Just when you thought it was safe for us guys to venture outdoors again — as all the hoopla over the Sex And The City movie has died down some — comes this week's batch of new album releases, packing more girl power than your ex-girlfriend's last crying jag.

Speaking of exes, Alanis Morissette just got dumped again. And you know what that means...

Whether her new Flavors of Entanglement packs the same formidable female wallop as Jagged Little Pill did or not remains to be seen. So no need to run for the hills just yet, guys. Just remember, you've been warned.

Emmylou Harris is also back with All I Intended to Be, where her sweet country tunes are said to be sounding better than ever. My Morning Jacket's long anticipated Evil Urges also hits stores this week, and finds the southern jam-masters stretching out into some decidedly funky sounding new territory.

Tom Johnson will be along shortly to talk about the new one from Martha Wainwright, as will Pico to tell us all about the new solo disc from Steely Dan's Walter Becker. But first, we welcome the latest member of our revolving cast of guest writers making picks to the fray, as Donald Gibson shares with us his thoughts on the new solo album from second generation Wallflower Jakob Dylan.

Jakob Dylan has garnered comparisons to his father since the Wallflowers released their debut album in 1992. Belonging to a group, though, afforded him some measure of autonomy and, in a certain sense, anonymity. With his first solo effort, Seeing Things, he now lays his individual identity as a musician out on the line. It’s a bold move, considering that this album will sit alongside the likes of Blonde On Blonde and Blood On the Tracks in music bins across the land, all filed under one surname: Dylan.

With stark, windswept songs and Rick Rubin’s unvarnished production, Jakob Dylan doesn’t disappoint. His solemn singing voice is front and center, lending a sense of immediacy to the lyrics. Minimalist bass and guitar – acoustic, for the most part – serve as a lattice beneath the vocal, creating an expansive, ominous tone. It’s a compelling album overall and there’s something to be said for a man who steps outside his comfort zone to test the scope of his potential. Jakob Dylan likely hasn’t reached the limits of his creativity with this work, but his journey thus far sounds worthwhile.

The guitar-playing half of the Steely Dan duo steps out with his first solo album since 1994 and only his second one overall. This one is mostly themed around the Bob Marley-era reggae music that both he and erstwhile partner Donald Fagen have dug since they were making hit records in rock back in the seventies. A lot of the times Becker seems content to just ride on the tightly constructed but light island rhythms...perhaps a little too content, as we've come to expect heavier stuff from Becker. He does rise up to the occasion at times ("Paging Audrey," "Somebody's Saturday Night"), but ultimately, Circus Money is for the Dan fans only.