Remix or tribute albums are often stodgy affairs, where the work of the artist being celebrated becomes as rigid as if cast in stone, and any artists doing the celebrating check their creativity at the door. Re: Generations, which commemorates Nat King Cole with a work that's half tribute album and half remix album, is a notable exception to this tendency. Not only does it feature a parade of talented names, but the artists make Cole's standards as fluid as water (which the deft pianist and beguiling vocalist would undoubtedly appreciate). Certainly the guests are exactly the types of artists a modern-day Cole would be working with, everyone fromthe RootstoTV on the RadiotoBebel Gilberto. If anything, the celebrators were overly free with Cole's work, modernizing it and portraying the man in a light that neither he nor his fans would perhaps appreciate. 　　Cee-Lo Greencould have done a marvelous job with "Lush Life," rethinking it as a modern torch song better than anythingDanger Mousehas covered. Still, about all we learn from his remix are two facts: "I was wrong" and "I'll live a lush life." Contrast that with the original, where the intricate poetry of the lyrics comes together with a definitive reading to form one of Cole's most moving performances. ProducerJust Blazefinds an obscure track called "Pick-Up," and casts Cole as a drive-by womanizer, then adds new recordings to capture a modern female's typical response. Others select atypical tracks — "Calypso Blues," "El Choclo" — to put their own heavily personalized spin on the work of one of the great vocalists of the 20th century. Granted, there are several successes: 　　the Rootsmodernize "Walkin' My Baby Back Home" with a loose, dexterous instrumental (then tack on a rap fromBlack Thought),TV on the Radiotake "Nature Boy" to the stars with heavy reverb applied to Cole's vocal, and Detroit post-jazz producerAmp Fiddlerexplores what "Anytime, Anyday, Anywhere" would sound like in a post-fusion environment like the '70s. Best of all is "Straighten Up and Fly Right," whereNatalie Coleduets with her father once more, this time with playful interplay and a wonderfully understated production fromwill.i.amthat doesn't sound conspicuously modern (and even finds room for a sprightly piano solo). As with all tribute albums, the best thing that could happen is if the fans of these artists go back to the original recordings rather than rely on crossover fusions that will become dated far sooner than the best of Nat King Cole's 35 years of recordings.