SOUND CHECK.

LISA MARIE PRESLEY: ``To Whom It May Concern'' (Capitol) - Three stars

She was graced with her daddy's good looks and love of rock 'n' roll. And while Lisa Marie Presley is now following in the footsteps of her legendary father, the similarities stop there on the evidence of her long-awaited debut.

It's obvious from the moment the 35-year-old heiress to the King's throne pipes up husky-throated in the self-analytical bruiser ``S.O.B.'' This smoky, bluesy concoction of wailing, high-pitched guitar and ominous harmonies creates an after-hours vibe that sustains the album even as the past gets dredged up lyrically.

``Lights Out'' is the slickly produced lead single that reflects the singer-songwriter's musical heritage with haunting lyrics like ``Someone turned the lights out there in Memphis/That's where my family's buried and gone/Last time I was there I noticed a space left/Next to them there in Memphis/In the damn back lawn.''

From Elvis to Jacko to the unconditional joy of motherhood, Lisa Marie Presley digs so deep into her skeleton-filled basement that she manages to step outside of the shadow of Graceland and into her own at last.

- Sandra Barrera

DAVE BRUBECK QUARTET: ``Park Avenue South'' (Telarc) - Three stars

Brubeck stuffed his grand piano and members of his quartet into a Manhattan coffee house last summer for a couple of late-night concerts that had to be memorable for anyone attending, not to mention the startled folks passing by outside. The lively program is a perfect blend of standards (a zippy ``Love for Sale'' is a standout) and originals, including the inevitable ``Take Five,'' now a showcase for Brubeck's longtime drummer Randy Jones. That's not to say the 82-year-old Brubeck himself isn't still capable of some dazzling runs: He sounds positively giddy on ``Crescent City Stomp,'' an infectious salute to New Orleans jazz. Judging from the music here, these guys should consider beginning every future set with a cup of coffee.

- Glenn Whipp

(HED) PLANET EARTH: ``Blackout'' (Jive) - Three stars

Take a heap of metal, add a cup of rap and turntable scratching, and you've got the third effort from Huntington Beach's (hed) Planet Earth, which just might be the worst band name of the last five years. The six-piece group hits upon a nice range of grooves here. In songs that dwell on distrust and betrayal, sunny reggae and modern-rock touches underscore the subtext that bad times build character. The title track, along with ``Getaway'' and ``Suck It Up'' are currently in use on radio and in the popular NASCAR Thunder video game.

- Michelle J. Mills

LUCINDA WILLIAMS: ``World Without Tears'' (Lost Highway) - Four stars

Not since the golden era of the Rolling Stones' ``Beggar's Banquet'' and ``Exile on Main Street'' has there been an album this evocative of wasted rock 'n' roll love. So far beyond heartbroken that she seems to be wailing from a whole other, half-life dimension, roots music's greatest female record maker plays it rougher than usual and emotionally rawer than ever, impossible as that may seem. Half a dozen masterpieces of lost, eroticized longing and funk/rap-inflected country blues jump right out at first listen, while more naive-sounding tunes deepen with time. If the loping title track doesn't become the achy, ironic anthem of the season, this country has no soul left. In stores Tuesday.

- Bob Strauss

ROBBIE WILLIAMS ``Escapology'' (Virgin) - Two and one half stars

Brit pop star continues to try to catch a break in America. Whether any of this treacle will tempt the palate of U.S. audiences is probably up to Clear Channel, but Williams continues to show potential though the results here are uneven at best. ``Love Somebody'' is an effective - even affecting - bluesy ballad in which Williams displays his blue-eyed soul vocal prowess. He also chronicles his life as a pop star in ``Me and My Monkey'' and ``Handsome Man,'' in which he displays a self-deprecating sense of humor, while on ``Come Undone'' it's done with a bit of a nasty edge. That may be part of Williams' problem - he's a bit too self-absorbed without being deft enough to consistently turn his music into something more interesting. Still, Williams is better than most of the garbage that populates the airwaves, and a tune like ``Nan's Song,'' written about his late grandmother, has some genuine emotion.

- Rob Lowman

LINKIN PARK: ``Meteora'' (Warner Bros.) - Three stars

In the context of nu-metal crafted for maximum preteen-and-up appeal, Linkin Park hits the mark and also the No. 1 spot this week. On the sequel to its blockbuster 2001 debut, the charisma-challenged six-member band from Agoura Hills and Calabasas sustains a slickly produced mix of earnestly stressed-out vocals, crunchy synth-guitar, scratching, sampling and sing-song rap in a tidy 37-minute package. While it may appear on the surface Linkin Park shares the familiar metal/rap obsessions, ``Meteora's'' precision-tooled suburban soundtrack wisely avoids content that warrants a parental advisory. In standouts like ``Figure.09,'' ``Nobody's Listening'' and ``Somewhere I Belong,'' general adolescent confusion is as heavy as it gets. Package design by the group's art-schooled rapper Mike Shinoda is equally attractive.

- Fred Shuster

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Photo:

(1) LISA MARIE PRESLEY

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

(6) LINKIN PARK