Oldies get brand new?sort of It seems the Brand New Heavies are playing musical chairs again; luckily this time, N'Dea Davenport is the winner. For their upcoming album, Get Used to It, the British soulsters reunite with Davenport on their original label, Delicious, where she was first handpicked to front the band of acid jazz pioneers. The Heavies captured American audiences with the R&B hits like "Never Stop" and "Dream on Dreamer," a first for a British group in the US since Soul II Soul. While stateside, the group collaborated with revered hip-hop notables like Q-Tip and Gang Starr before Davenport sidestepped in 1998 to record a self-titled solo album. The Heavies continued to record and perform with the less charismatic Siedah Garrett, who never seemed to achieve the brilliance and balance Davenport offered. Their upcoming performance is a homecoming of sorts, as it is their first since Davenport's departure. They're on a new label, sort of, with a new lead singer?well, sort of. The only certainty is that they are reunited-so for now, get used to it! (Kevin R. Scott)
May 2. Bowery Ballroom, 6 Delancey Street (betw. Bowery and Chrystie Sts.), 212-533-2111; 8, $25adv/$30.
Freud in Vienna Shortly before fleeing Vienna in 1938 after the Nazis took over, an elderly Sigmund Freud allowed a photographer named Edmund Engelman into his apartment to photograph everything-his furniture, his knick-knacks, his antique collection-for history's sake. What Engelman created was not just a portrait of Freud by way of his objects, but a portrait of Viennese life in the '30s. Now as part of the celebration of Freud's 150th birthday, the Leica Gallery is exhibiting a number of these photos, together with photographs of Viennese architecture and street life from the same time. It was a glorious city. "Freud in Vienna" provides a snapshot of the world in which Freud lived-which is also, sadly, a world long gone. (Jim Knipfel)
Through June 3. Leica Gallery, 670 Broadway (at Bond St.), 212-777-3051; Tues-Saturday, 12-6, free.
Rub you the right way After Alain Macklovitch's bar mitzvah, he took his gift money and purchased a set of turntables. Then he practiced and practiced. At age 18, he retired. That A-Trak has won every major deejaying championship in the world, started his own record label and now tours with Kanye West. When you were 18 your sum total of life achievements numbered several ribbons from a box-car derby from fourth grade, a stuffed dragon won at Whack-A-Mole and a Most Improved Player plaque from Pop Warner football. Yes, the dude's a stud and his new DVD Sunglasses Is Must is proof positive of his all-around goodness. A pastiche of home video, live battle footage and self-interview, Sunglasses is both a testament to A-Trak's relentless documentary skill and his highly improbably adolescence. A-Trak compiled two hours of his various championship sets along with shout-outs from hip-hop's heavy hitters Peanut Butter Wolf, Q-Bert, Amp Fiddler, Money Mark and Prince Paul. When you get to his hobnobbing with John Legend and Kanye West on their private charter Lear GIV en route to New York or his lecture on the scratch notation system he created, you might be tempted to re-evaluate your life in its entirety. Sunglasses is totally self-indulgent because to be honest, A-Trak's life is just better than yours. (Jamin Warren)
April 28. Knitting Factory, 74 Leonard St. (betw. B'way & Church St.), 212-219-3132; 11, $10.
Who Shot Ya? Superficially, Rosalind Solomon's photos resemble the work of Diane Arbus-square format, relaxing portraits shot in highly personal environments, and so intimate they border on invasive-but unlike Arbus, ordinary people are the focus. Arbus' decision to obsessively focus on "freaks" (despite her sincere appreciate of their faults) has always felt, well, rather perverse. This guilt is absent with Solomon's work; beauty can be found outside the extreme. Perhaps this modesty is the direct result of her maturity. Solomon did not begin shooting seriously until 1968 when she was 38. The collection at the Foley Gallery, taken between 1976 and 2000, flicker between celebration and despair, but never feel staged. Some photos are snapped when the subjects are unaware, but most, like the work of Arbus, are shot well after the subject expects their picture to be taken. Sometimes this produces a sense of impatience, but usually there's a natural, relaxed vibe absent of all pose. Another point that distinguishes Solomon is the diversity in her subjects. While Arbus chose New York and the occasional Midwest adventure as her setting, Solomon travels the world. It's refreshing to see that this intimate style of portraiture works just as elegantly in Peru, Poland, South Africa and India. (Bret Liebendorfer)
Through June 3. Foley Gallery, 547 W. 27th St. (betw. 10th and 11th Aves.), 212-244-9081; Tues-Sat, 11-6, free.
Cabaret, anyone? As far as the entertainment business goes, there isn't much Diahann Carroll hasn't seen or done. Her talent and her tenacity have taken her from Broadway to Vegas to Hollywood and back again; she won an Emmy award and an Oscar nomination along the way, and even got to kick in some racial barriers, just for good measure. These days, Ms. Carroll is mostly recognized for her time on the small screen, with roles on A Different World and Soul Food, and a three-year stint on Dynasty back in the '80s. Given all that, it's easy to forget that she started out as a singer, right here at LaGuardia High School. She's since kept her chops sharp on the world's great stages, but now, after a 40-year hiatus, Ms. Carroll is reclaiming NYC's cabaret scene as her own. Her lifetime in the industry has left her with plenty of stories to tell, and the years have only served to heat her passions and deepen her convictions. This week is the end of her run at Feinstein's, so make it a point to scrape the cover together and witness another milestone in a legendary career. (Steven McCauley)
Through April 29. Feinstein's at the Regency, 540 Park Ave. (at E. 61st St.), 212-339-4095; 8:30, + Fri. & Sat. 11, $60 + $40 min.