Credit goes not to some innocent young upstart but to a major-label veteran, 34-year-old vocalist/guitarist Angie Carlson. Balancing hard, fuzzed-up riffs, short, messy leads, and a weird way with vowels against chiming harmonies and a natural manner with tunes, she honors both her Southern pop roots in Let's Active (former bandmate Mitch Easter produces four cuts) and the alterna-rock revolution that made her active again. After opening with five compact sure shots, she falters over the next seven, but maybe the unpolished hit-and-miss will remind some MTV baby (girl) that she can do it too.

-- Franklin Soults