'The Show' is a hip-hop who's who

THE SHOW

The Soundtrack (Def Jam 314 529 021)

What makes rap soundtrack albums so attractive is that they're nothing but singles -- a string of potential hits instead of the usual album array of two or three good tracks and a whole lot of filler. With "The Show" (the movie opens in theaters today), that ,, come-on is intensified by a lineup that looks like a Who's Who of modern hip-hop: Snoop Doggy Dogg, Dr. Dre, 2Pac, the Notorious B.I.G., Mary J. Blige, Method Man, Warren G and A Tribe Called Quest, to name but a few. The album doesn't quite deliver what the marquee promises, since Dr. Dre, Slick Rick and Treach don't actually rap -- their tracks are just soundbites on the state of the music. Even so, there's far more gold than dross to be found here, thanks to Onyx's raucous, rambunctious "Live!!," Domino's funky, infectious "Domino's In the House," Tray D & So. Sentrelle's bass-pumping "Droppin Bombz" and A Tribe Called Quest's sly, insinuating "Glamour and Glitz." Definitely a show worth catching.

EXIT PLANET DUST

The Chemical Brothers (Astralwerks 61527)

A good beat may be the heart of a dance track, but interesting rhythm tracks are too often undone by lame raps or half-hearted vocal melodies. Not when the Chemical Brothers are around, though. This duo is at the forefront of Britain's "trip hop" movement, and the hypnotic, intensely rhythmic tracks they've created on "Exit Planet Dust" shows why. The album is virtually all groove -- a steady stream of thumping drums, loping bass and insinuating hooks -- and flows with inexorable momentum and organic logic of a great rave. Although none of the selections are songs in the traditional pop sense, there's a strong enough melodic cast to the looped guitar lines and artfully arrayed samples that it's hard not to hum along anyway. And because the Brothers take care to engage the ear as well as the body, "Exit Planet Dust" makes for rewarding listening even if you're not in a dancing mood.

GOOD NEWS IN HARD TIMES

The Sisters of Glory (Warner Bros. 45990)