The Higher's hormonal new record is a mix of hot-under-collar R&B and bubbly pop rock. They name drop rapper T.I., cover Ne-Yo and come with Justin Timberlake-worthy songs such as "Play With Fire," complete with supersized synth lines and doe-eyed vocals. The band brings back the guitars on a few tunes, such as the anthemic "Story of a Man Obsessed," but for the most part, this is The Higher's bid for the big time, with the dance floor-friendly title cut and finger-snapping funk of "Undertaker" as slinky and revealing as the little black dresses that they're perpetually trying to talk to the ladies out of.

MOLOTOV SOLUTION, "The Harbinger" (Metal Blade): They sing of a war on the middle class, and true to form, Molotov Solution's latest disc sounds like armed conflict, with rapid-fire machine gun riffing, concussive double-bass drum pounding and vein busting, drill-sergeant-from-hell vocals.

Molotov's first disc for famed indie Metal Blade Records, "The Harbinger" marks a significant step forward for the band productionwise, as it's a big-sounding disc with everyone clear in the mix as opposed to the slightly muddy sound that the band has had to contend with in the past. Putting more of an emphasis on groove and toning down on the extreme velocity and gutturalisms, Molotov has come with their most dynamic effort yet, with touches of melodic guitar work leavening their socially conscious deathcore crunch.

Living up to its name, "The Harbinger" is a sign of good things to come from these dudes.

CHERRY HILL, "Awakenings" (myspace.com/cherryhill): Cherry Hill sounds like a major label moneymaker, and that's meant as both a compliment and a critique.

The band knows their way around a hook, their tunes are as polished and shiny as a supermodel's too-white smile and they boast all the prerequisites for heavy airplay on adult alternative radio: yearning vocals, a polite guitar jangle, slow-simmering songs that routinely crest into outsized choruses and lots of pop pep talk lyrics ("Don't you ever think about giving up," frontman Brandon Kiser sings on one tune; "Try just a bit harder" he urges on another).

Ultimately, it's guitarist Matthew James who really distinguishes this bunch with his bluesy soloing, which ratchets up the heat on songs such as "C'mon Mary" and "Prove You Wrong." That and some well-placed touches of mandolin, banjo and smolderin' organ enable this bunch to add a few pages to the well-worn modern rock playbook that they adhere to so faithfully.

Contact reporter Jason Bracelin at jbracelin@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0476.