SOUND CHECK.

Here are three new releases by varied artists that pay tribute to the city of New Orleans and reflect on the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina:

VARIOUS ARTISTS: ``Our New Orleans: A Benefit Album for the Gulf Coast'' (Nonesuch) - Four stars

Here's something rare - a charity album that holds up far beyond its own noble reason to exist. The disc collects 16 newly minted tracks featuring New Orleans music greats Allen Toussaint, Dr. John, Irma Thomas, the Wild Magnolias, Wardell Quezergue and more, all reaching for the heights. Toussaint's warm, funky reading of his own ``Yes We Can Can'' (a Pointer Sisters hit truly owned by '70s Brit-soul revue Kokomo) opens the album with a heartfelt charge, followed by one knockout punch after another. Toussaint scores again with the gorgeous piano solo ``Tipitina and Me.'' And the parade wraps up with Randy Newman performing his tear-stained ``Louisiana 1927'' in stirring form, joined by members of the Louisiana and New York philharmonics. (In stores Tuesday.)

- Fred Shuster

VARIOUS ARTISTS: ``Higher Ground: Hurricane Relief Benefit Concert'' (Blue Note) - Three and one half stars

New Orleans native Wynton Marsalis put together the ``Higher Ground'' concert three weeks after Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast. The lineup is amazing - Diana Krall, Norah Jones and Cassandra Wilson join the likes of pop singers James Taylor and Bette Midler. And the music is even better, with a program that celebrates New Orleans jazz and mourns the wounds the storm inflicted on the region. Highlights are numerous: We'll settle on trumpeter Irvin Mayfield's ``Just a Closer Walk With Thee,'' which begins as a dirge and then transforms into a forceful call to strength in the face of hardship. Simply amazing. All proceeds from the CD go to Hurricane Katrina relief funds.

- Glenn Whipp

HONEYBROWNE: ``Something to Believe In'' (Compadre) - Three stars

Jangly guitars and sweet harmonies ring throughout this Austin band's upbeat rock/pop album. But don't let the pretty music fool you. Lead singer and songwriter Fred Andrews has shrewd insight into the human struggle, whether the issue is spiritual (``I'm Here,'' the title track), economic (the well-observed ``8 Roses,'' which was actually written by disc producer Mark Addison and Nina Singh) and, of course, relationships (most everything else). This is a rare collection of songs that have an optimistic vibe overall, but there's nothing Pollyanish about any of them.

- Bob Strauss

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