SOUND CHECK.

Jill Sobule/``Pink Pearl'' (Beyond)

After her vaguely controversial 1995 Top 40 hit, ``I Kissed a Girl,'' and the witty 1997 album, ``Happy Town,'' which transcended her novelty-hit status, insightfully ironic troubadour Sobule was shown the door by her label.

Her typically offbeat new effort, recorded in Nashville for a West Hollywood-based indie, once again blends catchy tunes with sardonic lyrics, resulting in one of the most engaging and purely enjoyable discs of the year.

This feisty slice-of-life set spotlights Sobule's skewed view of pop culture, exemplified by such well-crafted standouts as ``Mary Kay,'' a bossa nova tribute to jailed schoolteacher Mary Kay LeTourneau, and ``Heroes,'' a wry, smile-inducing look at such imperfect icons as T.S. Eliot, Tennessee Williams, Pablo Picasso and the entire nation of France, which ``joined the resistance after the war.''

Other fine cuts include ``Lucy at the Gym,'' a stab at our weight-obsessed culture, and ``Rock Me to Sleep,'' a melancholy acoustic lullaby. Sobule's relaxed, conversational delivery and sure ear for melodies makes ``Pink Pearl'' a gem that deserves notice. Three and one half stars

- Fred Shuster

Neil Young/``Silver and Gold'' (Reprise)

Young's first album of new material in nearly five years is a sweet, acoustic affair finding the singer-songwriter cleaning off the shelves (the title song, a buoyant number given a resonantly bittersweet reading dates back to 1982, the haunting ``Razor Love'' was written in 1987 and the others are older than their Y2K copyright date suggests). Despite a couple of throwaways (``Daddy Went Walking,'' ``Buffalo Springfield Again''), Young's still-fresh tenor expressively evokes the yearning, aching beauty of his material, particularly on ``The Great Divide,'' ``Distant Camera'' and ``Without Rings.'' Three stars

- David Kronke

Various/``Mozart Variations'' (Windham Hill)

After two centuries of platitudes about Mozart's genius, this witty, warmly realized ensemble effort brings a welcome sense of discovery and non-academic appreciation to some of the composer's best-known (and hence best-loved) themes and melodies. The contributions of such sensitively astute modern-day classical reinterpreters as Turtle Island String Quartet and L.A. Guitar Quartet remind us that, even as his music became sacrosanct, Mozart was always a stylistic radical and inveterate cultural magpie. Though commissioned for royalty, his breathtakingly complex works were embroidered with colorful bits of folk tunes and pirated Slavic notions - an artful eclecticism, which this tribute effectively re-creates.

Producer-guitarist William Coulter helps set the disc's lively experimental pace with his Celticized variation on a theme from Symphony No. 40, whipped to a froth by Todd Denman's uilleann pipes and tin whistle. There are nicely idiosyncratic bass and piano readings on ``Allegreto'' and a closing Adagio by German singer Michael Schiefel that sets Amadeus rocking. Only a couple of choral works fail to avoid tumbling into the pitfalls of New Age Muzak. Three stars

- Reed Johnson

Frank Sinatra/``Classic Sinatra: His Great Performances 1953-1960'' (Capitol/EMI)

The Sinatra of the 1940s possessed a commanding voice, but by the 1950s - perhaps thanks to cigarettes, booze and hard living - it had lost a bit of its power. Ironically, Ol' Blue Eyes became a better singer (not that he was a slouch before). His voice gained a rich maturity, with enough of an edge to it to not make it saccharine, but with a mellowness that made it go down easy; his phrasing was subtle and seductive, and the arrangements (thanks to Nelson Riddle) were simply superb. It was the golden era of Sinatra that lasted until the mid- to late-'60s (when cigarettes, booze and hard living began to show even more in his voice). With ``Classic Sinatra,'' Capitol has put together 20 of the master's best cuts. Sinatra fanatics will have all of his Capitol albums, but even so, this is a terrific collection - from ``I Get a Kick Out of You'' to ``In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning'' to ``Witchcraft'' - each one's a classic. Four stars

- Rob Lowman

Bebel Gilberto /``Tanto Tempo'' (Six Degrees)

The daughter of Brazilian bossa nova great Joao Gilberto, Bebel perhaps had little choice about her musical direction. On her debut, she updates the delicious sound her father helped popularize, blending elements of trip-hop, hip-hop, techno, jazz and more with the routine beauty of Brazilian pop.

Collaborators including producer-artist Suba (reportedly killed trying to save Bebel's master tapes from a fire) help polish a delightful set that bewitches like another Gilberto chanteuse - Astrid - did for years. ``Samba da Bencao,'' ``Samba e Amor'' and ``So Nice (Summer Samba)'' are particular favorites, but there's little not to enjoy here. So nice indeed. Three and one half stars

- David Bloom

Duke Ellington/``The Duke: The Essential Collection (1927-1961)'' (Columbia/Legacy)

This three-disc collection comes a year late to honor Ellington on the centennial of his birth, but that doesn't mean it's an afterthought. But is it essential? Last year, after all, brought a deluge of Ellington reissues, most notably RCA's mammoth, 18-CD box that recently won a Grammy. ``Duke'' isn't in that league, but then again, it is affordable. (How many people do you know who will shell out for an 18-CD package?) ``Duke'' breaks the master's Columbia recording career into three sections, beginning with his formative Cotton Club days, continuing through the postwar years which saw the band undergo numerous personnel changes and ending with the best of his later concept recordings through the late '50s and early '60s. Great care has been taken in the track selection, and the label maintains its usual high standards with the accompanying booklet. This is a fantastic sampler for anyone looking to enjoy the prodigious talents of Ellington. Four stars

- Glenn Whipp

Tierney Sutton/``Unsung Heroes'' (Telarc)

Sutton heads the jazz vocal department at the University of Southern California and if her teaching is anywhere near as good as her technique, the school is a blessed institution. Sutton, a soprano, believes that singers should ``get into the meat of the instrumental music.'' Her choice of material - mostly compositions that are rarely sung - allows her to do just that, and her pure, expressive voice takes care of the rest. Sutton tackles ballads, bop and swing, aided ably pianist Christian Jacob and several other fine players. The album's highlight is Jimmy Rowles' ``A Timeless Place (The Peacocks),'' a lovely ballad distinguished by Sutton's soaring singing and Gary Foster's alto flute work. Sutton appears Sunday at Catalina Bar & Grill in Hollywood. Three stars

- G.W.

Various/``Radio Disney Jams Vol. 2'' (Disney)

If you've managed to avoid Radio Disney and the handful of singles it spins mercilessly, here's your chance to make amends. This lively compilation gathers assorted pop fodder including a Disneyfied version of Lou Bega's ``Mambo No. 5,'' faceless but fun bubblegum by the current crop of tuneful teens, a couple of Queen anthems, disco classic ``YMCA'' and the latest ``Weird'' Al Yankovic spoof. Nothing here is essential for anyone over 16, but for the not-yet-jaded crowd, the collection flows as seamlessly as the popular radio format. Perhaps the best use of this disc: Buy it for your little one to play on her Walkman with headphones, while you tune the car radio to the station you like. Two and one half stars.

- D.B.

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Photo: (1) no caption (Jill Sobule)

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