In Brief

* * * Penelope Houston, “Cut You,” Reprise. Sturdily written and solidly played, the sixth album by the former Avengers leader is a tidy, tuneful collection of folky pop-rock that veers in mood from the perky optimism of “Sweetheart” to the mellow melancholy of “Waiting Room.” “Locket” glides along to a Latin-tinged beat while the title track, with its light country twang and darkly comic lyric, evokes a vindictive, post-punk incarnation of Patsy Cline.

Albums are rated on a scale of one star (poor), two stars (fair), three stars (good) and four stars (excellent).