SOUND CHECK.

Byline: - Fred Shuster

Danny Gatton/``Untouchable''

This album was begun 10 years ago but interrupted when late rockabilly-jazz guitar virtuoso Danny Gatton signed with a major for two discs. Few recordings have done this guy justice, but ``Untouchable'' (NRG) comes closest to capturing the delicate chord voicings and shimmering, lightning-quick runs that made Gatton a Maryland roadhouse legend long before he took his own life several years ago. Among the best moments are Gatton's tribute to jazz guitarist Lenny Breau, ``One for Lenny''; a solid nod to Motown with ``Ain't That Peculiar'' (featuring late Washington, D.C.-area jazz diva Eva Cassidy on backups); and the tongue-in-cheek ``Untouchables'' theme. The only thing missing here is a little more gutbucket blues. Three Stars

Linda Ronstadt/``We Ran''

We can imagine the closed-door meeting high above Hollywood. ``Linda, sweetie, we loved the Mexican stuff, really we did. And the Broadway and big-band tunes. The kids' lullabies - genius, sheer genius. But, please, doll, give us some pop music. Give us some product we can move.'' The unspoken warning - one more ludicrous attempt to make ``art'' and you're gonna be selling your homemade CDs out of the trunk of the station wagon - obviously worked. So, for her 31st album, Ronstadt returns to the terrain that established her as a top rock interpreter. ``We Ran'' (Elektra), coming from somewhere near the town of Last Chance, is a goodie. Whether covering Bob Dylan (``Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues''), John Hiatt (``When We Ran''), Bruce Springsteen (``If I Should Fall Behind'') or Irma Thomas (``Ruler of My Heart''), Ronstadt, backed by some top local players, is in tip-top shape. Three Stars

- Fred Shuster

Montgomery/``Ultimate''

Here's a fun proposition: George Benson chooses his favorite Wes tunes. Or favorite Wes tunes on Verve, that is. ``Ultimate'' turns out to be a joy, unless, of course, you already have these 14 tracks - including such classics as ``Twisted Blues,'' ``Caravan,'' ``Tequila,'' ``West Coast Blues,'' ``Impressions'' and ``Four on Six'' - on other reissues. In any case, the liner notes are revealing. Benson points out something I didn't know - that the late Montgomery had a big old ``corn'' on his thumb that helped give his guitar playing its distinctive hard-soft sound. ``That's why no one will ever match Wes,'' Benson insists, forgetting that Montgomery didn't own the patent on finger warts. Because, in actual fact, it could only have been a wart since corns generally appear on feet. Unless Wes' thumb was really a big toe. In which case, yes indeedy, no one will ever match Wes thumb for thumb. Four Stars

- Fred Shuster

Pure Sugar/``Pure Sugar''

If you're turned onto L.A.'s coolest station - Groove 103.1 - you've heard local dance-pop outfit Pure Sugar's hits, ``Hands to Heaven'' and the appropriately titled ``Delicious.'' Although ``Pure Sugar'' (Geffen), starring the heartfelt vocals of onetime club kid Jennifer Starr, offers more than disco and synth-r&b sounds, there's enough of it to keep any raver happy. No matter what your tastes, you'll have to admit ``Delicious,'' based on a chunk of A Taste of Honey's 1978 smash ``Boogie Oogie Oogie,'' is pure exhilaration. Three Stars

- Fred Shuster

Chucho Valdes/``Bele Bele en la Habana''

Latin-jazz trailblazer Valdes here inserts his Afro-Cuban piano style into a selection of straight-ahead jazz material. Leading an imaginative and energetic trio of young Havana-based players, composer-pianist Valdes offers sizzling dance tracks and lush ballads, touching on a variety of indigenous Cuban rhythms in the process. ``Bele Bele en la Habana'' (Blue Note) lives up to its translation - ``Something's Happening in Havana.'' Three and One Half Stars

- Fred Shuster

Grace Jones/``Private Life: The Compass Point Sessions''

At last comes a twin-CD set focusing on some of the best early '80s dance music of all. That would be the Jones' stylish sessions with the Compass Point All-Stars led by the dynamic reggae rhythm section of drummer Sly Dunbar and bassist Robbie Shakespeare, including keyboardist Wally Badarou and guitarists Barry Reynolds and Mickey ``Mao'' Chung. ``Private Life: The Compass Point Sessions'' (Island) explores three albums: ``Warm Leatherette,'' ``Nightclubbing'' and ``Living My Life,'' offering hits from each, two previously unreleased tunes, four previously unheard versions of hits and 16 numbers appearing on CD for the first time. The stuff still holds up. Three and One Half Stars

- Fred Shuster

Shirley Brown/``The Soul of a Woman''

A mess of r&b and gospel tunes get the going over from Southern soul diva Brown, owner of some of the biggest pipes since Ann Peebles or Dorothy Love Coates. ``The Soul of a Woman'' (Malaco), recorded in Mississippi, Alabama and Tennessee with the real guys (guitarist Jimmy Johnson, bassist David Hood, drummer Roger Hawkins and the Muscle Shoals Horns), is just that - a glimpse inside the heart and soul of a genuine dear. Best tracks here include the sly Millie Jackson-esque ``I Caught You With Your Pants Down'' and the rousing gospel of ``He Looked Beyond My Faults.'' Three Stars

- Fred Shuster

Dave Alvin/``Blackjack David''

Alvin's band usually includes some of the finest roots musicians on the scene. His latest album, ``Blackjack David'' (HighTone), produced by country guitar mainstay Greg Leisz and named after the traditional folk tune that opens the disc, is also Alvin's first collection of mostly new material in some time. It's a doozy, putting forward many of this brilliant songwriter's most evocative songs - ``Abilene,'' ``New Highway,'' ``The Way You Say Goodbye'' and ``From a Kitchen Table,'' among them. If you're a fan of first-rate writing or just want to check up on some top-notch roots music, this one's for you. Four Stars

- Fred Shuster

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5 Photos

Photo: (1) Linda Ronstadt moves back into the pop mainstream with ``We Ran,'' her 31st album.

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