Advertisement

Pop Music : Record Rack : In Brief : ** Various artists, “Patsy Cline Duets,” Private I/Mercury.

Share

The technology-driven outing (in stores Tuesday) allowing nine contemporary country singers to duet seamlessly with Cline 36 years after she died would be more than a curiosity if all the performances were as strong as those by Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings--top-drawer singers whose voices can hold their own with anyone’s. The others--including John Berry, Glen Campbell, Crystal Gayle and Michelle Wright--largely come off as dressing on a window that needs none. Another problem is that it’s mostly trading of verses instead of blending of voices, which further underscores the strength of Cline’s original recordings.

*

Albums are rated on a scale of one star (poor), two stars (fair), three stars (good) and four stars (excellent). The albums are already released unless otherwise noted.

Advertisement