Review

Most tribute albums fail because the interpretations are too diverse to make the album consistent. Brace Yourself: A Tribute to Otis Blackwell sidesteps that problem by having the artists record with a house band well-versed in the material of the legendary rock & roll/R&B songwriter. Thankfully, the approach works; none of the artists turn in a bad performance, and the disc rocks (albeit rather gently) from start to finish. But then again, it wasn't that hard to make a good album when the artists included Dave Edmunds, Graham Parker, Chrissie Hynde, Frank Black, the Smithereens, and Kris Kristofferson.