Xenia Rubinos/Punch Drunk Tagalongs/Fake Species

When recording her latest effort, Black Terry Cat, singer-songwriter Xenia Rubinos and longtime drummer Marco Buccelli, who produced the album, put in some long hours. Working with engineer Jeremy Loucas, they logged an average of 16 to 17 hours a day for five months to complete the disc. Named after “a giant black scraggly cat” that surprised Rubinos one night at her Brooklyn home, the album allows Rubinos to show how capably she can embrace different genres. She effortlessly shifts from R&B to hip-hop and jazz. The lively album opener, "Romeo," features electronic bleeps and blips along with soulful vocals, making it sound like a cross between Macy Gray and Aphex Twin. (Niesel)