Sponsored by Amnesty to raise awareness of the genocidal chaos ravaging the western province of Sudan, this double album of covers of John Lennon tunes is an undeniably high-spec item. The great and the good of planet rock have turned out in force: U2, REM, Green Day and Christina Aguilera top the bill, although the more interesting contributions generally come from virgin philanthropists such as the Raveonettes and Regina Spektor. The great hope with any tribute album is that new light will be shed on the musical genius of the featured artist. Unfortunately, the main thought prompted by most of the 28 songs here is how tame and flat Lennon's postBeatles output sounds without the uplift of the great man's savage, heartrending vocals.
Warner Bros 9362499512 (2 CDs)