Monitor

LEGACY Singer-guitarist Chris Whitley, 45, who died in Texas on Nov. 20 of lung cancer, started off as a bluesy guitar hero. But his restlessness led him far beyond the blues' 12-bar strictures into dreamy ambience. ''There was something special about Chris,'' says producer Daniel Lanois, who helped Whitley get a deal for his 1991 debut, Living With the Law. ''His music was resonant and beautiful — like his soul.''