“The E.N.D.”; Black Eyed Peas; Interscope

Since this group shifted from being a socially aware rap outfit of their first few albums to the platinum hip-pop quartet of 2003's breakthrough album “Elephunk,” the energy in their music has been inexhaustible.

In “The E.N.D.,” this is most notable in the propulsive first singles ''Boom Boom Pow'' and “I Gotta Feeling,” both of which might as well have been fired up by diet energy drinks.

The group is still prone to catchphrases such as ''Ring-a-ling,'' ''Party All the Time,'' and ''Rock That Body.'' And they still have a lot of aptitude for getting people to the dance floor. Nice. 

Black Eyed Peas head honcho will.i.am’s attempt at social commentary on ''Now Generation'' is like a laundry list of endorsements in the same vein as Sandwich’s “Betamax” (''MySpace and your space/Facebook is that new place...Google is my professor/Wikipedia checker'').

And as always, whenever Black Eyed Peas' futuristic beats meld well with Fergie's vocals, it’s Boom! Boom! Pow! – another blockbuster on the way.

“Intuition”; Jamie Foxx; J

Jamie Foxx selects his collaborators carefully (intuitively?) in all of his albums. Here, an abundant number of R&B/hip-hop heavy hitters show up.

The jumpy "Just Like Me" benefits from the relentless hooks of collaborator T.I. and The-Dream (known for his work on Rihanna's "Umbrella"). Kanye West extends the frostiness of his own chilly "808s & Heartbreak" to the buzzing synths of "Digital Girl." Lil Wayne gets crazy on the engaging club anthem "Number One."

Complex a cappella works, blaring horns, and frolicsome rhythms emphasize the Timbaland-produced "I Don't Need It." Grooves are split and twisted by T-Pain on "Blame It," an ode to the ills of alcohol. Ne-Yo provides his vocals in the paean to the independent woman, "She Got Her Own."

Unlike many R&B albums in which the guest appearances jam the best tracks, Foxx smartly distributed the work according to how it would benefit him.

“25: The Greatest Hits”; Simply Red; Universal

This retrospective reflects the diversity of Simply Red albums in the last 25 years. And lead singer Mick Hucknall is truly a master in rendering classy pop ballads (e.g., “Holding Back The Years,” “You’ve Got It”).

Which is not to say Simply Red doesn’t have broader pop appeal. The cheery pop/dance crossover thrust of “Fairground” (which remains fresh sounding now as then) and “Fake” attest so.

The new tracks “Sunrise” (built around a Hall & Oates sample) and “Go Now,” (a weak cover of a Moody Blues classic) fall short of the glimmer of their early material.

Fortunately, “For Your Babies” and the smash hit “Stars” save the day.

Ditto with Simply Red’s remakes of “Night Nurse” (originally by reggae legend Gregory Isaac) and “The Air That I Breathe” (The Hollies).