by Brian KellyWhen one estimable musician covers another, two criteria invariably surface: Was it a fresh interpretation? Was some semblance of the original emotion retained? On Sings Gordon Lightfoot, it's fair to say Tony Rice meets both. Simply stated, Rice takes Lightfoot's catalogue of rugged, Northern folk ballads and transposes them to Appalachian soil. Obviously, there is a distinct bluegrass undercurrent, but this is no real stretch considering the sparse, rural qualities of the originals. The track listing includes some familiar Lightfoot fare, including "Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald," "Bitter Green," and "I'm Not Sayin'," although Rice tends to dig well below the commercial surface for the meat of the album. Tracks like "You Are What I Am" and the previously unreleased "Whispers of the North" -- which distinguishes itself as the most memorable song by a country mile -- demonstrate both his familiarity and appreciation of the Canadian troubadour's canon. Instrumentally, Rice delivers his trademark: clean and tasteful acoustic pyrotechnics. He also employs a who's who cast of bluegrass pickers, including Jerry Douglas, Bela Fleck, and Vassar Clements to underscore Lightfoot's placid and literate songbook. The liquor here is sweet, but don't expect to blow any dust from the bottle. The production is rather distilled and slick -- much like the pose Rice strikes on the album cover.