Matthew Sweet's essential 1991 power-pop tour-de-force gets its high-res due on Intervention's Expanded Edition release. In addition to including the original CD release's 15 tracks, this hybrid CD/SACD includes three demo tracks not included on the original release- "Good Friend," "Superdeformed" and "Teenage Female."

The shear breadth and diversity of artists gathered for this benefit project, Sweet Relief: A Benefit for Victoria Williams, is a tribute to the affection Victoria Williams' peers had for her. It conveniently also makes for heady listening for any fan of contemporary music. The hard, brittle edges of Soul Asylum ("Summer of Drugs") and Buffalo Tom ("Merry Go Round") stand shoulder to shoulder with the country-folk of Lucinda Williams ("Main Road") and Maria McKee (an inspired and riveting "Opelousas (Sweet Relief)"). Sweet Relief offers a unique opportunity to introduce yourself to an enduring songwriter while savoring some of the day's most intriguing musicians. How sweet it is!

Matthew Sweet played in bands in Athens, Georgia as that scene exploded, collaborating with R.E.M.’s Michael Stipe, playing in Linda Stipe’s Oh-OK, and The Buzz Of Delight. That work scooped him up into the major label world making countless acclaimed solo records, forming the supergroup The Thorns with Shawn Mullins and Pete Droge, and beginning a series of covers albums with The Bangles’ Susannah Hoffs. Now, it’s time for Matthew to just plain rock out by himself again.

A benefit album for abortion rights, Born to Choose features an almost standard cast of alternative musicians (including R.E.M., Natalie Merchant, Matthew Sweet, Bob Mould, and Soundgarden) supporting the most overtly political of all recent tribute collections. Born to Choose would be meaningless if the music was weak. Even though it is the standard mix of outtakes, B-sides, and live tracks, the music is worth the price, with R.E.M. & Natalie Merchant's "Photograph," Pavement's "Greenlander," and Sweet's "She Said, She Said" being the major highlights.