The art of the solo disc is a tricky science. Does the artist put a mile or a mole hill between themselves and their band persona? Or do they just amp it up a bit? Amy Ray, of the Indigo Girls, for instance, lets her riot grrrl side reign on her solo efforts.

Gwen Stefani, of No Doubt, starts out by exploring her dance diva side with “What You Waiting For?”, the opening track on Love, Angel, Music, Baby (Interscope), her highly anticipated solo album. I think I might have actually preferred more of this, but before you know it, she’s teamed up with Eve for a bit of yid-hop on which she revises “If I Were A Rich Man” from Fiddler On The Roof, and comes up with “Rich Girl.” I can’t even imagine Stefani playing Tevye’s wife Golde in a high school production of Fiddler, but somehow she pulls this one off without a hitch. “Hollaback Girl” sounds like later No Doubt, but it has enough of a hip-hop vibe to be different. “Bubble Pop Electric” has a touch of the electro, and “The Real Thing” could also qualify as a new wave revival track (don’t forget, Stefani and No Doubt did cover Talk Talk’s “It’s My Life”). Stefani’s duet with Outkast’s Andre 3000 displays yet another side. Unfortunately, too much variety leaves the final product over-spiced.

Judging from the blue-eyed soul mindset of the songs on Beautiful Now (Sweet Woo), Maria Christensen, former lead singer of 3rd Party, sounds like she is intent on leaving the dance diva part of her past behind her. It’s worth noting that Christensen, who has penned hits for Jennifer Lopez and others, wrote or co-wrote all 10 tracks, the best of which is “Someone To Someone,” which has the timeless quality of R&B.

Clear across the spectrum, Happiness In Magazines (Astralwerks), the latest solo effort by Blur guitarist Graham Coxon, is a blazing affair that rocks hard right out of the gate. Nearly half of the songs are performed by Coxon, making this a true solo affair with occasional piano and keyboard, strings and vocal assistance from some guest musicians. Coxon sticks close to the Blur formula, creating a disc of modern rock songs that are at once familiar and new.

Also releasing another solo album is Ian Brown, front man of the Stone Roses. Solarized (Koch) opens with Brown sounding like he is in search of some instant karma on “Longshot M13.” Since the Stone Roses were notable for the way they incorporated dance rhythms into their rock basis, it comes as no surprise that Brown maintains that same sensibility on tracks such as “Time Is My Everything,” “One Way Ticket To Paradise,” the instrumental “Happy Ever After,” exclusive U.S. bonus track “Love Bug,” and especially “Kiss Ya Lips (No I.D.).”

Like Ian Brown’s Stone Roses, Tim Burgess’ Oasis-predecessors Charlatans U.K. weren’t afraid to give their listeners something to dance to. Burgess hasn’t lost that energy either and displays it on occasion on his solo debut album I Believe (Koch), where the man who once sang “Jesus Hairdo” now declares his belief in JC. The dance direction is most obvious on “Only A Boy,” “Oh My Corazon” and “Say Yes.” Burgess also has an ear for the retro scene as you can hear on “We All Need Love” and “Po’ Boy Soul,” as well as the western tune on “Be My Baby” and “Years Ago.”

Of all the solo albums here, Yr Atal Genhedlaeth (Rough Trade/Placid Casual) by Gruff Rhys is asking the most of the listener. Rhys, lead vocalist of Welsh band Super Furry Animals, has done the daring thing and released an album sung entirely in Welsh. This is not the first time Rhys has challenged his fans. SFA released a Welsh-language album in 2000. So, while the music itself is undeniably accessible, whether listeners will gravitate towards a disc of 11 songs sung in a somewhat exotic tongue remains to be seen.

How much appeal Gemstones (Rough Trade), the latest solo album by Adam Green, will have to listeners will most likely depend on how they feel about Green’s band The Moldy Peaches, because a similar attitude is at work here. The affected naïveté of Green’s work raises questions about how much of a novelty effort this is (see “Crackhouse Blues” and “Chubby Princess”) and how seriously Green takes himself. The only thing this doesn’t include is an apology.

On Naughty Melodic (ATO) former Soul Coughing front man Mike Doughty returns with a vengeance. A fully fleshed out band album, Doughty has forsaken samples and bizarre instrumentation for a more organic sounding effort. Doughty’s voice is still an acquired taste, but the initiated will notice there is something more melodic in his delivery. Somewhat more user-friendly than his earlier solo efforts, Naughty Melodic gives Doughty an opportunity to reach a much broader audience with ease.

Donny Osmond released his first solo album when Gwen Stefani was 2 years old. More than 30 years later, after an inexplicably successful TV variety show in the ‘70s and a run as Joseph in a touring production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Osmond has once again returned to the recording studio. With the exception of opening track “Breeze On By” which sounds like it borrows from George Benson’s “Breezin,” What I Meant To Say(Decca) is, how do I say this nicely, a crashing bore.