Various: The Women at the Well

By GRAHAM REID

(Herald rating: * * * * )

I once complimented Paul Kelly on a song he'd written from a woman's perspective, saying it was unusual for male songwriters. The response was, "Oh, I dunno mate ..." and an embarrassing five minutes of being proven very wrong while Kelly and band listed many other male songwriters who had done the same.

This collection of women singing Kelly's songs shows how prolific he has been. Included here are Renee Geyer's moving, heartbroken and soul-soaked You Broke a Beautiful Thing, Christine Anu's dancefloor treatment of Beat of Your Heart, Bic Runga with an acoustic folk version of The Gift That Keeps On Giving, Debra Conway's electro-funk of Everybody Wants to Touch Me, Lash thrashing through the furious and menacing Dumb Things, and Kasey Chambers' alternative country take on the chilly Everything's Turning to White.

Great songs, sometimes very different interpretations and some exceptional singers.

Label: FMR