Risking the wrath of Beatlemaniacs and their own fine reputations, George Martin and his son, Giles, accepted the dicey challenge of remixing and reimagining the Fab Four canon without blasting the band's credibility. They didn't just craft a strikingly inventive soundtrack for the same-named Cirque du Soleil show in Las Vegas. The pair vanquished the space-time continuum to deliver the Beatles reunion that Planet Earth has awaited for 36 years.

"LOVE," a 26-track collage of brilliantly layered and jigsawed fragments from 130 songs, is technologically, if not technically, a new Beatles album on which even the most familiar nuggets sound impossibly fresh. The superb sonic clarity of this aural kaleidoscope, a dizzying acknowledgment of the mash-up trend, reveals the full majesty and durability of The Beatles' blissful sound. That is the glory of "LOVE."

— Edna Gundersen

"THA BLUE CARPET TREATMENT" BY SNOOP DOGG

Snoop firms up his status as the West Coast don with this gritty, G-funk-drenched set. He rolls out the welcome mat to old friends (Ice Cube, Kurupt, Nate Dogg), young turks (The Game) and Bay Area stalwarts (E-40) while delivering some of his most hard-core and colorful lyrics in years. He raps with authority in his familiar laid-back flow, mixing pleas for gang peace and racial unity with deadly tales of life on the streets, and the high and lows of his celebrity life. He reunites on several tracks with producer Dr. Dre, who joins him on the mike on the contemplative "Imagine."

— Steve Jones

"SIEMPRE" BY IL DIVO

Genre: Musical divolution.

What do you get when you combine a quartet of capable classical singers with an artistically tone-deaf pop mogul? Another multiplatinum notch on evil genius Simon Cowell's belt, most likely. It's not that Il Divo is unsuited to ballads such as "Nights in White Satin" and "Somewhere"; there are lighter, more lyrical passages early in several songs. But executive producer Cowell has signed off on arrangements that swell to ludicrously bloated crescendos, ensuring that such moments are few and far between.

— Elysa Gardner

"PAC'S LIFE" BY 2PAC

Tupac Shakur, who was murdered in 1996, was not only controversial but also prolific. Twelve posthumous albums on, his estate continues to unearth material with which to fashion new music. His rhymes still resonate, and when paired with verses from Ludacris, T.I., Snoop, Young Buck, Outlawz, Chamillionaire and Papoose, make for compelling listening.

— Steve Jones

"DAUGHTRY" BY DAUGHTRY

Ejected fifth-season "American Idol" finalist Chris Daughtry resurfaces in a generic and inoffensive rock band called Daughtry, which is short for "FuelNickelStaindback." The singer has basically spared Ed Kowalczyk the trouble of having to record the next "Live" album. In power ballads and hard-rockers, Daughtry has a more palatable and natural delivery than he did in the strained TV performances of "Idol," and his strong pipes and palpable angst should satisfy voters who kept him in contention. To win converts, however, he'll need something more distinctive than a talent-show degree.

— Edna Gundersen