SOUND CHECK.

Miles Davis/``The Complete Miles Davis featuring John Coltrane 1955-61'' (Columbia/Legacy)

Miles and Trane. The two colossal jazz legends couldn't have been more different, both in temperament and tone, and that's undoubtedly why they created so much timeless music together.

This six-disc set collects 58 tracks from the nine storied sessions that produced albums fundamental to any jazz collection - ``Milestones,'' `` 'Round About Midnight'' and, of course, the 1959 landmark ``Kind of Blue.''

The evolution of the groups - and of the principal players themselves - is fascinating, and the chronologically sequenced set (which includes two live dates, more than a dozen alternate takes and bits of studio chatter) allows listeners the chance to fully absorb and appreciate the metamorphosis.

It's an indispensable collection - for the music, obviously, but also for the way it houses all the many miscellaneous tracks into one beautifully produced collection. Listen to Coltrane's fierce, slashing, lengthy explorations contrasted with Davis' soft, delicate phrasings and it brings to mind the time Davis asked the tenor saxophonist: ``Why you play so long, man?'' Coltrane answered: ``It took that long to get it all in.''

This set gets it all in, continuing Columbia/Legacy's immaculate work on the Davis catalog. Four stars

- Glenn Whipp

'N Sync/``No Strings Attached'' (Jive)

Hey, 'N Sync wants you to know there's no Svengali pulling its strings since going to court to get rid of its former mentor. On its record-breaking third album (including a Christmas disc), the heartthrob harmony fivesome goes in for a tougher sound but lacks material as good as the top-notch first single, ``Bye Bye Bye.'' Working with a herd of producers such as hitmaker Teddy Riley (who remakes the 1988 hit ``Just Got Paid''), the lads pour on ear-pleasing vocal moves in the service of mediocrity. Still, with all the screaming going on, who's going to notice? Two stars

- Fred Shuster

Aimee Mann/``Bachelor No. 2'' (SuperEgo)

Mann's third solo disc comes on the heels of her critically acclaimed work for the ``Magnolia'' soundtrack. Touching on familiar themes - romantic disappointment and frustrated idealism - the sharp-eyed singer- songwriter has come up with a tuneful, well-crafted collection that meets her usual high standards. Guests including Jon Brion and Benmont Tench (of Tom Petty's band) help out on such uncompromising songs as ``Deathly'' and ``Calling It Quits,'' while the album highlight ``The Fall of the World's Own Optimist'' was co-written with Elvis Costello. ``Bachelor No. 2'' is available online at www.aimeemann.com or in stores May 2. Three stars

- F.S.

Elliott Smith/``Figure 8'' (Dreamworks)

The melancholic Smith contemplates loneliness, heartbreak and Hollywood on his latest effort but somehow stops short of creating anything as compelling as ``Miss Misery,'' his 1998 Oscar-nominated track from the ``Good Will Hunting'' soundtrack. The Los Angeles transplant does, however, know just where his bread is buttered and attempts to remake ``Miss Misery'' several times throughout (see ``Somebody That I Used to Know'' or ``Easy Way Out''). Best of all are the typically downcast tracks ``Son of Sam'' and ``Everything Reminds Me of Her,'' which boast slight but memorable melodies. Two and one half stars

- F.S.

Big Pun/``Yeeeah Baby!'' (Loud/Columbia)

Da Brat/``Unrestricted'' (So So Def/Columbia)

Although his rhymes would have you believe otherwise, Big Pun, the 28- year-old Latino rapper born Christopher Rios, wasn't indestructible. He died of heart failure Feb. 7. This sequel to the 1998 Grammy-nominated ``Capitol Punishment'' continues rap's fixation with street justice, partying and self-destruction with little originality. Still, the disc, fueled by the r&b-inflected hit, ``It's So Hard,'' soared into the Top 5 upon release. One and one half stars

< In the hip-hop game, it's getting harder to stand out. Here, the rhyme-spitting female rapper Da Brat (otherwise known as Shawntae Harris) earns her parental advisory sticker with odes to thug passion (``That's What I'm Looking For'') and lust (``Pink Lemonade'') while hitmaker Jermaine Dupri lays on the pumping beats. Those who caught Brat's energetic opening set on the recent Mariah Carey tour got an early taste of this release. Two stars.

- F.S.

Soundtrack/``Romeo Must Die: The Album'' (Blackground/Virgin)

The soundtrack for the action thriller starring Hong Kong superstar Jet Li offers 15 new tracks by an array of top hip-hop and r&b talent, including Destiny's Child, Ginuwine, Joe, Mack 10 and Timbaland & Magoo. The film's star, Aaliyah, contributes four songs, including a hard-edged collaboration with DMX, but it's her savvy lead-off track, ``Try Again,'' that will probably help this album sell millions. Three stars

- F.S.

Judy Garland/Live and Complete at Carnegie Hall (DCC)

In a day when Faith Hill is labeled a diva, it's an exercise in perspective to go back to this classic album, newly reissued as part of the premium 24 Karat Gold series, and learn the real meaning of the term. Garland fans hail this as the greatest concert recording ever, and certainly this two-disc set captures the fragile singer at a peak moment in the latter part of her career. The timing was even more dramatic than, say, Elvis' NBC comeback special, as Presley was merely combating mediocrity. Garland had been given up for dead a year earlier after a bout with hepatitis. She's a powerhouse here, belting out standards like ``Come Rain or Come Shine'' and ``When You're Smiling'' with an almost manic zeal. This reissue captures every second of the date, right down to the dead time that elapses while Garland takes a sip of water. Is it worth the premium price? For true fans, yes, because the clarity, particularly with regard to the orchestra, puts the listener right there in Carnegie Hall during a moment in time when Garland's vocal and emotive powers could still send audiences somewhere over the rainbow. Three and one half stars

- G.W.

Pink Floyd/``Is There Anybody Out There? The Wall Live'' (Columbia)

Could it really be 20 years since Pink Floyd released the prog-rock classic ``The Wall,'' in which an actual wall was slowly constructed and then knocked down on stage? To mark that anniversary, here's a two-disc live version of the work taken from 1980-81 dates at Warl's Court arena in London. The pristine sonics and compelling performances compare well to the studio album, while previously unreleased tracks ``The Last Few Bricks'' and ``What Shall We Do Now?'' make this an essential purchase for Floyd fanatics. Three stars

- F.S.

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5 photos

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(1) no caption (Miles Davis)

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