Zerobaseone: Ascend- (South Korea, Wake One, CD, 19 min.). I will always have a special place in my heart for the original nine-member Zerobaseone, which emerged from the “Boys Planet” MNET competition show. Near the end of last winter, after two years and eight months as a group, the Chinese management company YH Entertainment pulled out its four members -- Zhang Hao, Ricky, Gyuvin and Yujin – and formed the new group And2able.

I am so glad that Zerobaseone is continuing, even only as a five-member group. The five continuing members are Sung Han-bin, Kim Ji-woong, Seok Matthew, Kim Tae-rae and Park Gun-wook. It helps that all five current members are among my favorites from the nine – I only lost one favorite – and I love the new direction they are taking in their music, as evidenced by this excellent sixth overall mini-album, an album in which each track is better than the one before it.

The seven-track mini-album opens with the instrumental “Intro,” which has a heavy sound with synthesizers and a good beat. It is followed by the lead single, “Top 5,” which does not refer to the remaining five members but rather to “Top five favorite things of all time/ Your lips, your style, your kiss, your smile/ And number one, how you make me feel like.” The song has a sexy rhythm and blues flavor, recalling Justin Timberlake’s music of the 2000s. It even uses a cowbell. As expected, all the vocals excellent, especially those of Tae-rae and when Han-bin sings the top five things, my shoulders just sway from side to side.

Next is the more experimental “V for Vision.” The vocals are again excellent, particularly Matthew’s bits, and there are nice ad libs and vocal layering. Gun-wook is also highlighted, which indicates one of the pluses of dropping down to five members – each gets more to do and they are all up to the challenge.

I love the hook in “Customize,” composed by Gun-wook, which is “Customize my heart.” It is a rocker with guitar, an angelic Matthew verse, Tae-rae singing the first chorus and later a high note and Gun-wook rapping. There are more ad libs as well. The danceable “Exotic” follows, opened by Matthew. It has a wonderful melody and a strong solo spot by Han-bin.

The more chill “Changes” has a jazz feel with its piano. Ji-woong opens the song and Matthew and Gun-wook have nice verses. Tae-rae shines on the chorus, as all their voices are shown off. The album then closes with “Zero to Hundred,” which is the most like their previous releases, and its bigger sound makes it like a competition signal song. Tae-rae opens the song, which has a killer chorus and backing strings.

Depending which edition is bought, the CD comes with two different-sized photo books. Grade: A+

And2ble: Sequence 01: Curiosity (China, YH Entertainment CD, 14 min.). The new group, in addition to former Zerobaseone members Zhang Hao, Ricky, Kim Gyu-vin and Han Yu-jin, has Yoo Seung-eon, formerly of the group Evnne. Seung-eon, who fills in the high singing that Kim Tae-rae provides in Zerobaseone, also competed in “Boys Planet,” finishing 16th in the finale.

The mini-album opens with “Curious,” the lead single. It is the hardest-hitting and best song on the album, an EDM-based number that blends synth-pop and future house elements and opens with pounding drums. Both Zhang Hao and Ricky contributed to the lyrics that are about experiencing change without fear. Here, Zhang Hao does most of the singing, and even raps, while Seung-eon is outstanding in two sections that end with his extended high notes.

Next is “Aura,” a smoother song that Ricky opens. It is the album’s second standout track. “Sugar Rush” is bouncy, catchy, fast and addictive, as one would expect. “Bed” is softer, with a slower start by Zhang Hao. Ricky sings an English verse and Gyu-vin also stands out. The song is short, but comforting, and I like its “on the bed” chorus.

The album ends with “Happy &,” opened by Yu-jin. The song has a nice chorus and is a bit hip-hop. The album comes in many versions, most with a photo book. Grade: A-

Seals & Crofts: Diamond Girl (1973, Warner Records/Rhino, Quadio Blu-ray, 41:35). This was the fifth album by the soft pop-folk duo of Jim Seals and Dash Crofts. The opening title track was the lead single and peaked at No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100. It has jaunty instrumental sections. The album itself peaked at No. 4 on the U.S. album charts.

The follow-up single “We May Never Pass This Way (Again)” reached No. 21 on the Hot 100. The track features strings, as does the future optimistic “Ruby Jean and Billie Lee,” written for their spouses, with the first verse sung by Seals and the second sung by Crofts.

There is long instrumental start to “Nine Houses,” an intimate religious song the duo often sang in their concerts. It has a late dramatic string section and a Middle Eastern vibe. “Standin’ on a Mountain Top” rocks out and “It’s Gonna Come Down (On You)” is strong near its end. Also worthwhile are the midtempo “Jessica” and the instrumental “Wisdom,” which is a bit fast jazz and features Seals on alto sax. The uptempo country story song “Dust on My Saddle” has a lot of lyrics. Seals solo wrote “Mountain Top” and “Saddle,” with all the others co-written.

As with all four Quadio Blu-ray releases, there are both the Quadrophonic version and the DTS stereo version on the discs. Grade: B+

Carly Simon: Carly Simon (1971, Elektra/Rhino, Quadio Blu-ray, 38:45). This 10-song debut album by the singer-songwriter was produced by Eddie Kramer (Jimi Hendrix, The Beatles, Rolling Stones, David Bowie). The album includes Simon’s first Top 10 hit, “That’s the Way I Heard It Always Should Be,” which earned her a Grammy Award nomination for the Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female in 1972. She did win the Grammy for Best New Artist that year.

“That’s the Way,” one of seven songs she wrote or co-wrote (here with Jacob Brackman) on the album, is a gentle nod to the past and then the future “to raise a family.” The drums kick in just before the chorus and are heard on the rear speakers. The song is a woman considering marriage as both an inevitability and an entrapment. In her “Another Door,” she sings about a woman seeking more from a love relationship.

Both “Alone,” about a trip to a room with a view, and “One More Time” have a little bit of music hall piano. She covers the rocker “Just a Sinner,” by Moogy Klingman. Simon does some nice singing on “Dan, My Fling,” a song by Brackman and Fred Gardner.

A string quartet is heard on her “Reunions,” written with Bill Mernit and Kramer. There is a nice vocal arrangement on her closing cover of Buzzy Linhart’s “The Love’s Still Growing.” Grade: B+

Randy Newman: Sail Away (1972, Reprise/Rhino, Quadio Blu-ray, 30:48). This was Newman’s third studio album, produced by Lenny Waronker (James Taylor, Arlo Guthrie, Gordon Lightfoot) and Russ Titelman (Steve Winwood, Eric Clapton). The terrific album was all written by Newman, who also arranged the album.

It begins with two topnotch songs. The title track is a portrait of America, while “Lonely at the Top” indicates fame does not solve anything. The latter has a circus style tuba beat. The orchestrated “He Gives Us All His Love” is about the God “who knows how hard we try.” The more dramatic “Last Night I Had a Dream” features guitars by Ry Cooder (slide) and Titelman.

The fun “Simon Smith and the Amazing Dancing Bear” follows, featuring mostly piano. The song already had been a 1967 U.K. hit for Alan Price (The Animals) and was recorded in 1969 by Harry Nilsson.

The melancholy “Old Man,” featuring strings, goes, “Won’t be no God to comfort you/ You taught me not to believe that lie.” The wicked satire “Political Science” exclaims “They all hate us anyhow/ So let’s drop the big one now.” Continuing his political bent is the strong “Burn On,” a tongue-in-cheek tribute to Cleveland and the story state of the Cuyahoga River, which runs through the city. The river has caught fire from industrial pollution and oil slicks at least 13 times, including in 1969.

Newman returns to Ohio for “Dayton, Ohio – 1903,” about an idyllic time when politeness ruled. “You Can Leave Your Hat On,” but strip off the rest, is slow with Cooder on guitar. The brilliant album nears conclusion with “God’s Song (That’s Why I Love Mankind),” which begins with a multitude of human mistakes, including Cain slewing Abel, and has the fifth verse plea: “Lord, if you won’t take care of us, won’t you please, please let us be?” Grade: A+

Mongo Santamaria: Mongo at Montreux (1971, Atlantic/Rhino, Quadio Blu-ray, 37:09). This live album by the Afro-Cuban percussionist was recorded in 1971. Santamaria (1917-2003) was a leading figure in the pachanga and boogaloo dance crazes of the 1960s. He was primarily a conga drummer and his biggest hit, included here in two brief excerpts, was a cover of Herbie Hancock’s “Watermelon Man,” which was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1998. From the 1970s, he recorded mainly salsa and Latin jazz.

This live disc includes his salsa “Come Candela,” the highlight, along with a cover of Motown’s “Cloud Nine,” written by Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong for The Temptations. All the arrangements are by Marty Sheller. “Climax,” featuring Carter Jefferson’s alto sax, is more jazz. There is lighter jazz on the ballad “Disappear,” with Eddie Martinez on piano. The longest track is the jubilant “Soleil.”

The disc also has the very short “Conversation in Drums” (1:32) and the percussive “I Wanna Know.” The brief bits of “Watermelon Man” close the show and the encore. Grade: B+