SOUND CHECK.

Eve/``Scorpion'' (Ruff Ryders/Interscope)

Otherwise sensible critics have been falling all over themselves lately in praise of this generic female gangsta-rap effort, which overflows with every simple-minded cliche of a very tired formula.

There's really nothing special about Eve, who is indistinguishable from Foxy Brown or Lil' Kim or any other dirty-mouthed, violence- and money-obsessed hip-hop braggart.

We'd love to give you examples of Eve's lyrical genius, but they couldn't be printed here. Just think Eminem from a female ``perspective.'' It's been done a thousand times.

The other thing they all rave about in ``Scorpion'' are the beats, as if there's some sort of art involved in sampling a snare sound from a '70s soul record and then programming a predictable syncopated rhythm pattern on a drum machine keyboard.

In some rare cases, though, the countless producers involved in this marketer's dream project aim for something out of the ordinary in the use of reggae, calypso and old r&b elements. However, these are mostly flickering afterthoughts.

Ultimately, Eve's sophomore jinx is yet another in a long line of big-budget albums attempting to take up where Dr. Dre's brilliant and still-definitive ``The Chronic'' ended. Since 1993, not a lot of water has passed under this particular bridge.

Predictably, considering the promotional muscle behind this dull disc, ``Scorpion'' zoomed straight into the No. 4 slot upon release. One and one half stars

- Fred Shuster

Paul Chambers and Wynton Kelly/``The Complete Vee Jay Sessions 1959-1961'' (Mosaic)

If you have anything more than a casual interest in jazz, bassist Chambers and pianist Kelly probably ring bells from their work with the great Miles Davis sextet that included John Coltrane and Cannonball Adderley.

Dig a little deeper and you'll find the pairing on such classics as Wes Montgomery's ``Smokin' at the Half Note'' and ``In Chicago,'' the great album that saxophonists Adderley and Coltrane made together in 1959.

Dig even deeper and you have the exceptional sessions that make up this six-disc set, available only by mail order. Included are two Chambers-led dates, three from Kelly and the classic 1959 hard bop album, ``Fabulous Frank Strozier,'' featuring the unheralded alto saxophonist Strozier and the brilliantly gifted trumpeter Booker Little, who died not long after this session.

Chambers and Kelly were loved for being empathetic accompanists and, listening to the Strozier tracks, you'll understand why. But Kelly, with his tasteful, inventive single-note lines, and Chambers, a master of creative phrasings, could be impressive leaders as well.

With sidemen that include Adderley, Freddie Hubbard, Curtis Fuller, Lee Morgan and Wayne Shorter, this is a tremendous collection of music from the golden era of hard bop.

Available through Mosaic Records, 35 Melrose Place, Stamford, CT 06902; [phone]; www.mosaicrecords.com. Four stars

- Glenn Whipp

Shawn Colvin/``Whole New You'' (Columbia)

Colvin is not the same woman she was when her 1996 breakthrough hit, ``Sunny Came Home,'' caught fire and snared a pair of Grammys.

This whole new set, in stores Tuesday, was reportedly no easy birth. While some songs deal with parenthood (``Bound to You,'' ``I'd Say I'm Sorry Now,'' ``Matter of Minutes''), others touch on outside events, like the plane crash that inspired ``Another Plane Went Down.''

Colvin, who will appear Wednesday and Thursday at the Roxy, telegraphs both the joys and difficulties of family life in other standouts, including the dreamy ``Bonefields'' and ``One Small Year.'' Three and one half stars

- Sandra Barrera

Greg Trooper/``Straight Down Rain'' (Eminent)

Trooper is the type of singer-songwriter who moodswings with utter conviction from almost naively enthusiastic love songs to the dark depressions brought on by broken hearts, selfishness and greed.

He's especially effective when, oddly, he works right up to the borderline of misogyny, as in such trenchant studies of troubled women as ``Damaged Eyes'' and ``Trampoline.''

Basically an alt.country guy with a strong, Steve Earle-like urge to rock, Trooper makes a few sonic mistakes here - going all dissonant/percussive on ``Doghouse,'' for example - which mainly proves he should stick to the melodic.

But for the most part, this album's tunes are likable and catchy without sacrificing truth, guts or brains. Three stars

- Bob Strauss

CAPTION(S):

4 photos

Photo: (1) EVE

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