Various Artists - The Pilgrim: A Celebration of Kris Kristofferson

Kris Kristofferson. One of the finest songwriters of our time. Seventeen of his greatest songs, sung by seventeen of the greatest names in Americana (including Rodney Crowell, Todd Snider, Marta Gomez, Rosanne Cash, Shawn Camp, Jessi Colter, and Russell Crowe), and the deft producing hand of Randy Scruggs, and you have one hell of a great collection on your hands.

Of all the great songwriters who have been saluted by a great collection of artists, it could be that none are more deserving than Kris Kristofferson. He's been writing songs for five decades and has been taken to the top of the charts by many different artists, including Johnny Cash, Ray Price, Sammi Smith, Waylon Jennings, Roger Miller, and Janis Joplin. His songs have won numerous awards (he's the first, and only, songwriter to win both the ACM and CMA "Song of the Year" for two different songs in the same year-Ray Price's version of "For the Good Times" and Johnny Cash's "Sunday Morning Coming Down" took the honors in 1970).

So it's no surprise that the name of Kristofferson could bring together a collection of voices like this one. From Emmylou Harris's pure vocals on the opening track to Kristofferson's own conclusion, this disc is a pure celebration of the artist who might very well be the smartest guy in music (I do stand in awe of a Rhodes scholar). It says nothing about Gretchen Wilson that I just can't hear anyone but Johnny Cash singing "Sunday Morning Coming Down" -she does a fine job with it, as does Shooter Jennings with "The Silver Tongued Devil," and the wow for me came from actor Russell Crowe, who performs "Darby's Castle" with effortless grace, proving he and his band The Ordinary Fear of God have some serious Americana chops.

There's a lot more that can be said about Kristofferson. But all you really have to do is listen to his songs. It's all there.