SOUND CHECK.

NELLY FURTADO: ``Loose'' (Geffen) - Three stars

This Canadian singer-songwriter's third effort is a glitzy, infectious mix that doesn't stay in one place too long -- except on the dance floor. ``Haven't you heard the Reggaeton one?'' she asks her producer Timbaland (who has fashioned hits for Missy Elliott) before launching into ``No Hay Igual,'' a rhythmic drum-heavy number. Meanwhile, the album's first single, ``Promiscuous,'' already a hit, is a suggestive pop-rapping give-and-take between Furtado and Timbaland. Slowing down a bit, Furtado acknowledges her Portuguese roots with the lovely ``Te Busque'' (in English and Spanish), featuring Colombian superstar Juanes. And while the CD is heavy with irresistible techno-pop and even a Middle Eastern-inspired cut, Furtado gets reflective on the sweet ``In God's Hands'' and ``All Good Things (Come to an End),'' penned with Coldplay's Chris Martin. Still, like the woman in ``Promiscuous,'' ``Loose,'' with its blatant commercial bid, seems a bit like a tease. Terrific ear candy, though.

-- Rob Lowman

DEF LEPPARD: ``Yeah!'' (Island) - Three stars

Brit rockers Def Leppard serve up some pop archaeology in this hard-rocking tribute to their musical heroes -- the Kinks, Badfinger, T. Rex, David Bowie, Sweet, Roxy Music, Mott the Hoople, Free, Faces and Thin Lizzy. While some tracks might be on the obscure side to U.S. ears (ELO's ``10538 Overture'' from 1971), ``Yeah!'' just may signal a comeback for a band whose fortunes have waned in recent years. If not, Def Leppard can at least take comfort in having made exactly the album they wanted.

-- Gerry Gittelson

ANNE KERRY FORD ``Weill'' (Illyria) - Three and one half stars

A Juilliard-trained actress with a versatile, far-ranging voice, Ford is perfectly suited for this tribute to the great German composer. Though some of the cuts have an intimate cabaret feel, most are live recordings made with the WDR Big Band in Cologne, Germany's Philharmonic Hall. Produced by the singer's husband, guitarist Robben Ford, the album highlights phrasing that's often as witty as the lyrics of Weill's cleverest Broadway collaborators. But the actress in her really comes out on highly dramatic renditions of, ironically, Bertolt Brecht's cynical verses for ``Pirate Jenny'' and ``Surabaya Johnny.''

-- Bob Strauss

JOSE GONZALEZ: ``Veneer'' (Mute) - Three and one half stars

Get out the Prozac. You can almost see the tears falling on the guitar strings of this forlorn-sounding Swedish singer-songwriter of Argentinean descent whose fragile songs bring to mind a Mount Rushmore of depression cases: Elliott Smith, Leonard Cohen, Ian Curtis and Nick Drake. Much of the soul-stirring ``Veneer'' -- containing ``Crosses'' and ``Stay in the Shade,'' both used in episodes of ``The O.C.,'' and ``Heartbeats,'' which sets the mood in a recent Sony Bravia commercial -- consists of artfully finger-picked guitar and near-whispered voice, and it wears uncommonly well. Gonzalez's warm melodies are so strong and the hushed delivery so pure and serotonin-deprived, ``Veneer'' quickly becomes one of the most addictive debuts of recent memory. A heavenly double bill: Gonzalez and Canadian singer Leslie Feist.

-- Fred Shuster

TRIO BEYOND: ``Saudades'' (ECM) - Four stars

This threesome was launched by drummer Jack DeJohnette in honor of his late friend, the scorching percussionist Tony Williams. In two live discs, Trio Beyond meets its goal in a program devoted largely to Williams' short-lived but highly influential electric jazz band Lifetime. Of course, honoring an innovator like Williams wouldn't be a salute if it didn't take the music into new places. DeJohnette, guitarist John Scofield and Sherman Oaks-based organist Larry Goldings acquit themselves nicely on that count, with DeJohnette leading the way with his booming, assertive playing. At once reverent and inventive, ``Saudades'' is one of the year's best jazz albums. Play loud.

-- Glenn Whipp

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Photo:

(1) no caption (NELLY FURTADO)

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