SOUND CHECK.

Oasis/``Standing on the Shoulder of Giants'' (Epic)

Raise a Guinness in praise of Oasis, who has beaten the odds to deliver the most satisfying straight-ahead rock album in recent memory. Many have written this definitive Britpop band off, especially after 1997's disappointing ``Be Here Now'' and its collection of mostly forgettable tunes. But with the quintet's fourth disc, in stores Tuesday, all is forgiven. Here, Oasis has been energized by the addition of two top players - rhythm guitarist Gem Archer and ex-Ride bassist Andy Bell - along with co-producer and collaborator Mark ``Spike'' Stent, whose dance- inspired studio technique has been heard on work from Massive Attack, Bjork, U2 and Madonna. ``Standing'' smacks of `60s psychedelia, but not the halaked variety cooked up on so many current albums. Standout Noel Gallagher-penned tracks like the bleary-eyed ``Who Feels Love?'' ``Where Did It All Go Wrong?'' and the joyfully caffeinated ``Put Yer Money Where Yer Mouth Is'' (spiced up by soulful backup singers P.P. Arnold and Linda Lewis) have melodies you can sing in the shower after just a couple of listenings. Oasis, appearing April 9 at the Universal Amphitheatre, is back. Four stars

- Fred Shuster

Kurt Elling/``Live in Chicago'' (Blue Note)

Despite his superb track record of studio work, diehard fans of jazz singer Kurt Elling have long maintained that you really haven't experienced the man unless you've seen him in concert. ``Live in Chicago,'' recorded over a three-night span last year at the Green Mill (Elling's regular Chi-town hangout), is proof that these people know what they're talking about. This is a playful album full of great accomplishments, chief among them Elling's delivery. Whether he's warmly wrapping his velvety voice around standards like ``For Sentimental Reasons'' and ``Smoke Gets in Your Eyes,'' or scatting with vocalese pioneer Jon Hendricks on ``Don't Get Scared'' and the appropriate ``Goin' to Chicago,'' Elling is in full control, a virtuoso who puts jazz singing squarely in the 21st century. If you can't catch Elling at the Green Mill on Wednesday nights, this is the next best thing. Three and one half stars

- Glenn Whipp

William Orbit/``Pieces in a Modern Style'' (Maverick)

Techno-ambient master Orbit, the iconoclastic aural architect behind Madonna's groundbreaking ``Ray of Light'' and her current ``American Pie'' remake, here uses his remarkable digital virtuosity to break down classical masterworks by Samuel Barber, Handel, Beethoven, John Cage and others into their molecular grooves and pulses. Eschewing an orchestra, the multi-instrumental Brit filters these pieces through an elegantly chilly sensibility, creating musical abstracts that assimilate the influences of funk, world beat, pop and techno, but are perhaps most reminiscent of Kraftwerk's baroque pop-electronica by way of Pierre Boulez and Steve Reich. This technique best lends itself to early-modern pieces like Cage's ``In a Landscape'' and Erik Satie's ``Ogives Number 1,'' transformed here into a hypnotic soundscape of abruptly shifting dynamics. By contrast, Orbit's version of Mascagni's Intermezzo From ``Cavalleria Rusticana'' comes off as overly mannered and fussy. He also scores with his funky interpretation of Beethoven's ``Triple Concerto'' and a surprisingly traditional take on Barber's ``Adagio for Strings,'' which was a recent pop hit on Britain's Radio One. Three stars

- Reed Johnson

Susana Baca/``Eco de Sombras'' (Luaka Bop)

Baca first surfaced in the States with a couple of sweet/sad tracks on the exquisite compilation ``The Soul of Black Peru,'' which limned the little-known Afro-Peruvian sound sprung from the poor side of Lima. She followed with an eponymous debut and now this, whose title fittingly translates to ``Echo of Shadows.'' Fittingly, because that term, in its melancholy and quiet romance, neatly encapsulates the sensibility of this lovely effort. Put Baca in the class of World Music divas headed by Amalia Rodrigues and Cesaria Evora, influenced by Iberian and African sounds, filtered through native and street sensibilities and blessed with clear, mournful voices that evoke dark passageways, stolen kisses and star-crossed hearts. Wonderful for that soulful midnight pondering of fate and dreams. Three and one half stars

- David Bloom

Jimmie Dale Gilmore/``One Endless Night'' (Rounder)

Four years after his cosmic cowboy experiment ``Braver Newer World,'' quirky Texas singer-songwriter Gilmore refines his disparate influences into a safer but more pleasing package of mostly covers. Produced and stringed to the gills by the ubiquitous Buddy Miller, ``Endless'' rocks up country songs (Townes Van Zandt's ``No Lonesome Tune''), countrifies rock ballads (The Grateful Dead's ``Ripple'') and gets spacey on Brecht and Weill's venerable ``Mack the Knife.'' Most of the cuts, including Gilmore's title composition and Butch Hancock's lovely ``Banks of the Guadalupe,'' wistfully evoke the longing for lasting love - a topic the artist's masticating, caramel-and-chewing-tobacco vocals are sublimely suited to. Three stars

- Bob Strauss

Kenny Barron/``Spirit Song'' (Verve)

Piano master Barron has come up with another wonderful album that's filled with lyrical beauty, imaginative playing and interesting explorations. The 56-year-old pianist began the album with the idea of deviating from standard be-bop chord progressions, and the new direction has clearly invigorated his compositions. The heart of the album is a stunning three-song sequence that includes the gentle bossa nova ``Um Bejo'' (enriched by violinist Regina Carter), a glorious rendition of Billy Strayhorn's ``Passion Flower'' and a joyous version of McCoy Tyner's ``Passion Dance.'' The latter tune features standout playing from saxophonist David Sanchez, a former student of Barron's who demonstrates that he learned his lessons well. Also featured are longtime Barron collaborator Eddie Henderson on trumpet and guitarist Russell Malone, who guests on three numbers. Highly recommended. Three and one half stars.

- G.W.

CAPTION(S):

4 photos

Photo: (1) no caption (Oasis)

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