***

LeANN RIMES

(Curb)

It would be hard to argue that the world really needs a reworked version of a Patsy Cline classic like "Cryin' Time" or a Hank Williams standard like "Your Cheatin' Heart." Those tunes are fine just the way they are. But if someone's gonna do it, she might as well have a soaring voice, a natural country knack, and the ability to introduce those nuggets to new listeners.

LeAnn Rimes surely fits the bill. She's got a killer voice, her legion of fans are mostly too young to drive, and this set of classics (except, naturally, the spunky country-pop single "Big Deal") lends credibility to a 17-year-old country queen who's been suspect because she's already sat atop the Billboard charts for three years. Rimes's platinum-plus popularity might be the product of a slick industry, but there's no denying the richness of her voice, especially as it navigates the tricky trail of Hank Williams's "Lovesick Blues" or lingers over the sorrowful Cline masterpiece "Crazy." Rimes takes no chances here with either the tunes or the pillowy arrangements -- but then, there wouldn't be much upside to that. And there's no real downside to this set.

-- Bill Kisliuk