SOUND CHECK POP.

``Songs in the Key of X''/Various

Television program tie-in discs, like most tribute albums, usually aren't worth the aluminum they're recorded on.

``Songs in the Key of X,'' an offshoot of the confoundingly popular UFO soaper ``The X-Files,'' is a rare exception because of the unusual quality and rarity of the tracks.

Much of the credit for the success of ``Key of X'' collaborations like Elvis Costello and Brian Eno's engrossing seven-minute ``My Dark Life,'' R.E.M. and William Burroughs' ``Star Me Kitten'' or the Alice Cooper-Rob Zombie track must go to former Was Not Was member David Was, executive producer of the project.

The running theme of the album is the unexplained; Was says the artists involved were inspired by the TV show. So, what we have, if you will, are 15 variations on the theme of X, by artists ranging from PM Dawn to Sheryl Crow to Screamin' Jay Hawkins to the Foo Fighters.

Nothing sinister about it - ``Songs in the Key of X'' (Warner Bros.) is more imaginative than the show that inspired it. Three Stars

SOURCE: - Fred Shuster

Tracy Bonham/``The Burdens of Being Upright''

Boston singer-songwriter Tracy Bonham is part of the post-Alanis, Angry Young Woman blitz, but her major-label debut (Island) displays more substance then that of her mega-selling predecessor. On ``One Hit Wonder,'' the violinist/guitarist accurately describes how the industry can pigeonhole an artist: ``If ever a girlie wonder/Could ever be more than just one thing/Yeah, more than just one thing at a time.''

Bonham's strength is her deceptively sweet vocals - a trait she shares with Beantown neighbors Juliana Hatfield and Letters to Cleo's Kay Hanley - while she never succumbs to toothlessness. On songs like ``The Real'' and ``Kisses,'' Bonham displays as many hooks as she does attitude. But these moments are few, and ``Burdens'' is often weighed down by crowd-pleasing antics such as tanked-up grunge guitars and college-lit melodrama. Two Stars

SOURCE: - Sara Sherr

Michael McDermott/``Michael McDermott''

MichaelMcDermott opens his melodic third album (EMI) with ``Bells,'' a galloping anthem reminiscent of ``Joshua Tree''-era U2. He then offers a gem of a ballad, ``Forever,'' that maintains a lover's sunny optimism in the face of long odds. He charges through ``Forgotten,'' an expression of faith notable for its surging, epic feel, as well as its religious imagery. And before too many songs have gone by, he reels off a nostalgic little single, ``Summer Days,'' that's catchy enough to stand next to its model, Bruce Springsteen's ``Glory Days.''

But Chicago singer/songwriter McDermott is no mere copycat. Sure, some of his themes have served the greats, but the songs explore all kinds of important stuff - momentary heroism, unexpected tenderness and plain old joy - without sounding derivative. Three Stars

SOURCE: - Tom Moon

Mark Knopfler/``Golden Heart''

Dire Straits' mastermind Mark Knopfler is coy when asked if this solo album signals the end of his widely popular band. But fans, ``Golden Heart'' (Warner Bros.) is Dire Straits.

Knopfler's guitar and songwriting is so intrinsically linked with that group's sound, echoes of it resonate through this CD - the jaunty ``Cannibals'' recalls ``Walk of Life,'' and the rocker ``No Can Do'' would have fit on ``Brothers in Arms.'' Yet these are ``Golden Heart's'' slighter songs, lacking the crisp urgency of Straits' upbeat material.

Knopfler wrote 1982's ``Love Over Gold'' to symbolize artistry over commercialism; ``Golden Heart'' brings his concept to fruition, appealing to the head and the heart. Three Stars

SOURCE: - Howard Cohen 

JAZZ Shirley Horn/``The Main Ingredient''

Singer Shirley Horn is a goddess who blooms at deliciously slow tempos. She outdoes herself here with soft, smoky cadences and an economical piano style that compels attention. The space she leaves around her vocals - the stop-and-start phrasing - creates a cocoon of sly and swinging tones.

This predictably star-studded CD (Verve) features Horn with her trio members, drummer Steve Williams and bassist Charles Ables. Roy Hargrove's flugelhorn matches Horn's poignancy. Tenor saxophonist Joe Henderson does a cameo on a breathy, late-night take of ``You Go to My Head.'' Horn might not be the most athletic singer around, but she lingers, as that song says, ``like a haunting refrain ... like the bubbles in a glass of champagne.'' Four Stars

SOURCE: - Karl Stark

COUNTRY Old and in the Way/``That High Lonesome Sound''

Mandolin magician David Grisman has a national treasure - and a foot-stomping swell time - in ``That High Lonesome Sound'' (Acoustic Disc), an addendum to short-lived bluegrass specialists Old and in the Way's remarkably well-received original live release from 1975.

It's a trip hearing Jerry Garcia play second fiddle, if you will, to Grisman and former Bill Monroe's Blue Grass Boys' Vassar Clements on fiddle and Peter Rowan on guitar and lead vocals. A trained ear can pick out Garcia's banjo, an instrument he was weaned from and struggled to remaster for Old and in the Way's nine-month stint in 1973 on ``Hard Hearted,'' ``Lost'' and ``Catfish John.''

The quintet - John Kahn strums the stand-up bass - hits all cylinders, and overdrive, on the Monroe standard ``Uncle Pen,'' ``Orange Blossom Special'' and the title song, Rowan's anthem to bluegrass festivals.

Grisman will perform April 25 at UCLA's Wadsworth Theatre. Four Stars

SOURCE: - Brett Pauly

CAPTION(S):

4 Photos

Photo: (1) Tracy Bonham displays hooks and attitude on h er debut, ``The Burdens of Being Upright.''

(2) Michael McDermott takes on some of life's big themes on his eponymous third album.

(3) It's not Dire Straits, but close to it on guitarist-songwriter Mark Knopfler's new ``Golden Heart.''

(4) Shirley Horn's capable trio is joined by a list of all-star instrumentalists on ``The Main Ingredient.''