** 1/2 VARIOUS ARTISTS, “Sweet Relief II: Gravity of the Situation--The Songs of Vic Chesnutt,” Columbia

“Quirky,” “off-kilter,” “idiosyncratic”--all of these words describe the songs of Georgia singer-songwriter Vic Chesnutt, but none of them defines his Flannery O’Connor-like work. In this benefit for the Sweet Relief organization, big names such as Cracker, Soul Asylum, Smashing Pumpkins and Hootie & the Blowfish interpret Chesnutt in ways that range from the fastidious to the bizarre.

Garbage delivers a daring, effective take on “Kick My Ass,” with singer Shirley Manson twisting Chesnutt’s self-deprecating words into a seductive threat. Like-minded souls match Manson’s mettle: R.E.M. conjures a reverb-drenched spirit from “Sponge”; Kristin Hersh offers a mystical-feeling “Panic Pure”; Mary Margaret O’Hara reinterprets “Florida” with personality to spare.

But it is Joe Henry--who enlists his sister-in-law Madonna as backup singer on his moody, amazing “Guilty by Association”--who delivers the pivotal effort on this showcase of Chesnutt’s peculiar tragedies and triumphs.

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Hear the Songs

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