My mom rarely listened to music and rarely had an artist toward whom she felt an affinity. Throughout my childhood, our home would usually be filled with the sounds of silence or the odd adult contemporary radio station that would shuffle through the standard hits of Barry Manilow or Celine Dion at regular intervals.

There was one artist that would shake my mom from her musical slumber, however, and that was Anne Murray. Mom always perked up whenever Anne Murray’s recognizable contralto voice would come on the radio. The only album mom ever purchased herself was an Anne Murray album. To the best of my recollection, it was 1983’s A Little Good News.

Fast-forward 25 years to Anne Murray’s 2008 release of duets. Anne Murray Duets: Friends and Legends calls on a myriad of musical talents to help on 17 tracks of Anne Murray hits and favourites. Some of the combinations are rather strange, while others are more predictable. The album is among the most interesting of Murray’s career, but is still safe enough for dear old mom.

Anne Murray Duets: Friends and Legends begins with the instantly-recognizable “Danny’s Song.” Murray is joined by Martina McBride and the song is gently sweet and simple. The next track, “I Just Fall in Love Again,” is instantly striking with its familiar opening notes. Anne is joined by the now-deceased Dusty Springfield, one of Anne’s close personal friends. Emmylou Harris is next, joining Murray on “Another Pot O’ Tea,” a harmonious duet with tender twang.

The most uncomfortable-sounding pairing is up next, as “Daydream Believer” is uneasily split between Murray and Nelly Furtado. The song itself is a giant, once a hit for The Monkees, but Nelly’s assertion in the liner notes that she “sounds like a wailing cat next to her (Murray)” is dead-on. Jann Arden joins Anne on “Somebody’s Always Saying Goodbye” and the song’s sadness and tone makes it one of the finest on the album. Arden’s voice is perfect for this type of music and blends seamlessly with Murray’s to create a poignant tune.

Irish sextet Celtic Woman is up next, joining Anne on “Song for the Mira.” This is the type of track that seems destined to be a favourite of my mother’s, with its gentle swaying simplicity and easy lyrics. It’s a nice song. The legendary Carole King is along for the ride on the next track, “Time Don’t Run Out for Me,” which sounds like a stadium lighter-waver. This is the most vocally-sound tune on the album. “Cotton Jenny,” with Olivia Newton-John, is a fun song and the mild “A Love Song” with k.d. lang sways affectionately.