Record Rack

** 1/2 The Simpsons, “The Yellow Album,” Geffen. With characteristic humor and a little help from their friends, the Simpsons explore their inner natures in this potpourri of pop, funk and hip-hop. Naturally, Bart steals the show with his rap against romance (“Love?”), but Lisa gets to jam with both the P-Funk All-Stars and Heart’s Ann and Nancy Wilson. Crooning with Marge, Homer strikes a funny/touching chord on “Every Summer With You” that he and Linda Ronstadt don’t quite hit in their pragmatic take on Willie Nelson’s “Funny How Time Slips Away.”

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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.