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Jill Scott/``Who Is Jill Scott? Words and Sounds Vol. 1'' (Hidden Beach)

Questions about Scott's identity are being answered in the pop albums charts where her enticing self-titled debut is rising rapidly. The Philly- based singer-poet, who penned the Roots' Grammy-winning ``You Got Me'' (sung by Erykah Badu), mixes soothing song with poetry, bypasses samples in favor of live musicians and channels classic soul on such hook-laden winners as the gospel-tinged ``Gettin' in the Way'' and the spoken-word styled ``Love Rain.''

Calling on the savvy production talents of DJ Jazzy Jeff and others, Scott has hit on a timely formula, fusing r&b, jazz, blues and hip-hop with a warm '70s feel. Comparisons have been drawn with Badu, Lauryn Hill and Macy Gray - but this Jill is as special as those artists. Hidden Beach, incidentally, is retired NBA star Michael Jordan's label. Three and one half stars

<- Fred Shuster

Tahiti 80/``Puzzle'' (Minty Fresh)

This jazzy French quartet pays tribute to velvety '60s pop by the likes of the Kinks, Bacharach and the Zombies on this modern-sounding debut. The group's dance-music sensibility, best expressed on the wonderful track ``Heartbeat'' (sung in fractured English), and jangly mid-'80s pop influences make this one of the freshest retro records of the year. Hear it once and you'll be saying, oui, oui, too. Band appears tonight at the Troubadour. Three stars

- F.S.

Ryan Adams/``Heartbreaker'' (Bloodshot)

If you've been heartbroken over the merger-based delay of the poetic country rock band Whiskeytown's new album, lead singer Ryan Adams' solo debut will help you feel bad in a very good way.

Consisting of material written in response to a romantic breakup, the disc is rich with resonantly surreal evocations of loneliness, longing and unfounded hope. The style recipe is one part Gram Parsons (Emmylou Harris harmonizes on the haunting lost-soul ballad ``Oh My Sweet Carolina'') to two parts '60s Dylan (ranting lead guitar on ``To Be Young Is to Be Sad, Is to Be High,'' sharp bitter lyrics on ``Bartering Lines'' and ``Come Pick Me Up,'' scruffy harmonica flourishes all over the place), with a dash of Beatles psychedelia and all spilled on the rocks of post-grunge depression.

And Adams' voice, both craggy and crystalline, tremulous yet death-grip sure on every line's emotional complexity, intrigues through each unique phrasing. These songs may have been made in a dispirited state, but the album's really something to get happy about. Four stars

- Bob Strauss

Soundtrack/``Survivor'' (TVT)

If you dug the faux-Martin Denny exoticism in the soundtrack to the just-concluded CBS summer ``reality'' series, here's a whole 19-track CD of the stuff. With titles like ``Tally the Vote,'' the disc seems more useful as background to your own personal desert isle odyssey. But while the new age drone does get tiring after a while, in the right circumstances - say, while sporting a loincloth and dancing around a backyard bonfire - there just may be inspiration to be found within these grooves. Two stars

- F.S.

Ramblin' Jack Elliott/``The Ballad of Ramblin' Jack'' (Vanguard)

This isn't the first place you'd want to go to learn about the singing cowboy with the sandpaper voice; Vanguard has an excellent collection, ``The Essential Ramblin' Jack Elliott,'' that serves that purpose. But for anyone who has seen the charming new documentary about Elliott, as well as fans looking for outtakes and rare tracks, this is an excellent compilation. The 20-song collection includes previously unreleased duets with Johnny Cash, Woody Guthrie and Bob Dylan as well as recently performed live versions of Ramblin' Jack staples like ``Cuckoo'' and Dylan's ``Don't Think Twice, It's Alright.'' This is a real charmer from a one-of-a-kind American legend. Three stars

- Glenn Whipp

Various/``Route 50: Driving New Roots For 50 Years'' (Vanguard)

Vanguard's 50th anniversary sampler consists of one mostly spectacular CD and one that's comparatively mediocre. Do you really need to be told whether the classic stuff or the promo disc for the current roster is the better collection?

CD 1 is a vigorous journey through the storied indie label's ``Sessions Series'' archives. It's a glorious tribute, not only to the musical mastery of Chicago blues greats (James Cotton, Charlie Musselwhite, Junior Wells), classic folk pairings (Ian & Sylvia, Maria Muldaur and Jim Kweskin, Mimi and Richard Farina), blues shouters (Odetta, Big Mama Thornton) and other roots heroes, but also to the label's lasting commitment to excellent sound recording; the old analog stuff remasters beautifully to 20-bit digital.

The newer artists on disc 2 are generally less impressive than their forbearers, though. Best of this bunch are eclectic singer-songwriter Patty Larkin and two of the better tunes from Ian Tyson's latest cowboy album. Three stars

- B.S.

Various/``Rollin' Into Memphis: Songs of John Hiatt'' (Telarc)

Here, top blues and r&b artists such as James Cotton and Irma Thomas gather to pay homage to one of pop's great tunesmiths. Such well-crafted Hiatt songs as ``The River Knows Your Name,'' covered by singer-guitarist Colin Linden, and ``Old Habits,'' done by New Orleans soul queen Thomas, work well in this gritty setting, offering a fresh take on Hiatt's compositional genius. Three stars

- F.S.

Elastica/``The Menace'' (Atlantic)

The new six-piece Elastica finally offers a sequel to its 1995 Britpop debut, which spawned the spikey alt-rock hit ``Connection.'' Still led by photogenic singer-guitarist Justine Frischmann, the London-based band goes for a darker, more immediate effect here and standout cuts ``Nothing Stays the Same'' and ``My Sex'' bode well for the future. The only false note: a cover of Trio's 1982 hit ``Da Da Da.'' Three stars

- F.S.

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