MUSIC: PLAYLIST; Jay-Z Sweet-Talks a Punjabi Beat

PANJABI MC FEATURING JAY-Z: 'BEWARE OF THE BOYS (JAY-Z REMIX)' (Sequence) A few months ago, this song was a surprise hit single in Europe. It was called ''Mundian to Bach Ke,'' and it mixed bhangra with a sample from the ''Knight Rider'' theme and a loping hip-hop beat, while a guy from Coventry delivered a sermon (sung in Punjabi, naturally) on female modesty. This new remix adds a couple of deft verses by Jay-Z, who never met a beat he couldn't sweet-talk. He's in a cosmopolitan mood, segueing from hotel-room boasting to anti-war rabble-rousing: ''Checking in daily, under aliases/ We rebellious/ We back home/Screaming, 'Leave Iraq alone.' ''

JOHNNY CASH: 'HURT' (www.markromanek.com) A brutal, beautiful music video by Mark Romanek. Mr. Cash has outlived old age, and the song (a cover of a Nine Inch Nails song) suggests that endurance is its own bitter reward: ''You are somewhere else/ I am still right here.'' As he sings, Mr. Cash sits before a sumptuous table, contemplating a feast he will never touch. We catch glimpses of his past -- a younger Mr. Cash hops a freight train; a gold record lies smashed on the floor -- but his granitic face barely twitches.

SOLANGE: 'FEELIN' YOU (CHOPPED AND SCREWED)' (Music World/Columbia) Beyoncé's 16-year-old sister has put together a strong if uneven R & B album called ''Solo Star,'' but the best song is a bonus track. DJ Michael Watts remixes ''Feelin' You'' by slowing it down (it's a Houston, Tex., tradition). Solange suddenly sounds a decade older; tabla drums and eerie noises circle her in slow motion. An unexpected dose of psychedelic soul.

BLUR: 'THINK TANK' (Virgin) Sounds like a recipe for disaster: an aging Brit-rock band heads to Morocco to finish its seventh album and splits with its founding guitarist. So why does ''Think Tank'' work so well? The sounds and styles keep switching -- a ''California Dreamin' '' harmony one minute, a hazy hand-drum groove the next. And Damon Albarn's melancholy vocals turn nearly every mishmash into a graceful ballad.

JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE: 'ROCK YOUR BODY' (Jive) Yet another great single from Mr. Timberlake's solo debut, ''Justified,'' and this one has a video that's every bit as ecstatic as the Neptunes' neo-disco beat. The director Francis Lawrence puts Mr. Timberlake in a small room full of nothing but light bulbs (and a few dancers); the result is a riot of color and pattern.

THE ISLEY BROTHERS FEATURING RONALD ISLEY A K A. MR BIGGS: 'BODY KISS' (DreamWorks) Ready for a sequel to R. Kelly's intoxicating new album, ''Chocolate Factory''? Mr. Kelly wrote and produced every song on this disc except one, and he gives Mr. Isley the full R. Kelly treatment: gorgeous vocal lines, sexy-psychotic lyrics, silky hip-hop beats. ''Superstar'' starts off as a tribute to strong women, but the undercurrent of nastiness soon rises to the surface: ''Who's that man with a gentle heart and a pleasant tone?/ But when you mess with his money, he's quick to go upside your dome.'' Mr. Isley's voice is still in remarkable condition, but what's more impressive is his versatility. While some of his contemporaries grind away on the oldies circuit, he's crooning a duet with Lil' Kim (he even gets her to sing), having more fun than ever.

BARBARA MORGENSTERN: 'NICHTS MUSS' (Monika/Labels) A bewitching album of German electronic pop, with everything in balance. Precise beats and bleeps frame dreamy strands of piano; gentle, unprocessed vocals cut through the prickliest computer music.

JOE BUDDEN -- An emerging rapper with a booming voice and a playful flow. On his first hit, ''Pump It Up,'' he jokes about his ideal date: ''My jump-off never has me going out of my way/ And she don't want nothing on Valentine's Day.'' He's making an impressive showing on mix tapes (track down his fierce freestyle over Eminem's ''Sing for the Moment''); Island Def Jam will release his first album this summer.

NEW PORNOGRAPHERS: 'ELECTRIC VERSION' (Matador) A Canadian indie-rock supergroup with a lousy name -- but don't stop reading just yet. The second New Pornographers album is even sharper than the first: the choruses and verses soar; the guitars and keyboards ring as if they were hanging from steeples. Daniel Bejar (who also leads Destroyer) gets the best lines. One of his songs begins, ''I stole a page from your book, and a line from your page/ And flew into a lesbian rage.''