Something for Everyone on ‘Woodstock 99’

*** VARIOUS ARTISTS

“Woodstock 99”

Epic

We all know about the raging bonfire that the summer’s Woodstock festival turned out to be, but the three-CD soundtrack (in stores Tuesday) aims to answer the musical question: Just how incendiary were the acts themselves? Fortunately for those who kept a safe distance from the mayhem, Woodstock 99 aimed to please, regardless of whether attendees leaned toward metal mosh music or soft-focus folk-pop.

In that sense, it was an accurate reflection of the balkanized state of pop music, in which listeners prefer to seek out their own little corners of the musical universe rather than rally around any one big band or album. For extreme rock fans, there’s plenty of grimy guitar and insolent B-Boy posturing from Limp Bizkit, Kid Rock and Rage Against the Machine. For Lilith lovers, there’s Sheryl Crow’s classic rock moves and Jewel’s self-pitying balladry. Hip-hop fans can revel in the Roots’ deep-dish funk and DMX’s gangsta-noir. And lest anyone forget what the first, nonflammable Woodstock was all about, Woodstock 99 also throws in some Day-Glo vibes from Rusted Root for good measure.

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