ALBUM REVIEW

** 1/2; VARIOUS ARTISTS, “If I Were a Carpenter” ( A&M; )

Earnest, guileless affection for these songs provides a thread through performances of Carpenters hits by artists as disparate as Sonic Youth, Cracker, 4 Non Blondes and Sheryl Crow.

Sonic Youth’s postmodern pop-culture irony is perfect for “Superstar,” Redd Kross’ un-ironic love for ‘70s kitsch fills “Yesterday Once More” with heart, and the Cranberries’ Dolores O’Riordan’s Irish pronunciations renew the love-struck innocence of “Close to You.”

And nearly all the tracks revel in the Carpenters’ undeniable song-craft--save for Babes in Toyland’s flat “Calling Occupants of Interplanetary Craft,” an obscure, Klaatu-originated number that was just a Carpenters novelty to begin with.

Yet this all comes up just short of the concept’s promise in that there aren’t really any revelations about the songs or performers. Only in Grant Lee Buffalo’s closing “We’ve Only Just Begun”--with sweet Beach Boys-ish vocals--does an act push beyond its own expected approach.

Still, there may be enough feeling here to turn a new generation on to a body of work that has survived some of the strongest ridicule ever in the pop world.

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