SOUND CHECK.

TOM WAITS: ``Real Gone'' (Anti/Epitaph) - Three and one half stars

Gutbucket blues, rock-steady reggae and Afro-Caribbean rhythms underscore Waits' latest primal scream from the rusted Airstream of the mind parked next to Captain Beefheart's. ``Real Gone,'' the accidentally accessible, raucous sequel to `02's painfully conceptual ``Alice'' and ``Blood Money,'' mashes together the '80s Waits everyone loves with current obsessions like human beatbox voice percussion, turntables and an imaginative cast of hired hands (guitarist Marc Ribot as MVP) swerving through the muck like they've never heard of drivers ed. The familiar surrealism is accounted for in such incantations as ``Top of the Hill,'' but Waits becomes unexpectedly topical in ``Sins of My Father,'' ``Hoist That Rag'' and especially the mournful ``Day After Tomorrow,'' a soldier's lament unmistakably referencing the world situation. In creating this jarring, oddly likable sonic cubism, Waits has stumbled on something new. In stores Tuesday.

- Fred Shuster

JOE PASS: ``Virtuoso in New York'' (Pablo) - Four stars

The world of jazz guitar changed forever with the three ``Virtuoso'' discs Pass recorded without accompaniment between 1973 and '77. Here was a guitarist who could play any tune, in any key and at just about any tempo, providing his own chords and bass lines when needed. Pass never played from written arrangements, instead rendering an entire musical landscape that could - and did - change with every performance. ``Virtuoso in New York,'' recorded in 1975, is a worthy addition to Pass' substantial catalog. For a crash course in solo Joe, listen to ``The Way You Look Tonight,'' which moves from a ballad to a bebop road race and back. A virtuoso indeed.

- Steven Rosenberg

ANITA BAKER: ``My Everything'' (Blue Note) - Two and one half stars

Baker has been gone from the studio for 10 years, but you wouldn't know it from this comeback album, which sounds like the same old (same old) love. For her fans, it's a mixed blessing. Baker remains the Queen of the Quiet Storm radio format, delivering sophisticated urban soul with her still-supple alto voice. The problem is the material. Baker co-wrote seven of the nine songs here, and though the arrangements and her phrasing remain as classy as ever, there's an unmistakable blandness to the songs. Nobody expected - or perhaps even wanted - Baker to radically change her signature sound, but some small variations outside of a wrongheaded duet with Babyface would have been nice. Better songs would have helped, too. Maybe the decade between albums unrealistically inflated expectations. ``My Everything'' is listenable - but it just should have been more than that.

- Glenn Whipp

PO' GIRL: ``Vagabond Lullabies'' (Nettwerk) - Four stars

From somewhere out in the ether - well, Canada - Trish Klein (Be Good Tanyas), Allison Russell and Diona Davies check in with their second album of whispery harmonies, acoustic brews and oddly up-to-date, old-timey melodies. A few raps even emerge amid the country blues and retro folk influences, and the songs' stories run the gamut from grandma's immigrant adventures on the high prairie to the scolding of a little girl's part-time papa. And of course, several tunes, varied in tempo and emotional temperature, address the exhilaration and weirdness of moving along, destination undetermined.

- Bob Strauss

JILL SCOTT: ``Beautifully Human, Words and Sounds Vol. 2'' (Hidden Beach) - Three stars

This neo-soul singer opens her second studio effort by praising the joys of independence in ``I'm Not Afraid'' and ``Golden.'' But then Scott quickly admits ``The Fact Is (I Need You).'' It's all part of being ``Beautifully Human'' - and like most things human, it's a bit messy and long-winded. Not that there isn't some invigorating stuff here (most notably Scott's powerfully expressive vocals) and some interesting musical trips (the big-band-arranged ``Talk to Me''), but there also are a few snoozers among these 16 cuts. The childhood nostalgia of ``Family Reunion'' may ring true, but it comes across with the sincerity of a greeting card. Meanwhile, the opening chant ``Warm Up'' may be cute - about once.

- Rob Lowman

ENRICO RAVA: ``Easy Living'' (ECM) - Four stars

This reviewer first encountered Rava's trumpet in 1977 at Rome's Music Inn, a subterranean club that's among the world's great jazz spots. The atmosphere and wine didn't hurt, but Rava on his home turf was unforgettable. In a career that spans 40 years, he's cut more than 25 albums as a leader, mostly for European labels. Joined here by his fiery Italian band fueled by trombonist Gianluca Petrella and pianist Stefano Bollani, Rava's ``Easy Living,'' presents a thrilling, hard-hitting departure from the reflective ``crystal silence'' of most ECM releases. Along with the standard that gives the album its title, this intoxicating set offers a new look at Rava's ballad ``Blancasnow'' and an exciting, Miles-like ``Traveling Night.'' A contender for best jazz disc of the year.

- F.S.

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(1) no caption (Tom Waits)

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