SOUND CHECK.

Perry Farrell/``Song Yet to Be Sung'' (Virgin)

In his first full-length immersion in the electronica world he haunts as a rave DJ, Farrell is miles from groundbreaking.

This long-anticipated but sadly banal effort, riddled with inexplicable Torah references, seems instantly dated despite snatches of drum 'n' bass, techno, dub, world rhythms and good old modern-rock.

Songs are interchangeable, powered by tired breakbeats and mumbled, spaced-out vocals that make you yearn for the keen wail Farrell employed in his artful '80s rock band Jane's Addiction.

From a guy who redefined both hard rock and alternative, this soulless nonentity sorely disappoints. And the overproduction is just the latest example of electronica turned benign.

``Song Yet to Be Sung'' debuted in the Top 200 but whether it remains is hard to predict. Bad as it may be, the world is full of Farrellians. One star

- Spencer Robinson

Prince/``Very Best of Prince'' (Warner/Rhino)

So does anyone really need a single-disc best-of collection from Prince? Apparently so. This album, featuring 17 cuts recorded from 1979 to 1992, debuted high on the charts despite little in the way of promotion.

It's hard to say who's buying, though, since there are other - and better - compilations on the market. Chalk it up to nostalgia and perhaps a longing for a time when Minneapolis' finest funkster went by a name that people could actually pronounce.

Meanwhile, unless you're on a really tight budget, buy the three-disc ``The Hits/The B-Sides.'' It's a much better sign o' the times. Two and one half stars

- Glenn Whipp

Adema/``Adema'' (Arista)

Korn frontman Jonathan Davis' kid halrother, Marky Chavez, joins the family biz, whimpering like a pained puppy on a set of trite neo-metal kernels with titles like ``Pain Inside,'' ``Drowning'' and ``Giving In.''

The name ``Adema,'' incidentally, refers to either a French economic agency, a glacier expert or, more likely, it's the misspelling of edema, a fittingly nasty medical condition involving bodily fluids.

Hey, at least these feeble, self-pitying nitwits practice truth in advertising. One stars

- Fred Shuster

Alison Krauss + Union Station/``New Favorite'' (Rounder)

Krauss continues her peace negotiations between pop balladry and bluegrass, and the genres get along famously.

The latest album is divided between pretty arrangements showcasing Krauss' honeydew vocals and fast country workouts sparked by Jerry Douglas' sizzling dobro and steel guitar.

It's all good, as Snoop Dogg says, but when the two approaches really meld - as on an incisive ``Take Me for Longing'' and the tender barroom come-on ``Let Me Touch You for Awhile'' - it's evident Ali and the boys are out for more than crossover success. Three and one half stars

- Bob Strauss

Sugar Ray/``Sugar Ray'' (Lava/Atlantic)

Despite efforts to add new angles to a stagnant noise, these Orange County metallurgists turned blow-dried teen idols sound like every other alternative-leaning act at last year's Weenie Roast.

Maybe that was the idea; the band manages a quick plug for KROQ in one of many benign tunes here.

Lyrics are even more uninspired than this terribly tepid music. Cliche-ridden love songs and tales of suburban angst abound, while pedal steel wedged into ``Just A Little'' does quite a bit less than just a little to liven things up.

Nonetheless, you gotta hand it to Sugar Ray. The band is consistent - consistently awful. one half star

- S.R.

CAPTION(S):

5 photos

Photo:

(1) no caption (Perry Farrell)

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