In Brief

* * 1/2 Arrested Development, “Unplugged,” EMI. Remove the superfluous all-instrumental side and this goes up a star. Backed by a 17-piece band, the live versions of the material from the cutting-edge rappers’ hit album are, for the most part, funkier, jazzier and punchier than the originals. But the addition of the satirical “The Gettin’ “--which isn’t on the debut--doesn’t compensate for the puzzling omission of “Tennessee,” the Georgia group’s best song.

New albums are rated on a scale of one star (poor), two stars (fair), three stars (good) and four stars (excellent).