Music releases: Glen Campbell

MEET GLEN CAMPBELL

Capitol Records

Perhaps it shouldn’t be a surprise that Glen Campbell, at age 72, would release a collection of songs as ambitious as this. Still, “Meet Glen Campbell” defies expectations.

The symphonic arrangements aren’t unexpected: After all, Campbell hits from “Wichita Lineman” to “Rhinestone Cowboy” featured big, majestic backing tracks.

But his choice of material is as unpredictable as can be. Campbell focuses on ballads written by hard rockers and alternative outcasts, putting his deceptively smooth voice to the Foo Fighters’ “Times Like These,” Green Day’s “Good Riddance (Time Of Your Life),” Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers’ “Walls” and “Angel Dream,” and the Replacements’ “Sadly Beautiful.”

These aren’t cheesy lounge renditions or tongue-in-cheek overstatements reminiscent of Tom Jones’ covers of dance hits. Much like Johnny Cash’s late-in-life work with producer Rick Rubin, these are serious recordings where Campbell locates the emotional thread in meaningful lyrics from those with different backgrounds than his.

The best cuts — his takes on Jackson Browne’s “These Days,” U2’s “All I Want Is You” and John Lennon’s “Grow Old With Me” — own a timeless beauty that bridges generations and cultures.

— Michael McCall,

The Associated Press