Periodically, we miss getting reviews in of local CDs when they're initially released, either because of space constraints, scheduling conflicts or timeliness. But we still want to let the listening public know about worthy locally-produced albums. We'll be using this space to catch up on the best local CDs from time to time. Here's the latest batch, submitted for your approval.

· In the Rough is the debut album from Cincinnati's Diamond Blue. The veteran musicians of Diamond Blue are all singers and songwriters, which lends In the Rough a distinct diversity that skips from Rock to Country to Folk, with occasional elements of Celtic and Blues thrown in for good measure. At their core, the songs on In the Rough are polite, enunciated and well-crafted, with the acoustic accoutrements (fiddles, mandolins, guitars) lending an earthy, endearing quality. One of the band's strongest suits is their proficient harmony skills, which are especially sharp on "Coat Pocket," one of the album's more creative tracks from a songwriting standpoint, meshing Doo Wop harmonies, Beatles-y structures (a sitar!) and an innocent Folk/Pop charm. Other highlights include the sweeping, urgent Celtic Folk of "Everything and Nothing," and the plaintive, lush "In My Heart." You can catch Diamond Blue this Friday at 7 p.m. at the Starbucks in Fort Thomas, KY.

· Local Jazz duo Paul Hawthorne (vocals, vibes) and Don Steins (piano, sax, flute) enlisted local musicians Danny Cecil (bass), Philip Paul (drums), Jeff Dobbins (percussion) and Bill Gemmer (trombone) for their slick, new self-titled CD. The album mostly consists of standards ("Over the Rainbow," "Night and Day"), delivered with precision and a lounge-y cool. Because of its velvety demeanor, one could call this Smooth Jazz (as Oscar Treadwell does in the liner notes). But the duo refreshingly doesn't rely on that synthesized, cold sound that seems to exemplify Contemporary Jazz these days. Instead, the band goes for an organic, traditional feel, with the production so intimate you can occasionally hear the pop of Cecil's fingers pulling the strings of his upright. The Pop standards are done lovingly and with soul, but they also masterfully glide across elegant arrangements of Jazz classics like "Scrabble From the Apple" (featuring a deft workout on the vibraphone from Hawthorne) and the Calypso-infused "St. Thomas" by Sonny Rollins. Hawthrone and Steins perform Thursdays at the Celestial, and they will be at Margo's Restaurant this Saturday.

· You won't be able to catch local Indie Rock group The Minor Leagues this weekend because, well, they don't play live shows just yet. The group was started last year as a songwriting outlet for Ben Walpole. Since Walpole wasn't a musician -- writing songs and arrangements by putting them on a pocket tape recorder -- he enlisted friend Patrick Helmes to be his musical eyes and ears (they are currently looking for other musicians to form a live version of the band). It sounds like an inevitable disaster, but the duo's debut release, Be Kind To Beginners, is actually pretty amazing. The record is charmingly playful, especially on the punk-ish "Bohemian by the Numbers," with its spoken break-down, and "Plate Tectonics," a buoyant little Pop ditty with a dissertation on the title subject as an outro. But while the group can be frisky and you sometimes feel like you've stepped into an inside joke, Walpole's songwriting and Helmes' arranging abilities save the album from novelty status. This is solid stuff from start to finish. Highlights are plentiful, including "Cigarette Baby," a winking anti-smoking anthem with a candy-store Stooges vibe, and the album closer "End," an ultra lo-fi bouncer that has a little of that Strokes-ian magic. As far as homemade Indie Pop goes, The Minor Leagues do it as well as anybody. Here's hoping they get that live band going and it's as ridiculously irresistible as Be Kind To Beginners. If you want more info on the band (and you should), check out www.minorleaguesmusic.com.