SOUND CHECK.

SPOTLIGHT ON...

LUIS MIGUEL/``Vivo'' (WEA Latina)

It should be said from the top that ``Vivo'' is the kind of album only a die-hard Miguel fan could love.

Anyone else might view this 13-track live effort as just another attempt by the record-breaking artist at glorifying himself as the king of Latin pop prima donnas - and they'd be right. But that doesn't detract from the gorgeous body of work the Grammy Award-winning singer, songwriter and producer has on tap.

``Vivo'' (``Live'') was recorded during a five-night stand at Mexico's Fundidora Stadium. And sonically, it's about as close as you'll get to actually being there.

The record opens with an ominous musical introduction before leading into the brassy blasts of Miguel's hit ``Quiero.'' All the tracks represent the best of Miguel, who also produced on this album.

The hunky heartthrob delivers favorites like the lively ``Suave,'' bringing out a full mariachi band for ``La Bikina,'' which has been logging plenty of airplay. But it's probably the three romantic medleys that best illustrate why Miguel is the top-selling pop singer in Latin America. The songs come from his Grammy-winning bolero discs: ``Romance'' (1991), ``Segundo Romance'' (1994) and ``Romances'' (1997).

By the end of ``Vivo'' you can't help wonder why he didn't just call it ``Bravo.'' Four stars

- Sandra Barrera

U2/``All That You Can't Leave Behind'' (Interscope)

At this point, any band that's been around as long as U2 would be treading a well-worn path. But U2 is brilliant at reinvention and while their 10th studio album (in stores Tuesday) is in some ways a return to the warm sound of 1987's anthemic ``The Joshua Tree,'' it breaks ground simply by eschewing pop trends in favor of solid, passionate songwriting and musicianship.

There's much to like about ``All That You Can't Leave Behind,'' and it doesn't take multiple listenings to get the point. Opening strong with the rousing single ``Beautiful Day,'' the disc moves through midtempo soul-splashed gems (``Stuck in a Moment You Can't Get Out of,'' ``In a Little While''), acoustic strummers (``Wild Honey'') and stirring, optimistic epics (``Peace on Earth,'' ``Grace'') that shine.

Production by longtime U2 collaborators Daniel Lanois and Brian Eno (with a few radio-ready remixes by Steve Lillywhite) is subtle, placing the focus on Bono's well-crafted vocals and the Edge's delicious, ringing guitar lines.

A welcome return to the basics. Four stars

- Fred Shuster

SHEL SILVERSTEIN/``Where the Sidewalk Ends'' (Columbia/Legacy)

Imagine Burl Ives on acid and you'll get an idea about what this Grammy Award-winning album, first issued in 1983, sounds like. As the cover indicates, the late, great Silverstein recites, sings and shouts selections from his beloved children's book, although, as every adult knows, you don't have to be a kid to relish these charming poems and stories. This welcome reissue of one of the greatest children's albums ever recorded adds 11 previously unreleased slices of Silverstein's manic genius. Parents, though, might want to provide some clarification to songs like ``Stone Telling.'' (``How do you tell if a window is open? Just throw a stone at it. Does it make a noise? It doesn't? Well it was open.'') Four stars

- Glenn Whipp

12LB.TEST/``Harm's Way'' (Miles of Music)

A couple of guitar-happy Texas schoolteachers and Michael Hill of the weirdo twang outfit Slobberbone have formed this pleasantly rocking ensemble. The music is loud yet lightly melodious, reminiscent of '70s country rock efforts by the likes of Poco, Firefall and late-period Byrds. Though mostly about lost loves and unlucky lives, the songs share a happy, harmonious spirit - it's party music you can cry to. This is the first release from the good folks who run www.milesofmusic.com and only available from the Valley-based Internet enterprise that's, not coincidentally, the one-stop supersite for everything great on the Americana/alt.country scene. Three stars

- Bob Strauss

NELLY FURTADO/``Whoa, Nelly!'' (DreamWorks)

A bright, colorful disc that blends urban pop, alt-folk, rock and a sprinkling of samba, aiming squarely at that place where Macy Gray, Tori Amos and No Doubt collide. Born in British Columbia to Portuguese parents, Furtado laces her very modern-sounding pop with world and hip- hop elements for one of the year's most assured and charming debuts. Three and one half stars

- F.S.

CHERRY POPPIN' DADDIES/``Soul Caddy'' (Mojo)

``Soul Caddy'' finds the Daddies attempting too many genres: spy-inflected ska, new wave, rock, soul, spacey. It's simply all over the map.

Somebody needs to tell these guys that Iggy Pop and the ripe old big- band swing of ``Diamond Life Boogie'' don't always mix - at least, not in this case.

If only the guys had stuck with doing more of what they know best like on the silly ``Swingin' With Tiger Woods (The Big Swing),'' ``So Long Toots'' and the sulking sax tune ``Saddest Thing I Know.'' Two stars

- S.B.

CAPTION(S):

6 photos

Photo:

(1) no caption (Luis Miguel)

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