LYLE Lovett has made some great albums but this isn't one of them.

Instead, it's a real puzzle; you wonder just how much control the sometime country singer had over this lacklustre collection of movie soundtrack recordings. True, they are, as the sticker has it, "available for the first time on one CD" - but why would anyone want such a CD? The first half is truly dire as an off-form Lovett sings badly to plodding big band arrangements, stumbling through the dull title song (from the movie Hope Floats), while just about grinding to a halt on an embarrassingly dire Mack The Knife (Quiz Show). Matters pick up - and thus avoid a one-star rating - with Till It Shines (Mumford), You've Got A Friend In Me (Toy Story) and the tremendous I'm A Soldier In The Army Of The Lord (The Apostle). But what an odd album. Perhaps Lovett will be feeling better by the release of his new studio album in September.

Updated: 16:47 Wednesday, March 26, 2003