Wyclef JeanThe Carnival (Ruffhouse/Columbia 67974)There...

These days, soundtrack albums aren't movie souvenirs so much as they are spinoff projects, designed to rake in bucks regardless of how the film fares at the box office. So in that sense, the audio end of the "Men In Black" franchise must represent something of a marketing watershed, for what it purports to be isn't the original soundtrack or even "music from and inspired by the original motion picture." No, "Men In Black: The Album" is basically a hip-hop collection with a title that just happens to happens to have been shared with a major motion picture. No wonder, then, that apart from the Will Smith title tune, the only other tracks that seem at all tied into the flick are the Danny Elfman opening and closing themes. Elsewhere, what we get is fairly generic funk, from "We Just Wanna Party with You," a Kool & the Gang-spiked jam by Snoop Doggy Dogg featuring JD (no relation), to Alicia Keys' soulful "Dah Dee Dah (Sexy Thing)." That's not to say the album is a total snooze, as "The 'Notic" finds the Roots and D'Angelo putting a fresh new spin on the Earth Wind & Fire oldie "Shining Star," while A Tribe Called Quest is typically idiosyncratic on "Same Ol' Thing." But if what you're looking for is another taste of the movie, wait for the video.

Pub Date: 7/10/97