Plain Rap does have its moments, though the uneven production makes it hard to see them coming. Top honors go to the introspective "Somethin," with a sly, funky bass line and soulful female vocals. "Frontline" could also make some heads bob, though why the track the Pharcyde says "tells you the whole vibe and mindset of the album" hides in the number nine slot is as much a mystery as why one of the strongest hip-hop acts of the '90s has come out so weak in 2000. C+ -Taylor R. Terry

Brian White

Greatest Hits (Asylum)

Greatest Hits is a well-selected collection of mainstream country pop singer/songwriter Bryan White's chart-topping singles, a selection that reveals not only the artist's development of his country-pop style but also his growth as a relentless perfectionist. Opening the album is "Love is the Right Place," supported vocally by the moving background voice of Bekka Bramlett. "Rebecca Lynn," which White has described as a signature song, never ceases to tire with the strong acoustic and guitar playing of Billy Joe Walker Jr.

"From This Moment On," White's number one duet with Shania Twain, is also on the album and offers a warm, romantic break from the more panging "Someone Else's Star," in which White plaintively and intimately expresses a longing that is not answered until his 1999 "Heaven Sent." Also off the Between Now and Forever album are "I'm Not Supposed to Love You Anymore" and "So Much Pretending," both top singles in which White mastered his ability to create love songs of symphonic forces. Greatest Hits, full of easy-going songs with endearing vulnerability and expressive vocals, will appeal to both Bryan White and country music fans in search of believable and deep country crooning. B -Yan Fang