SOUND CHECK.

FAITH EVANS: ``The First Lady'' (Capitol) - Four stars

Can't get enough of Evans' new single, ``Again''? Wait until you hear the rest of her classy, retro-soul-searching new disc (out Tuesday). It's driven by head-bobbing golden '70s grooves, fueled by funky synths (``Goin' Out,'' featuring Pharrell Williams and Pusha T) and swampy blues riffs, as well as Evans' scorching vocals (``Mesmerized''). A highlight is ``Hope,'' which appears on the ``Coach Carter'' soundtrack. The song features Evans as backup to hip-hop newcomer Twista as he wishes he could undo all pain and suffering from the world, including the murder of Evans' late husband, Notorious B.I.G. Now that's heavy.

- Sandra Barrera

WILLIE HIGHTOWER: ``Willie Hightower'' (Honest Jons/Astralwerks) - Three and one half stars

He's Southern soul music's forgotten man, possessor of a throaty gospel- rooted voice, Sam Cooke-style delivery and minuscule back catalog. Although he cut only three singles and one album in the '60s, Hightower's music is considered among the greatest r&b of the era - and until this fine collection from Blur singer Damon Albarn's always worthwhile Honest Jons imprint, fanatics forked over at least 100 bucks for the vinyl. Here, then, is the definitive version of ``Walk a Mile in My Shoes,'' one of the key songs Elvis Presley recorded as part of his '68 comeback, done up in the gritty signature elegance of Muscle Shoals' Fame Studios. Hightower's biting reading joins the churchy ballad ``It's a Miracle'' and ``Time Has Brought About a Change,'' a response to Cooke's ``A Change Is Gonna Come,'' in one of the year's most intriguing rediscoveries.

- Fred Shuster

DOYLE LAWSON & QUICKSILVER: ``You Gotta Dig a Little Deeper'' (Rounder) - Three stars

While its title may make it sound like another one of the ensemble's many gospel albums, this is an all-secular bluegrass endeavor. The high, two-, three- and four-part harmonies do seem to resound straight from the choir box, but they're applied to train songs and country heartbreak classics of the ``Four Walls'' persuasion. Lawson's mandolin is as impeccable as ever; so is the speedy interplay among this edition of Quicksilver's string demons. A few too many of the song selections, though, including the title track, border on the hokey, if not the outright maudlin.

- Bob Strauss

VARIOUS: ``The O.C. Mix 4'' (Warner Bros.) - Three stars

This superb collection of hip indie-rock features Beck (``Scarecrow'') and Modest Mouse (``The View''), alongside lesser-known acts that are strangely familiar. The Norwegian techno-folk quartet Flunk evokes Bjork on the dreamy ``Play,'' while Scotland's Reindeer Sections' airy melody ``Cartwheels'' recalls the music of '80s Britpop trio Dream Academy, the band whose hit ``Life in a Northern Town'' gave the world the chorus ``ah hey ma ma ma.'' But the real treat on this set - due Tuesday - is pop quintet Matt Pond PA's just-OK cover of the Oasis classic ``Champagne Supernova'' because it serves as a reminder of just how great the original was.

- S.B.

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Photo:

(1) no caption (Faith Evans)

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