Pop Music : Record Rack : In Brief

* * * Spain, “She Haunts My Dreams,” Restless. Even with four years between the L.A. combo’s debut and this follow-up, breakthroughs and epiphanies should not be expected; subtlety and nuance are leader Josh Haden’s currency. What he has done is hone his writing to deceptively straightforward torch-jazz with country overtones (think Elvis Costello) that may be subdued but rarely calming. As the title says, these dreams are haunted.

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Albums are rated on a scale of one star (poor), two stars (fair), three stars (good) and four stars (excellent). The albums are already released unless otherwise noted.