Scant weeks before the holidays, here I sit perusing the week's new releases as Boz Scaggs' Silk Degrees plays in the background. Shoes are off, the fire is roaring, and I'm wondering if this will be the best Christmas ever!

While two distinguished record labels celebrate their very existence via exclusive commemorative box sets, top-notch R&B folks like Common, Avant and Musiq Soulchild release their latest works--and exciting rockers Thrice have seen fit to gift us with a three-disc set recorded live at the House Of Blues!

Did you ever have the feeling that--I don't know--things are just about as good as they're ever going to get?

Of course, that might be "Lido Shuffle" talking instead of me!

Common: Universal Mind Control (Geffen) Renowned as a truth-talkin' master o' Hip-Hop with a musical base stronger than many of his contemporaries, Grammy-winner Common returns with a solid set featuring production by the Neptunes and Kanye West and a title track that's getting some radio

Conspicuously missing from this week's list of hot new music releases is the latest album by up-and-coming pop star Kanye West--whose long-awaited new album 808s & Heartbreak is, not to worry, coming next week!

Why has it taken so long? Experts agree that West's recent pronouncement that he will "go down as the voice of this generation" might be one very significant reason!

According to one informed observer, the press has yet again blown the lovable West's innocent claims well out of proportion! Because West, whose devotion to higher education has played a part in the nomenclature of all his previous works, made that statement in reference to the petri dish he was holding in his right hand! And it contained a hearty colony of drosophila melanogaster--or common fruit fly--all of whom strongly feel West to be the dandiest vocalist they've heard in their entire lives! But no one reported that, did they?

Sorry, Kanye--but once again, the press wins and you lose! Can't wait to hear the new

Holy smokes! Usually when I spotlight new releases, there are three or four major discs of interest, a few more that seem promising, and one or two with nice covers!

But this week there's simply too much great stuff!

And of course if I were to simply say that every new album was great, what sort of critic would I be?

Give up?

Tall!

Pink: Funhouse (La Face/Zomba) It's hard not to admire Pink for her sheer ability, sense of fun and daring, and literal ownership of a part of the color spectrum! Her new album features the single "So What" and includes a heady batch of collaborators including Max Martin, Butch Walker and Billy Mann, among others. It's kind of neat! As always, Pink skirts the outer limits of danger here--but perhaps wisely has avoided the tempting trap of following her previous album I'm Not Dead with one called Oops, Now I Am for kicks! In sum, any woman who knows full well that by calling herself "Pink" she will force any potential male fan to utter the words "I like

It's a big week for rock 'n' roll fans, as AC/DC--the legendary Australian rock band who set an entire generation on the "Highway To Hell"--has returned with their first new studio album in eight years.

And in these days of short-term artists who blaze to the forefront of pop with a giant hit single and then slowly fade away, how nice it is to encounter actual "career artists" today.

That said, eight years is a long time for any band to stay out of the spotlight--even giants like AC/DC--so the question of whether they still "have it"--that is, whether they still rock like nobody's business or are instead old, washed-up, kangaroo-loving rock hobbyists looking to relive their respective youths all over again--remains.

Plus, High School Musical 3 is out!

AC/DC: Black Ice (Columbia) In a remarkable retail coup, AC/DC's new album is exclusively available at Wal-Mart, so you can bet your boots that I--like most of my metal-loving friends--was waiting in line this morning to pick my copy