SOUND CHECK.

'N Sync/``Celebrity''/(Jive)

Can't wait for the boy-band craze to blow over?

Tough.

The world's biggest boy band has no intention of fading away anytime soon, according to the lyrics co-penned by 20-year-old Justin Timberlake on the sonic power-punch ``Pop.'' ``The thing you've got to realize what we're doing is not a trend.''

On the daring new disc ``Celebrity,'' 'N Sync demands respect.

A money-grabbing woman is jilted straight-out for ``somebody who can love me for me'' on the title track. ``See Right Through You'' and ``The Game Is Over'' confront a cheating girlfriend.

Like ``No Strings Attached,'' their top-selling album from last year, ``Celebrity'' borrows from hip-hop and r&b. In some cases, literally.

'N Sync got a helping hand from hip-hop producer Rodney Jerkins (responsible for ``Say My Name'' from Destiny's Child), British studio genie BT (also known as dance-music artist Brian Transeau) and soulman Stevie Wonder.

He plays harmonica on ``Something Like You,'' one of the duller songs on the record. More interesting is the soulful hip-hop of ``Gone'' and the two-step beats of ``The Two of Us,'' the kind of funky ballad Craig David might have recorded. Three stars

- Sandra Barrera

Various/``Down From the Mountain'' (Lost Highway)

This is an in-concert version of the surprisingly popular ``O Brother, Where Art Thou?'' soundtrack, recorded at Nashville's storied Ryman Auditorium.

The disc doubles as a soundtrack to the forthcoming concert documentary, highlighted by intriguing vocal combos of Gillian Welch/Alison Krauss, Emmylou Harris/Welch and others. Also notable is one of John Hartford's final recordings, the traditional ``Big Rock Candy Mountain.''

This ``Mountain'' is well worth the climb. Three stars

- Bob Strauss

Radiohead/``Amnesiac'' (Capitol)

The second disc from the sessions that produced the artfully opaque ``Kid A'' had a fine debut, entering the charts in second place before beginning the familiar slide into the used bins.

While as experimental - and individual - as its predecessor, ``Amnesiac'' isn't simply ``Kid B.'' Instead, this quirky song-driven set, augmented by subtle electronics, is a fascinating effort at turns wistful and highly charged.

While there are no obvious singles, easy standouts like ``You and Whose Army?'' ``Knives Out'' and ``I Might Be Wrong'' wouldn't sound out of place on stations like KROQ.

``Amnesiac'' is a reminder that Radiohead is something special in these increasingly bland times - a band with a language all its own. Four stars

- Fred Shuster

Stone Temple Pilots/``Shangri-La Dee Da'' (Atlantic)

Stone Temple Pilots has come a long way. Drawing primarily from '70s rock, the quartet has continually varied its sound while accumulating mainstream hits.

The new disc, which peaked at No. 9 on the charts, is textbook STP, musically heavy and melodic, topped by the troubled Scott Weiland's always- believable delivery. The band touches all the right bases in these 13 tracks, from buoyant Beatles-inspired balladry (``Wonderful'') and power pop (``Days of the Week'') to dark, edgy concerns (``Coma''). There's even a sweet ode to Weiland's new son (``A Song for Sleeping'').

After nearly a decade on the boards, STP has become a top-notch arena- rock machine. Watch out, Cheap Trick. Three stars

- Spencer Robinson

Randall Bramblett/``No More Mr. Lucky'' (New West)

Sea Level veteran Bramblett spent years doing sideman duty with such acts as Gregg Allman and Traffic when not grappling with the usual demons.

Clearly informed by all that, this jazz- and funk-fused, bluesy rock effort takes us down darkly picturesque lost highways in search of elusive rest stops. Bramblett provides sax, keyboards and a rich, world-weary baritone, among other elements, for a smoky, swampy, sometimes unusually upbeat tour of Southern discomfort. Three and one half stars.

- B.S.

CAPTION(S):

5 photos

Photo:

(1) no caption (N'Sync)

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