but it was not. It was so disappointingly TERRIBLE I sent it to the landfill, heartbroken.

I'm giving this album a great rating, to counterbalance those who are nit-picking it to death. I'm not a country music fan and I was barely familiar with Patsy Cline before listening to this CD- so I'm speaking to anyone wondering whether this is an album they might enjoy, who isn't coming from a place of comparision with how much they loved "the way Patsy Cline sang it." I find this album a complete joy to listen to. All of the songs are wonderful, and I really enjoy the variety of styles and voices. My favorite track is Lee Ann Womack's awesome rendition of "She's Got You." I'm so glad I received this CD as a gift, because it's not something I would have bought for myself, and I'm now quite taken with this repertoire.

It was stated that the artists on this cd were encouraged to do their own interpretations of the timeless classics made popular by Patsy Cline. I think it was just an excuse for those horrible performances. This poor cd makes me appreciate that beautiful voice of Patsy Cline even more. There is a day-and-night difference between the way she sang the songs and the way these other people did on this cd. Save your money and buy the "Patsy Cline: greatest hits" cd instead.

It seems crazy to even attempt to cover the songs of Patsy Cline and yet if I were a singer I think I'd want to try as well. The trouble is, not many singers can really pull this catalog off as this collection bears out. Only two tracks are outstanding, some are ok, some are depressing for all the wrong reasons.

For the bad, "I Fall to Pieces" is an amazing heartbreaking song and Natalie Cole is completely unequipped to sing it (at least she didn't sing it as a duet with Patsy a la Unforgettable.) Norah Jones and Michelle Branch, two talented singers dealing with their own material, are unable to pull their respective numbers off (incidentally, Norah fares much better on "Just Because I'm a Woman" a similiar but much more successful tribute to Dolly Parton.) Diana Krall's reading of "Crazy" is strangely flat, as is kd Lang's washed-out "Leavin on Your Mind." The latter was particularly surprising because at first glance I expected this to be the standout track. Patty Griffin's rendition of "Faded Love" might have been good but seems drowned by the production.

There is yet some hope for this CD though. Lee Ann Womack does a brilliant, wrenching version of "She's Got You" and Terri Clark smokes on "Walking After Midnight." Amy Grant's cover of "Back in Baby's Arms" is suprisingly good as well. The final track is an a capella rendition of "Sweet Dreams" by Martina McBride with backing vocals from Take 6. Although I didn't really enjoy Take 6's contribution, this was well-executed otherwise.

While cover versions can often be an interesting twist or occasional improvement on the original, I think buying a Patsy Cline album would be a much better use of your hard-earned money OR look into Loretta Lynn's "Sings Patsy Cline's Favorites."

... and that's why, with a couple of exceptions, I think this CD works. No one else could bring Patsy Cline's combination of soulful emotion and richly textured vocal quality to these songs, so why try? A case in point: Jessi Alexander's rendition of "So Wrong," wherein she tries mightily to imitate Patsy phrase for phrase - and fails.

Two other cuts miss the mark: Natalie Cole's approach to "I Fall to Pieces," well, falls flat - primarly because Natalie Cole's singing style is somewhere between a bray and a whine. And I have issues with Martina McBride and Take 6's version of "Sweet Dreams," largely because they're so enamored of the soundscape that the song gets completely lost in the shuffle.

But the other cuts are pretty snazzy, each for a different reason. Norah Jones' reading of "Why Can't He Be You?" conveys just the right air of ambivalence. Amy Grant's Texas swing-style arrangement of "Back in Baby's Arms" captures the good cheer of the song, and some of its sass as well. Diana Krall's rendition of "Crazy" proves not only that a great song is a great song in ANY setting, but also that a smart musician with a fresh approach can reveal new meaning in a song you've heard a zillion times. Michelle Branch's "Strange" is a bit, um, strange, in that she has an oddly unpleasant voice - and yet her interpretation somehow works. Terri Clark puts some muscle into "Walkin' After Midnight," Rebecca Lynn Howard tears the roof off of "You're Stronger Than Me," Lee Ann Womack gets to the emotional meat of "She's Got You," and Patti Griffin imbues "Faded Love" with such sadness and a sense of loss that I almost don't miss the ragged intake of breath that made Patsy's original such a stunner.

And then there's k.d. lang. The perfect, velvety vocals ... the powerful sound and equally powerful feeling ... the world-weary, "I've been through this before and I know what's coming" tone ... this is one brilliant recording. Never afraid to take a song apart and put it back together again, she's one of the truly great singers of this - or any - generation.

I'm a bit mystified by the reviewers here who seem to feel this CD doesn't qualify as a "tribute" because the singers, for the most part, bring their own individual style to their tracks. Isn't that what Patsy herself did, to the everlasting good fortune of us all?