Various Artists: Sing A Song For You: Tribute To Tim Buckley

Tribute albums are an inherently dodgy proposition: If the object of tribute is so great, why not just listen to the real thing They tend to work best when the subject is a great songwriter but a bit of an acquired taste, a trick adopted by the organizers behind the Sweet Relief tributes to Victoria Williams and Vic Chesnutt. But, while his nine-album recorded output was frequently challenging and inconsistent, it's hard to argue that a bevy of modern-day guests will hold a candle to the voice and music of Tim Buckley, the brilliant and enigmatic singer-songwriter who died of a drug overdose in 1975. Over the course of two discs and 17 songs, acts both big and small give it a shot on Sing A Song For You, with mixed results. Mojave 3's "Love From Room 109 At The Islander" is as gently engaging as anything on the band's fine new Excuses For Travellers, while The Friendly Science Orchestra (led by Pale Saints' Ian Masters) and Heather Duby score nice sleepers with "Because Of You" and "I Must Have Been Blind," respectively. It's no surprise that Dead Can Dance's Brendan Perry impressively interprets Buckley's beautiful "Dream Letter," or that the promising Denver band The Czars gives the classic "Song To The Siren" a beautifully evocative reconstruction that more than doubles the original's running time. But the highlights are balanced out by misfires such as Moose's "Sing A Song For You" and Tram's "Once I Was": Both should have been slam-dunks, but they're each oddly disjointed, which is especially unexpected considering the confident beauty of Tram's own Heavy Black Frame. Enough highlights are sprinkled throughout Sing A Song For You to make it more than a mere curiosity for Buckley diehards. But those just beginning to dip into his catalog should acquire his first six or seven records before proceeding.