Jay Reatard

Jay Reatard's new album, due in August, is entitled Watch Me Fall. But since leaving Memphis and finding his way (eventually) to alt-rock's biggest label (Matador) he's done nothing but rise. British post-punk fan, Wire enthusiast, and Al Gore adorer Reatard has come a long way since 1998 and his yelping, lo-fi, pop recording start, Blood Visions. None of his albums or singles since then has been any less noisy, yet each has been cohesive and briskly power-pop contagious. A great case in point: last year's collection, Singles 06-07, with tracks like the super-sugary "I Found a Place." Now watch how sweet and swift Watch Me Fall turns out. With his fake English accent turned to 10 on the dial, cuts like "Man of Steel" and "Faking It" reek of Bowie or Pete Shelley, with slashing wit and rapid-fire rock-outs. Meanwhile, cuts such as "I'm Watching You" feature even older influences in their Mersey-influenced melodies. Goofy, charming, dicey and weird, Reatard's Watch Me Fall might just be summer's sunniest effort.

- A.D. Amorosi

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Jay Reatard and TV Smith of The Adverts play at 10 p.m. Saturday, at Johnny Brenda's, 1201 N. Frankford Ave. Tickets: $12. Phone: 866-468-7619, wwwr5productions.com

Rosanne Cash

Rosanne Cash has earned many adjectives in her 30-year recording career, but the best-earned over the past decade is undoubtedly "brave." True, since leaving Nashville (both physically and metaphorically) in the early 1990s, Johnny Cash's eldest daughter has yet to revisit the commercial heights of her '80s country music fame. But the move gave rise to a series of increasingly compelling albums, including 2006's devastatingly personal treatise on loss, Black Cadillac. The 54-year-old Cash has proven herself as durable and as outspoken an artist as her late father. He gave teenage Rosanne a list of essential country songs that's at the heart of her upcoming (and aptly titled) CD, The List. For Thursday's show at the Keswick, she will be accompanied by hubby/multi-instrumentalist/producer Jon Leventhal. Some real musical magic should transpire when Cash previews some tracks from the 12-song List, which includes tunes made famous by everyone from Patsy Cline ("She's Got You") to the Man In Black himself ("Long Black Veil").

- Nicole Pensiero

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Rosanne Cash with Stephen Kellogg play at 8 p.m. Thursday at the Keswick Theatre, 291 N. Keswick Ave. Tickets: $35. Phone: 215-572-7650, www.keswicktheatre.com

Amy Speace

There's something about breaking up that often inspires an artist's deepest and most moving work. That's certainly the case with Amy Speace and The Killer in Me. The set is largely inspired by the breakup of the former actress' 10-year marriage, and as the title hints, it takes a pretty unsparing and soul-baring approach. The raw emotions, however, are balanced by graceful lyricism and folk-rock songcraft. Speace is accompanied by her band, the Tearjerks, which includes singer-guitarist James Mastro. In other words, it's not surprising that Speace records for Judy Collins' Wildflower Records.

- Nick Cristiano

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Amy Speace plays at 8 p.m. tonight at World Cafe Live, 3025 Walnut St. Tickets: $15. Phone: 215-222-1400.