is an album with a political purpose--artists' proceeds benefit charitable organizations working to end the death penalty--but by and large it doesn't preach. Instead, Jon Langford, his Pine Valley Cosmonauts, and a bevy of guest vocalists--many of whom also appeared on the Cosmonauts' cowboy-jazz covers record, --simply sing "songs of murder, mob-law, and cruel, cruel punishment." Although "stars" like Steve Earle and Neko Case chip in, the best cuts come from lesser lights deploying a range of tactics: Some are faithful, including Edith Frost (who covers Merle Haggard's "Sing Me Back Home") and Brett Sparks of the Handsome Family ("Knoxville Girl"), while others take chances that pay off--in particular Diane Izzo, who does justice to Ralph Stanley's nearly impossible-to-cover "Oh Death." Then there's the creepy (Janet Bean of Freakwater skipping through the Mel Tillis tune "The Snakes Crawl at Night"), the unexpected (Jenny Toomey's take on Cole Porter's "Miss Otis Regrets"), the oddly nonchalant (Rosie Flores doing the Hank Williams standard "I'll Never Get Out of This World Alive"), and the downright weird (the little-heard Chris Ligon's "Great State of Texas").

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The Executioner's Last Songs - CD

Best Buy > Compact Disc

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