*** Various Artists

WHEN WE WERE KINGS

(Mercury/DAS)

Most of the cuts on this soundtrack are astoundingly clear live recordings from the 1974 concert that accompanied the infamous "Rumble in the Jungle" between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman. Of the three new tracks, only the Fugees' creation -- bearing the same name as the fight (and featuring A Tribe Called Quest, Busta Rhymes, and Forte) -- is noteworthy. It's a complexly layered, bass-rooted rap that borrows an eerie if not haunting sample from, of all groups, Abba. The title track, performed by Brian McKnight and Diana King, is catchy inspirational fluff typical of animated Disney flicks; Zelma Davis's "I'm Calling (Say It Loud)" is a clubby dance-floor clone (with a message) that simply doesn't work.

The hallmark of this disc is the dynamic performances by music legends: B.B. King's howling voice and wailing guitar on "Sweet 16" and "I Got Some Help I Don't Need," James Brown kicking in with punchy versions of "The Payback" and "Gonna Have a Funky Good Time," and the Spinners bringing on the Motown with "I'll Be Around" and a cookin' "I'm Coming Home." Rounding off the album are the smooth "Ain't No Sunshine/You (Medley)" by Bill Withers and an instrumental "Put It Where You Want It" by the Jazz Crusaders. Intermingled with the songs are brief sound bites spurted out ebulliently by Ali, and African chants averaging 25 seconds apiece that drop you as soon as they've hooked you.

-- Y. Ryan Gonen

(See page 12 for our review of the film When We Were Kings.)