SOUNDTRACK

Various Artists, “Chess New Orleans,” Chess/MCA ***. Back in the ‘50s and early ‘60s, when New Orleans was a gold mine for rock ‘n’ roll/R&B; music, Chess Records signed many artists from that area. Most didn’t make it big, but many of the no-names made some exceptional music--much of it collected in this two-record set. Highlights are tracks by Sugar Boy Crawford and Bobby Charles.

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