A karaoke caravan has just pulled into the station, bursting with a cover cache that spills out new interpretations of standards and Rock classics. Four such recently-released projects have caught my attention, with Pat DiNizio's classy cocktail lounge croon topping the list. Big thumbs up to Fuel 2000 Records for putting the Smithereens founder in such a intimate, spotlight setting with pianist Jay Rowe as they pensively ply their talents through sixteen selections from the American songbook. Entitled simply This Is Pat DiNizio, the twilight hour is candlelit with the opening selection, The Beatles' "For No One," and exposes the working-class rocker's softer side with cover picks like John Barry's 007 theme, "You Only Live Twice," Burt Bacharach's "This Guy's In Love With You," The Association's "Everything That Touches You," Henry Mancini's "Days of Wine and Roses" and Sylvia Dee's "The End of the World." Two of his own band's compositions get the brandy-sniffer-for-tips treatment as bonus tracks -"Blue Period" and "Behind the Wall of Sleep." ... Def Leppard is gearing up for a summer arena tour with Journey to support their new Yeah! CD. While the Island Records CD doesn't stray far from the original versions, picks like T. Rex's undeniable "20th Century Boy" and Sweet's "Hellraiser" are sure to rock the crowds as fun encores. More highlights include Blondie's 1978 hit, "Hanging On the Telephone" and David Essex's 1973 smash "Rock On," as well as lesser-known selections like "Street Life" by Roxy Music and "He's Gonna Step On You Again" by John Kongos. ... Neil Diamond gets 14 of his best songs performed by an odd lot of artists on Forever Neil Diamond, featuring the must-have inclusion of Urge Overkill's take on "Girl, You'll Be a Woman Soon" from the Pulp Fiction soundtrack. Weird but true -- alongside hits like The Monkees' "A Little Bit Me, a Little Bit You" and UB40's "Red Red Wine," can you believe Deep Purple cut a version of "Kentucky Woman" or that The Four Tops declared "I'm a Believer?" Other more modern interpretations include the Crooked Fingers' "Solitary Man" and Shane McGowan's "Cracklin' Rosie." ... Koch Records has resurrected a lost tribute album in the Big Star salute Big Star, Small World, featuring Matthew Sweet, The Posies, Juliana Hatfield, Whiskeytown, Teenage Fanclub and more bowing down to the Alex Chilton-led Pop phenomenon. Originally conceived by Ignition Records in 1998, the original package features one new inclusion -- The Afghan Whigs' cover of "Nightime."

Television Alert
The Late Show with David Letterman hosts Rob Zombie Wednesday. The Tonight Show with Jay Leno enlists Fort Minor Wednesday and The Flaming Lips Thursday. Late Night with Conan O'Brien boasts Gnarls Barkley Wednesday, Peeping Tom Friday, LL Cool J Monday and Trey Anastasio Tuesday. And look for Jewel slumming in the soaps on next Wednesday's The Young and the Restless, performing two songs.

New Releases Coming Tuesday
The 1900s - Plume Delivery (Parasol) my pick of the week is this sunny cobblestone stroll from an infectious Chicago sextet, carefree with a cool Velvet Underground sleepiness, all sharing a bed together like Fleetwood Mac; Theresa Andersson - Theresa Andersson (Basin Street) five-song EP featuring her cover of Lucinda Williams' "Jackson"; Asobi Seksu - Citrus (Friendly Fire); Sophie Barker - Earthbound (Emperor) domestic issue from the Zero 7 vocalist, produced by Robin Guthrie of the Cocteau Twins; Boards of Canada - Trans Canada Highway (Warp) CD EP featuring a remix of "Dayvan Cowboy" by Odd Nosdam, with a limited number of copies bearing a bonus DVD of the song's video; Les Claypool - Of Whales and Woe (Prawn Song) keeping busy with his debut novel, South of the Pumphouse, due next month from Akashic Books and his "Spinal Tap-ish" mockumentary, Electric Apricot: Quest for Festeroo, making the film festival circuit, this new solo album from the Primus founder features the wildly unique Gabby La La; Crash Romeo - Minutes To Miles (Trustkill) look for limited copies of the CD to feature a free T-shirt; James Luther Dickinson - Jungle Jim and the Voodoo Tiger (Memphis International) Jim Dickinson's "jukebox of my mind," backed by his sons, Cody and Luther, and guitarist Alvin Youngblood Hart; Marva King - Soul Sistah (Expansion) import-only from the New Power Generation vocalist; Jas. Mathus - Old School Hot Wings (219 Records) new jugband Blues from the former Squirrel Nut Zippers co-founder, with guests Luther and Cody Dickinson; Peeping Tom - Peeping Tom (Ipecac); The Procussions - 5 Sparrows for 2 Cents (Rawkus) new Hip Hop trio featuring Talib Kweli; Rescue Me - original television series soundtrack (Nettwerk) personally compiled by Dennis Leary, featuring the Von Bondies' theme and tracks from The Twilight Singers, Our Lady Peace and the Brian Jamestown Massacre; Marilyn Scott - Innocent of Nothing (Prana Entertainment) with guests George Duke, Jimmy Haslip and Patrice Rushen, and a jazzy cover of Bob Dylan's "It's Alright Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)"; Silverstein - 18 Candles: The Early Years (Victory) 18-track collection of live and acoustic rarities, and the band's "Summer's Stellar Gaze" and "When the Shadows Beam" EP's from 2000 and 2002; Snow Patrol - Songs For Polar Bears (Jeepster) first time in the USA for this 1999 debut, expanded with nine bonus tracks; George Thorogood and the Destroyers - The Hard Stuff (Eagle Rock) all new featuring covers of Fats Domino's "Hello Josephine" and John Lee Hooker's "Huckle Up Baby"; Various Artists - 80's Hits Stripped (Sidewinder) all-acoustic compilation that gets mellow with John Waite's "Missing You," Asia's "Heat of the Moment" and Howard Jones' "No One Is to Blame."