Mention kiss, and many people imagine monstrous figures in devilish makeup and platform shoes. They'll recall bassist Gene Simmons eating fire and displaying his tongue. But once you get beyond the pyro antics, clown suits and lunch boxes, the fact remains that Simmons, Paul Stanley and their band mates have created some great rock & roll. Their subjects may not always stimulate the mind – this is, after all, the band who penned "Let's Put the X in Sex" – and their lyrics can be laughably macho. Yet their music has been cited as an influence by numerous artists, from Seattle pioneers the Melvins (who appeared, along with Nirvana, on an earlier Kiss cover album) to Garth Brooks. This tribute, aptly titled Kiss My Ass, celebrates the unabashed pleasures of vintage hard rock.

Although Brooks' inclusion is the biggest surprise, his version of "Hard Luck Woman" – backed by the rockers of honor themselves – is one of the most faithful covers. Brooks chose his song well, as the original is a country-tinged barband number. Straying further from the expected path is Toad the Wet Sprocket, who contribute an ironic acoustic version of "Rock and Roll All Nite."

Others stick closer to home, with some embellishments: Lenny Kravitz turns "Deuce" into a pop funkfest, with Stevie Wonder jamming on harmonica; Gin Blossoms' "Christine Sixteen" makes them sound similar to Kiss contemporaries Boston and Cheap Trick; the Mighty Mighty Bosstones add both horns and a satanic vocal to "Detroit Rock City"; and Shandi's Addiction – comprising members of Faith No More, Rage Against the Machine and Tool – perform a top-heavy, somewhat distorted "Calling Dr. Love."

While loyal enthusiasm pervades the largely by-the-book tunes by Brooks, Anthrax ("She"), Dinosaur Jr ("Goin' Blind") and the Lemonheads ("Plaster Caster"), a real treasure lies in a creative rendition of "Strutter" by Extreme, which turns down the metronome a couple of notches for a funky rhythm that truly struts more than rocks.

But the ingenuity award must go to Yoshiki of the Japanese band X. His adaptation of "Black Diamond" is an instrumental orchestral arrangement, backed by the American Symphony Orchestra. It retains the basic structure of Kiss' version, using piano, strings and timpani in place of the traditional electric guitar, bass and drums. And that's why Kiss' music is so compelling: Like Aerosmith, the group can produce fine melodies that span the ages and excite new generations of artists. Imitation may be the sincerest form of flattery, but influence inspires creativity. (RS 694)

ANDREA ODINTZ