SOUND CHECK.

Soundtrack/``Another Day in Paradise'' (V2)

No matter what you think of Larry Clark's new film about a pseudo-family of junkies on the run, you'll have to agree the producers got this soul soundtrack just right. Among the highlights of this down-and-dirty collection are Fantastic Johnny C's ``Boogaloo Down Broadway,'' Otis Redding's ``Hard to Handle,'' Clarence Carter's ``Looking for a Fox'' and the obscure ``Soul Sister'' from an Allen Toussaint solo album. As for more recent material, the soundtrack doesn't disappoint, either. Expect to place Chocolate Genius' ``Can I Change My Mind'' and N'dea Davenport's reading of Bob Dylan's ``One More Cup of Coffee'' up there with the rest. Three stars

- Fred Shuster

Black Crowes/``By Your Side'' (Columbia)

Atlanta's Black Crowes rebound with a streamlined, rootsy rock 'n' roll effort that should re-establish the band with longtime fans. Still taking cues from such well-loved '70s acts as the Faces and Humble Pie, the Crowes have come up with a strong set of songs, including the angry ``Kicking My Heart Around,'' the sinister ``HorseHead,'' and the Stax-inflected ``Only a Fool.'' At the same time, Chris Robinson just may be one of today's most soulful rock singers. Three stars

- F.S.

Bruce Hornsby/``Spirit Trail'' (RCA)

Few double albums wouldn't work better whittled down to one, and Bruce Hornsby's sixth release is no exception. He recorded these discs separately, before and after touring as part of last year's Further Festival, and they sound distinct: The loose arrangements of the first provide space for his unmistakable piano; the second, with electronic keyboards, urban rhythms and rap-lite verses, seems somehow less Hornsby-esque. But much of ``Spirit Trail'' sounds previously trod. He borrows lyrics from Bob Dylan (``Great Divide''), reworks ``Iko Iko'' to a Bo Diddley beat (``Pete & Manny''), and recycles his own ``Every Little Kiss'' (``Resting Place''). Several tracks seem little more than strings of solos; some simply are solos. Hornsby's intrinsic taste may forever save him from a truly bad album, but his songs here don't make this one particularly good. Two and a half stars

- Fred Beckley

Philadelphia Inquirer

Elvin Bishop/``The Skin I'm In'' (Alligator), Little Charlie and the Nightcats/``Shadow of the Blues'' (Alligator)

``Let's have some fun,'' Elvin Bishop exhorts at the start of his new album. It's a come-on that's hard to ignore. The veteran singer-guitarist with the Harpo Marx mug delivers another amiably down-home set of blues and rhythm and blues, extolling the virtues of the ``Middle-Aged Man,'' ``Country Blues,'' and of learning how to ``Slow Down.'' But don't let the country-bumpkin image fool you: Amid all the clowning, Bishop painlessly slips in some sober-minded wisdom, whether it's the message of tolerance in ``The Skin They're In'' or the carpe-diem philosophy of ``Shady Lane.'' Three stars

Like Bishop, Little Charlie and the Nightcats tap into the lighter side of the blues with distinctive flair. Rick Estrin continues to come up with clever twists on standard blues themes (``Never Trust a Woman,'' ``New Old Lady,'' ``Big and Fat'') while singing with a gleeful oiliness that never becomes cartoonish, and guitarist Little Charlie Baty enlivens the blues with a jazzlike sophistication. As funny as they are, they are also dead-on when they turn dead-serious, as they do with ``When Your Woman Is Gone'' and ``Walking in the Shadow of the Blues.'' Three stars

- Nick Cristiano

Philadelphia Inquirer

Robert Earl Keen/``Walking Distance'' (Arista Austin)

Keen is a master of mood and pacing: Just as the protagonist is ``Feelin' Good Again'' in a steady, sunny beat - but before he becomes ruminative on the lovely ``I'll Be Here for You'' - Keen sneaks in what is essentially a novelty number: ``That Buckin' Song,'' a goof that is riddled with puns on profanity. (Sample: ``That boy ain't got no buckin' sense.'') It's almost too silly, and given that it prefaces a rich, detailed 20-minute suite that veers from desperation to reflection to release, it's somewhat out of place. Still, the bulk of ``Walking Distance'' is captivating - and basic. And few other artists working today have the insight and savvy to pull off what appears so simple. Three and a half stars.

- Ben Wener

Orange County Register

Chris Thomas King/``Red Mud'' (Black Top)

When he arrived in the '80s (as just Chris Thomas), Chris Thomas King was all about blues' future, offering up a heady and electrifying blend of blues, rock, soul, rap and reggae. ``Red Mud,'' however, is a back-to-roots move, with King returning home to Louisiana for a mostly solo and acoustic set that features originals as well as songs by Robert Johnson, Son House and his father - bluesman Tabby Thomas - who sings on two numbers. King brings a quiet authority to this style of music, and cuts such as ``Soon This Morning Blues'' and ``I'm on Fire'' bristle with rock-edged intensity. Two of the best tracks, however, stray from the album's country-blues theme: ``Wanna Die With a Smile on My Face'' is sweetly soulful pop with full instrumentation; and the haunting ``Alive'' finds King once again consolidating his various influences into a compellingly contemporary style that's all his own. Three stars

- N.C.

Marcus Roberts/``The Joy of Joplin'' (Sony)

This is not your father's ragtime vibe. Pianist Marcus Roberts, who rose to prominence in the Wynton Marsalis band before going out on his own, gives a bravura solo performance on some very familiar terrain. By turns sassy and bluesy, Roberts confounds the strict parameters of ragtime with some wild, opposing rhythms between his two hands. Yes, it's Scott Joplin's music, but Roberts rejiggers it, building the ragtime structures, exploding them and rebuilding them again as if in a magic trick. Roberts includes chestnuts such as ``The Entertainer'' with eight of his own impressionist-tending tunes, which sometimes sound out of place, as if Roberts wasn't totally content to stick to ragtime. It is a narrow venue, but Joplin was a genius, and Roberts makes overexposed works crackle with new pizazz. Three and a half stars

- Karl Stark

Philadelphia Inquirer

Various/``Jazz for a Rainy Afternoon'' (32 Jazz)

Jazz used to be more romantic, and this CD recaptures that aura.

The work is partly a compilation of artists from the old Muse label, which 32 Jazz has bought. Joel Dorn, owner of 32 Jazz, assembles an intentionally lower-priced collection that includes the big boss tenor sax of Houston Person and the dervish soprano of David ``Fathead'' Newman as well as florid cuts from trumpeters Wallace Roney and Woody Shaw, and pianist Hank Jones. Much of this set is a touch overdone but still cool - the kind of music that used to pour out of clubs on Broad Street. It's perfect for a rainy day or a prelude to a kiss. Three and a half stars

- K.S.

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PHOTO The Black Crowes are back in the '70s-inflected roots-rock mode with ``By Your Side.''