Pop

** 1/2 Various artists, “Welcome to Woop Woop” soundtrack, Cherry / Universal. Having contemporary acts cover five classic Rodgers & Hammerstein show tunes sounds like a weird idea, but it’s not surprising coming from director Stephan Elliott, who mined the ABBA catalog for his campy epic “The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert.” What’s strange is that this soundtrack, from Elliott’s forthcoming film about an oddball Australian town, isn’t that bizarre.

While artists such as Reel Big Fish and Neneh Cherry give each remake individual flavor, nobody strays far from Rodgers & Hammerstein’s original tone. The towering ballads “You’ll Never Walk Alone” and “Climb Ev’ry Mountain” prove highly adaptable to Junior Vasquez’s dance-floor make-overs, although they’re more clever than compelling as diva turns propelled by brittle house beats.

The five songs that aren’t by Rodgers & Hammerstein, including a new Eels tune and Boy George’s movie ballad, mostly match the playful, slightly wistful mood. The oddest thing is that Merril Bainbridge and Shaggy play it totally straight for their reggae-fied new duet on Sonny & Cher’s “I Got You Babe.”

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