Crossing Jordan

1	I Wanna Be Your Man / Sam Phillips
2	Days / Marc Anthony Thompson
3	Can't Find My Way Home / Alison Krauss
4	The Wind Cries Mary / Cassandra Wilson
5	Season Of The Witch / Richard Thompson
6	Hang Down Your Head / Lucinda Williams
7	You're Gonna Need Somebody On Your Bond / The Holmes Brothers
8	Buckets Of Rain / Vic Chesnutt
9	You're Innocent When You Dream / Jill Hennessy
10	Pale Blue Eyes / Joe Henry
11	Trouble / The Holmes Brothers
12	It's All Over Now, Baby Blue / Jill Hennessy
13	Crossing Jordan Themes Medley / Wendy Melvoin & Lisa Coleman
14	Black Coffee / Rosemary Clooney

Barnes & Noble

Like CBS's hit CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, NBC's forensic science drama Crossing Jordan stakes its appeal on the public's fascination with the dark world of post-crime sleuthing. Produced by Craig Street (known for his work with Cassandra Wilson and Norah Jones), the soundtrack to Crossing Jordan echoes the series' unsettling subject with a selection of noir-ish covers of familiar rock staples rendered by contemporary rock and pop artists -- plus the show's raven-haired star, Jill Hennessy. Among the highlights is Sam Phillips's version of the Beatles "I Wanna Be Your Man," which -- with the help of T-Bone Burnett, her husband and the disc's executive producer -- she transforms into a borderline dirge sprinkled with chiming guitar (Phillips also contributes original music to Gilmore Girls). Folk rocker Richard Thompson infuses gnarly guitar solos into an epic, ten-minute retelling of Donovan's "Season of the Witch," while Cassandra Wilson strolls through Jimi Hendrix's "The Wind Cries Mary" alongside subtle wisps of acoustic guitar, piano, and harmonica. Other interesting interpretations include the Holmes Brothers' bluesy reading of Cat Stevens' "Trouble," Vic Chesnutt's sparse, nasally take on Bob Dylan's "Buckets of Rain," and Marc Anthony Thompson (a.k.a. Chocolate Genius) using brushed drums and vibes to give the Kinks' "Days" a dream-pop sheen. Sounding like a cross between Natalie Merchant and Maria McKee, former subway busker Hennessy flexes her surprisingly good chops on tunes by Dylan ("It's All Over Now, Baby Blue") and Tom Waits ("You're Innocent When You Dream"). With its lively mix of talent and material, this soundtrack is a long way from arriving DOA. Dave Gil de Rubio

All Music Guide

The soundtrack to NBC's hit series Crossing Jordan features rootsy singer/songwriters covering classic rock staples and also lets the show's star, Jill Hennessy, step out on a couple of tunes. Highlights include Sam Phillips' slinky genre- and gender-bending cover of the Beatles' early rave-up "I Wanna Be Your Man," Richard Thompson's slow-burning version of Donovan's "Season of the Witch," Lucinda Williams' dreamy interpretation of Tom Waits' "Hang Down Your Head," and Vic Chesnutt's spare but still unusually cheerful cover of Dylan's "Buckets of Rain." The Holmes Brothers also make a few appearances on the album, lending an eerie, yet rousing spirituality on "You're Gonna Need Somebody on Your Bond" and their cover of Cat Stevens' "Trouble." Hennessy's turns are respectable: on her version of Waits' "You're Innocent When You Dream" and Dylan's "It's All Over Now, Baby Blue," she reveals a pretty, expressive voice with just a tinge of world-weariness; only the slightly anonymous arrangements on her tracks make them of a lesser quality than the rest of the album. Wendy Melvoin and Lisa Coleman's theme for Crossing Jordan and Rosemary Clooney's "Black Coffee" round out this somewhat subdued but still unique album, which is better and more distinctive than the vast majority of soundtracks for TV shows. Heather Phares