SOUND CHECK.

CHRIS ISAAK: ``Always Got Tonight'' (Warner Bros.) Three stars

Most of Isaak's energy is going toward his Showtime series, which explains why this long-player is so drowsy. The problem is material. Isaak's melancholy balladeer bit fits like a glove on top-flighters ``Nothing to Say'' and ``Cool Love,'' but the title track's attempt at rap-rock pushes the package faster into the secondhand bins. ``American Boy'' is familiar as the rockabilly charged theme to the TV show, while ``Notice the Ring'' cleverly recalls the oldie ``First I Look at the Purse.'' Will Isaak return to being a real musician or is he merely content to play one on TV?

- Fred Shuster

BIRELI LAGRENE: ``Gypsy Project'' (Dreyfus) Three and one half stars

Lagrene burst on the jazz scene 20 years ago as a 13-year-old progeny who could play just like renowned gypsy guitarist Django Reinhardt. The fact that Lagrene was born to a gypsy family and had been playing guitar since the age of 4 made the story all the better. Lagrene made some great Django-influenced albums and then struck out to make his mark in jazz fusion. Thankfully, that phase is over, and ``Gypsy Project'' marks Lagrene's homecoming to softly romantic, swing-era shuffles with a three-guitar, bass, violin lineup that mimics Reinhardt's famous Hot Club quintet. More than an exercise in nostalgia, though, the album marks Lagrene's maturation as a guitarist with the chops to turn standards into something sophisticated and altogether his own.

- Glenn Whipp

ESA-PEKKA SALONEN, LOS ANGELES PHILHARMONIC: ``LA Variations'' (Sony Classical) Three and one half stars

Local classical aficionados have long delighted in Salonen's vibrant work at the helm of the world-class L.A. Phil. Here, the bulk of this intriguing but occasionally atonal disc consists of his own compositions which seamlessly blend minimalism, modernism and melody to fine effect. Along with the strikingly modernist title piece, the standout is ``Five Images After Sappho,'' a shimmering, astonishing work with rich strings, unexpected percussion and soprano Dawn Upshaw's glorious voice.

- F.S.

STAN RIDGWAY: ``Holiday in Dirt'' (New West) Three stars

After three years, a new record from ex-Wall of Voodoo L.A. scenester Stan Ridgway would have been nice. But instead we get a compilation. And given what turns up here, it's not half bad. There's great stuff you can't hear except on vinyl, like the excellent ``Bing Can't Walk,'' from the 1987 film ``Slamdance,'' and the impossible-to-locate ``End of the Line,'' from the French film ``Terminus.'' While it would be nice to hear some new film-noirish musings from the usually-entertaining and always wacky Ridgway, this is the next best thing. Also, fans of the artist should know that along with this disc, New West will re-release Ridgway's critically acclaimed but long-out-of-print 1995 disc ``Black Diamond'' later this year.

- Theo Douglas

EDDY ARNOLD: ``Looking Back'' (RCA) Three stars

Now 83, yodeling country legend Eddy Arnold sounds fresh as a daisy. This compilation features classics penned by the likes of Bob Wills, Mickey Newbury and Curley Williams - recorded between 1964 and 1970. Arnold's pipes are showcased center stage on such golden oldies as ``Half as Much,'' ``Little Green Apples'' and ``What a Wonderful World.'' Nothing wrong with that. For a legion of folks who know Arnold mainly for his ``Cattle Call,'' excerpted in the movies ``My Own Private Idaho'' and ``Mars Attacks,'' this will provide a welcome primer on a cowboy kinda poet.

- T.D.

CAPTION(S):

4 photos

Photo:

(1) CHRIS ISAAK

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