SOUND CHECK; SPOTLIGHT ON...NO DOUBT.

NO DOUBT/``Return of Saturn'' (Trauma/Interscope)

Orange County's No Doubt hasn't released an album in four years, which might well be a lifetime ago, given the short attention span of today's pop audience. This isn't the same ska-driven band that sold 6 million copies of its last album, ``Tragic Kingdom.'' Singer Gwen Stefani is no longer ``just a girl.'' She's a young woman longing for ``a simple man, so I could be a wife,'' wondering at times about mortality, her inner makeup and ``who will be the one to marry me?''

Clearly, turning 30 inspired some reflection. And that's great news, provided No Doubt's core audience of teens is willing to grow along with the band. Producer Glen Ballard (Alanis Morissette, Aerosmith) has guided the group (appearing April 14 at the Universal Amphitheatre) into highly melodic, hook-driven territory, but there's still some punchy ska-punk to please longtime fans. Quite simply, ``Return of Saturn'' is a great pop record with enough radio-friendly songs to become a long-playing commercial hit. Incidentally, two of its tracks - ``New,'' from last year's ``Go'' soundtrack, and the current ``Ex-Girlfriend''- are already smashes. Maturity has rarely sounded so good. In stores Tuesday. Three and one half stars

- Glenn Whipp

LOU REED/``Ecstasy'' (Reprise)

Lou Reed has made exactly three great albums since the Velvet Underground - namely ``Transformer,'' ``Songs for Drella'' and ``New York.'' For the past decade, he's apparently been more concerned with his guitar sound than writing strong material. ``Ecstasy'' (the disc has nothing to do with the designer drug of the same name) drones on at length, making you wish for the return of vinyl at a compact 20 minutes a side. The tuneless Reed is another one of those guys who's been told he's a genius so much he feels he can churn out anything and the faithful will lap it up. Here, smilin' Lou's grating guitar mimicks a gas-powered leaf blower revving up just off camera, ensuring there will be few return visits to tracks like ``Paranoia Key of E,'' ``Mystic Child'' and the dreadful 18-minute dirge ``Like a Possum'' (opening line: ``Good morning, it's possum day!''). The song ``Mad,'' meanwhile, while perfectly summing up Reed's mental state, suggests all is not possums at chez Lou, which he shares with partner Laurie Anderson: ``Scum, you said I was scum/What a very lovely effeminate thing to do.'' One star

- Fred Shuster

EELS/``Daisies of the Galaxy'' (DreamWorks)

Eels leader E (Mark Everett) is a rarity - a smart guy with a pop sensibility who's equally adept at wry humor and heart-withering poignancy. ``Electro-Shock Blues,'' the Eels' previous effort, was a near-perfect concept album about death and rebirth. While the new disc is more chipper, it's not as cosmic-sounding as its title suggests. Everett's new tunes - ``Grace Kelly Blues,'' ``The Sound of Fear,'' ``Mr. E's Beautiful Blues''- remain irrepressibly catchy, often belying the sometimes-bittersweet lyrics. In the past, Everett has gone in for production values and sampling, but here the music is less layered and easier on the ear. Given his songwriting skill, the material more than holds up. Three stars

- David Kronke

VARIOUS/``Luaka Bop 10th Anniversary: Zero Accidents on the Job'' (Luaka Bop)

Various/``Voices of the Real World''(Real World)

David Byrne's two-disc Luaka Bop compilation covers a lot of ground, including great stuff like Fatboy Slim's remix of Cornershop's ``Brimful of Asha,'' Zap Mama's delicate ``Rafiki,'' Susana Baca's sorrowful ``Maria Lando,'' Lenine's ``Hoje Eu Quero Sair So'' and Jorge Ben's driving ``Ponta de Lanca Africano (Umbabarauma).'' Recommended. Three and one half stars

Peter Gabriel's Real World anthology focuses on the label's remarkable stable of singers, ranging from Tibetan Yungchen Lamo's gorgeous ``Happiness is...'' to gospel by the Holmes Brothers, Gaelic meditations from Iarla O Lionaird and pulsing African pop by Remmy Ongala. The best track is Gabriel's collaboration with the late Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, to whom the album is dedicated. Not every moment on the disc reaches this level, but there's a ton of wonderful stuff reminding us that great music comes from many corners of the globe. Three stars

- David Bloom

STEVIE RAY VAUGHAN and Double Trouble/``Blues at Sunrise'' (Epic)

Vaughan has released more albums dead than alive, which finally places him in the same league as Jimi Hendrix. This posthumous collection features 10 slow blues tunes, including two previously unreleased tracks, ending with a 15-minute live jam with the Texas guitarist's mentor, the late Albert King. ``Blues at Sunrise,'' though, is a nicely realized album, particularly if you feel Vaughan was at his best playing slow and gritty on songs such as ``Dirty Pool'' and the Kenny Burrell instrumental ``Chitlins Con Carne.'' Of the newly issued tunes, an outtake of Elmore James' ``The Sky Is Crying'' is a winner while the Vaughan-King summit that gives the disc its title is worth the price of admission. Three stars

- F.S.

VARIOUS/``At Home With the Groovebox'' (Grand Royal)

The Roland MC-505 Groovebox is a programmable synthesizer designed for creating hip-hop, house, techno and futuristic dance music styles. This band in a box was given to a range of imaginative artists, including Beck, Pavement, Money Mark, Air, Cibo Matto, Sonic Youth and Sean Lennon to see what they'd come up with. The very wonderful ``At Home With the Groovebox'' is the result, a joyous collection of 14 strange items utilizing the machine's archive of vintage synth sounds. It's not all blips, bleeps and throbbing bass by any means. Air's ``Planet Vega,'' Cibo Matto's ``We Love Our Lawyers'' and Beck's ``Boyz'' are among those artists' most engaging creations. Three and one half stars

- F.S.

JOSHUA REDMAN/``Beyond'' (Warner Bros.)

For his seventh album, saxophonist Redman unveils 10 complex and alluring originals. Backed by a dynamic band that includes well-regarded pianist Aaron Goldberg, the muscular soloist and son of the great tenor man Dewey Redman handles both upbeat tunes and gently swinging numbers highlighted by a largely improvised double tenor sax reading (Mark Turner guests) of the nine-minute ``Leap of Faith.'' Opening track ``Courage (Asymmetric Aria)'' uses a tricky time signature and solid piano and bass groove to establish a rolling, hypnotic effect, while the playful ``Belonging (Lopsided Lullaby)'' lives up to its alternate title in an offbeat and fast-paced alto sax-piano exchange. One of Redman's sturdiest efforts. Three stars

- F.S.

NORMAN COOK/``The Fatboy Slim/Norman Cook Collection'' (Hip-O)

Even in his earliest endeavors with angry young rockers the Housemartins, producer-DJ Cook (aka Fatboy Slim) yearned to make party records. He got his wish with his next effort, the dance-oriented Beats International collective, whose samples, overdubs and multiple vocalists on the irresistible 1990 U.K. chart-topper ``Dub Be Good to Me'' paved the way for the worldwide success of Cook's Fatboy Slim persona. This anthology, which recently entered the Billboard 200, is composed of Cook's pre-Fatboy output, including terrific Beats International productions and remixes for A Tribe Called Quest, rapper-singer Shinehead and big-beat dance acts Wildchild and Lunatic Calm. The perfect companion to Fatboy's ``You've Come a Long Way, Baby.'' And he has. Three stars

- F.S.

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(1) no caption (No Doubt)

(2 -- 5) no caption (CD covers)