SOUND CHECK.

Garbage/``Version 2.0''

There was a certain magic around Garbage when it surfaced in 1995. Anchored by first-call producer Butch Vig and enigmatic frontwoman Shirley Manson, the band appeared to have the game licked: On the very first try, it pretty much perfected the modern-rock radio hit by blending slacker calm with bubbly classic-pop energy. On ``Version 2.0,'' Garbage sets out to replicate what once came naturally. The sounds are up to the minute and perfectly placed - little lilting guitars, kicky recurring keyboard patterns, cool drum loops, orchestral crescendos that give the tracks shape. But these expert touches serve compositions that are designed with maximum accessibility in mind: ``I Think I'm Paranoid'' and ``Dumb'' repeat dull mantras; the single ``Push It'' is dazzlingly tuneless, and even the nuanced pieces (``When I Grow Up'' and the highlight ``The Trick Is to Keep Breathing'') sound authored by lowbrow-minded songwriting robots. Two Stars

- Tom Moon

Philadelphia Inquirer

Sonic Youth/``A Thousand Leaves''

Only two of 11 tracks on ``Leaves'' clock in at less than five minutes, but that's no dig. The disciplined interplay between guitarists Lee Ranaldo and Thurston Moore ranks near the top of rock's conversational pile, and the pair simmers on tracks such as ``Sunday'' - which features one of the group's patented and cathartic rhythm-driven plateaus - and ``Wildflower Soul,'' a nine-minute metamorphosis from cool candescence to cacophonous cat fight. There are a number of clunkers, too, particularly those weighed down by bassist Kim Gordon's sometimes spoken, sometimes snarled vocals, which seem especially lacking in this context. Perhaps the more subdued approach doesn't hide her deficiencies the way the band's crunchier past did. Three Stars

- Steve Byrne

Detroit Free Press 

Soul Asylum/``Candy From a Stranger''

Soul Asylum milks a callow emotionalism that plays to the bleachers, and ``Candy'' is packed with anthemy and typically bleary introspection. It starts out well: ``Creatures of Habit'' is a charming sunburst of an opener, magnified by Dan Murphy's supple guitar glides and Dave Pirner's still-boyish, still-earnest vocals. Syrupy production, nondescript drumming and way-too-pretty harmonies elevate it to the status of a guilty pleasure but wreak havoc elsewhere. These are multipart concept songs with elliptical structures and conflicted hearts. Pirner's morose lyrics jar with the sunny-day arrangements, and it's often unclear whether he's singing about romantic or musical disillusion. Of course we hear him. The real question is, why can't he hear himself? Two Stars

- Kate Sullivan

St. Paul Pioneer Press 

Jimmy Buffett/``Don't Stop the Carnival''

Based on Herman Wouk's novel of the same name, ``Carnival'' recounts a tale that Buffett's been peddling for nearly 30 years: Norman Paperman, a Manhattan public-relations maven, flees for a better life to the fictional island of Kinja. This isn't a cast album. Buffett as Paperman does most of the singing, and members of his Coral Reefer Band assume the other characters. But for narrative bits and shared vocals, this is typical '90s eclectic Buffett - a savory gumbo of steel drums and Latin rhythms. Thanks, perhaps, to the discipline of moving a story line, ``Carnival'' ranks as Buffett's best work since the Reagan years. Roll over, Cole Porter - and tell Richard Rodgers the news. Four Stars

- Fred Beckley

Philadelphia Inquirer

Massive Attack/``Mezzanine''

Massive Attack has played an enormous role in pointing the way of adventurous club music this decade. The Bristol, England, collective's 1991 ``Blue Lines'' gave birth to a cataclysmic single in ``Unfinished Sympathy'' and introduced dark visionary Tricky. The band's 1994 collaboration with Tracy Thorn paved the way for many sultry female-fronted trip-hop acts. With ``Mezzanine,'' Massive is no longer ahead of the curve. Still, sound sculptors Daddy Gee, 3D and Mushroom remain experts at assembling intoxicating mood pieces perfect for the chill-out room. And this time, they've added guitars on the likes of the anxiety-ridden ``Inertia Creeps'' and struck up a liaison with Cocteau Twins singer Elizabeth Fraser, whose mysterious cooing dresses up the down-tempo mix. Three Stars

- Dan DeLuca

Philadelphia Inquirer

LeAnn Rimes/``Sittin' on Top of the World''

As she ascends to unparalleled commercial heights, Rimes is bottoming out artistically. As bad as ``You Light Up My Life,'' her collection of ``inspirational songs,'' was last year, ``Top'' is worse. Subtlety, restraint and song-selection savvy are not among her strengths, a fact made abundantly clear here. Sure, the album will go multiplatinum. Even in the unlikely event that its simultaneously released, equally awful singles ``Commitment'' and ``Looking Through Your Eyes'' (from the animated ``Quest for Camelot'') stiff, there are 13 more bombastic productions where they came from. Among them: the Diane Warren ballad ``Feels Like Home,'' intended to repeat the success of 1997's ``How Do I Live,'' and, yes, a take on Prince's ``Purple Rain'' that plays like karaoke of the worst order. But there is a positive note: That duet of Aerosmith's ``Crazy'' that Rimes recorded with singer Steven Tyler isn't on ``Top.'' For that, Rimes fans will have to wait. But not for long: Her fifth album is due in September. One and One Half Stars

- Dan DeLuca

Vonda Shepard/``Songs From Ally McBeal''

If ``Ally McBeal'' helps rekindle the singing career of Vonda Shepard, then some good will have come out of this show. Shepard cut three CDs that went nowhere, then caught the ear of ``Ally'' producer David E. Kelley, who gave Shepard a role as a bar singer who does both originals and '60s covers, and now she's one of the hottest acts in show biz. Vonda is essentially Linda Ronstadt with a gospel edge and a bit of songwriting skill. Her four originals on this disc range from the overblown histrionics of ``Searchin' My Soul'' to the folkier Laura Nyro-esque ``Will You Marry Me?'' and ``Maryland.'' Like Ronstadt's albums, the covers are the reasons to listen, and Shepard does a very nice job on such gems as ``Tell Him,'' ``It's in His Kiss (the Shoop Shoop Song)'' ``Walk Away Renee'' and ``Ask the Lonely.'' Three Stars

- Rick Shefchik

St. Paul Pioneer Press

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2 Photos

Photo: (1) Garbage follows up its successful 1995 debut album with ``Version 2.0.''

(2) Syrupy production meets morose lyrics on Soul Asylum's ``Candy From a Stranger.''