Original Country and Western Stars is a collection of Hank Locklin's late-'40s and early-'50s 4 Star recordings issued by a division of the Pickwick budget label. Consequently the version of "Send Me the Pillow That You Dream On" is not Locklin's hit from 1958, but an early, unsuccessful waxing from 1949. The ten songs are in Locklin's ballad style, except for the Hank Williams-like "Born to Ramble" and the comparatively sprightly "Let Me Be the One," which topped the country charts in 1953. Locklin's one other hit on the 4 Star label isn't included, and the audio quality varies considerably from track to track, suggesting in spots that the collection was mastered from 78s. Despite its shoddiness, Original Country and Western Stars is a fair value for buyers wanting to sample Locklin's earliest recordings without investing in Bear Family's Send Me the Pillow That You Dream On box set.

The title notwithstanding, this debut from the former Faithless singer is pretty angelic-sounding stuff. You're bound to think of Sin�ad O'Connor, but the comparison is as misleading as it is inevitable. Granted, Dido's ethereal vocals here frequently recall O'Connor; but Dido's...