"Beautiful: A Tribute to Gordon Lightfoot" (10/07/2003) Rock & Pop Various Artists, Borealis RecordsPersonnel: Terry Tufts (vocals, guitar, dobro, mandolin); James Keelaghan, Jesse Winchester, Aengus Finnan, Ron Sexsmith (vocals, guitar); Colin Linden (vocals, electric guitar, mandolin); Stephen Fearing (vocals, electric guitar); Harry Manx (vocals, slide guitar, steel guitar, banjo); Bruce Cockburn (vocals, baritone guitar); Murray McLauchlan (vocals, pennywhistle, piano, string synthesizer); Connie Kaldor (vocals, piano); Cindy Church, Sarah Dugas, Nathan Rogers, Gwen Swick, Caitlin Hanford, Margo Timmins, Rick Fenton, Sylvia Tyson, Maria Muldaur, Paul Campagne (vocals); Jason Fowler, Michael Timmins, Gary Vogenson (guitar); Davy Gallant (acoustic guitar, electric guitar); Kevin Breit (National guitar, mandolin); Pete Grant, Burke Carroll (dobro); Jordan McConnell (flute, tin whistle, Uilleann pipe); Richard Bell (organ); John Burr (keyboards, string synthesizer); Tom McMahon (upright bass); Glen Scott (drums, bongos, background vocals); Randall Coryell (drums, percussion); Daniel Couture, Peter Timmins, Gary Craig (drums); Neil Golden (tabla); Andreas Olsson (tambourine); Jory Nash (background vocals). Audio Mixers: Colin Linden; Davy Gallant; Danny Greenspoon; Vezi Tayyeb; Jeff Wolpert; Jeremy Darby; John Jacob; Ken Friesen; Mark Vreeken; Martin Terefe; Andreas Olsson; Terry Tufts; Blue Rodeo; Paul Campagne; Bob Lanois. Liner Note Authors: Colin Linden; Grit Laskin; Fred Litwin; Michael Timmins; Stephen Fearing; Bill Garrett. Recording information: Canterbury Music Company (??/??/2002-03/29/2003); Clubhouse (??/??/2002-03/29/2003); Dogger Pond Studios, Drummondville, Quebec, Canada (??/??/2002-03/29/2003); Electric Earth East, London, England (??/??/2002-03/29/2003); Kensington Sound Studios, Toronto, Ontario, Canada (??/??/2002-03/29/2003); Marnie's Diner, Almonte, Ontario, Canada (??/??/2002-03/29/2003); Millstream Studio, Toronto, Ontario, Canada (??/??/2002-03/29/2003); New Improved Recording, Oakland, CA (??/??/2002-03/29/2003); Private Ear Studio, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada (??/??/2002-03/29/2003); Small Treasures Studio, San Jose, CA (??/??/2002-03/29/2003); The Bathouse, Bath, Ontario, Canada (??/??/2002-03/29/2003); The Shack, Ancaster, Ontario, Canada (??/??/2002-03/29/2003); The Woodshed, Toronto, Ontario, Canada (??/??/2002-03/29/2003); Workshop Recording, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada (??/??/2002-03/29/2003). Photographer: Norman James. Arranger: Murray McLauchlan. Virtually all of the 15 artists pitching in on this Lightfoot tribute are Canadian, Maria Muldaur being the notable exception. Otherwise, the roster mixes some Canadian, or at any rate Canadian-based (in Jesse Winchester's case), icons like Cowboy Junkies, Bruce Cockburn, and Murray McLauchlan; more mid-level acts like Blue Rodeo, Ron Sexsmith, the Tragically Hip, and Quartette (with Sylvia Tyson); and a smattering of artists known primarily to Canadian audiences. It's very much in the mold of many respectable but rather dull tribute albums. Some are competently reverent covers that stay pretty faithful to Lightfoot's well-known arrangements. Others put mild spins on the familiar renditions without threatening to displace the supremacy of Lightfoot's interpretations. But it's tastefully done, without any unnecessarily lush overhauls or particularly gratuitous liberties taken with the compositions. And certainly many of Lightfoot's most celebrated songs come in for tribute here, including "The Way I Feel" (Cowboy Junkies), "Sundown" (Winchester), "Ribbon of Darkness" (Cockburn), "If You Could Read My Mind" (Connie Kaldor), "For Lovin' Me" (Terry Tufts), "Black Day in July" (the Tragically Hip), and "Canadian Railroad Trilogy" (James Keelaghan). Blue Rodeo's sprightly "Go Go Round," Cowboy Junkies' "The Way I Feel," and Cockburn's slow, languorous take on "Ribbon of Darkness" are the readings that come off best. ~ Richie Unterberger