SOUND CHECK.

DIXIE CHICKS: ``Taking the Long Way'' (Open Wide/Columbia) - Three and one half stars

In just a decade, the Dixie Chicks have been called heroes, renegades, superstars, villains and moms -- and there's still no fear of frying. Here, in collaboration with producer Rick Rubin, country-pop's defiant darlings explore personal and political themes in a much-anticipated set that's both urgent and surprisingly intimate. Along with the A-list harmonies and refreshing melodies of chick trio Natalie Maines, Emily Robison and Martie Maguire, a top-notch group of session ringers -- including Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith, Heartbreakers keyboardist Benmont Tench and guitarist Mike Campbell -- bring a loose, adventurous vibe to 14 winning tracks. One standout sure to cause some fur to fly is ``Not Ready to Make Nice,'' which deals with the flap surrounding Maines' comments in 2003 about George W., resulting in a number of country stations dropping the Chicks from their playlists.

Equally tuneful, sharply observed tunes include ``I Hope,'' penned with blues master Keb' Mo'; ``Everybody Knows,'' which explores the psychology of celebrity; and ``Lubbock or Leave It,'' which addresses small-town stupidity. In ``Taking the Long Way'' (released Tuesday), the Dixie Chicks aren't backing down.

-- Fred Shuster

BOOKER T. AND THE MGs: ``Stax Profiles'' (Stax) - Four stars

Preeminent Memphis soul label Stax has released 10 discs under the ``Stax Profiles'' banner, with celebrities, musicians and writers choosing their favorite songs for each CD. For this celebration of Stax's great house band, Elvis Costello has put together a 15-song groovefest that mixes the familiar and obscure in delightful ways. ``Green Onions'' is here, of course, but it's a live version from 1967. Likewise, the shake-your-moneymaker ``Boot-Leg.'' It may not be the definitive summation, but with superb sequencing and a punchy, remastered sound, it's a disc that even collectors will want to pick up. ``Grooves like this will last forever,'' Costello writes in the engaging liner notes. Testify.

- Glenn Whipp

ALLEN GINSBERG: ``Kaddish'' (Water) - Four stars

Subtitled ``Allen Ginsberg Reads Kaddish: A 20th Century Ecstatic American Narrative Poem,'' this archival gem was recorded in front of a live audience at Brandeis University in Massachusetts in 1964. Based on the traditional Hebrew mourning prayer (``kaddish''), the poem was famously scrawled in one nonstop 40-hour marathon fueled by speed, LSD and an ocean of coffee. The result is an epic testament to Ginsberg's literary talent, a poetic rumination on the fragile nature of existence, beautifully written and deeply moving when read aloud by its author. For its first time on CD, this excellent package features the original cover shot by Richard Avedon, and a supremely illuminating essay by noted beat-era scholar and Los Angeles author Harvey Kubernik.

-- F.S.

I SEE HAWKS IN L.A. ``California Country'' (Western Seeds Record Company) - Three and one half stars

Local co(s)mic cowboys serve up true sounds of '60s country rock with a satirical bent that captures the surreal absurdity of life in our fair megalopolis. The Hawks' hippie twang cred is emphasized by the appearance of Byrds/Burrito Brothers stalwart Chris Hillman, but they can also cook up a faux myth-rock inferno on the hilarious ``Slash From Guns N' Roses.'' An eyes-wide-open ode to Sen. Robert Byrd and the caustic ``Hard Times (Are Here Again)'' provide contempo political counterpoint to Golden State narratives of passion crimes and spaced-out nostalgia. The Hawks play tonight at McCabe's in Santa Monica.

-- Bob Strauss

NATE NAJAR: ``Swinging With the Nate Najar Quartet'' (Blue Line Music) - Three stars

To: Diana Krall

Re: Your next guitar player

Diana, you've had some of the best up-and-coming guitarists in your recording and touring bands, from Russell Malone to Dan Faehnle and, most recently, Anthony Wilson. Your next guitarist should be Nate Najar. On his fourth album, Nate makes the difficult switch from electric guitar to nylon strings, yet retains his in-the-pocket cool jazz style. Listen to the rhythm playing throughout -- it would be the perfect complement to your piano. And his concise, always-melodic solos fit right in. So, before your next tour kicks off, get his album at www.natenajar.com, or have your people call his people -- you won't be sorry. And, hey, let's do lunch sometime.

-- Steven Rosenberg

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