by Glen Campbell and Michelle Shocked with Sheila E and Texas Tornados, is hardly a revelation—but with highlights as good as Pizzicato Five's take on "The Girl From Ipanema," it's a pleasant surprise.