Under The Covers, Vol. 1
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Free Music Notes for Under The Covers, Vol. 1
Free Music Review: Delightful Pop Record!!!
Hit: 4 Stars
This is such a fun record. Lately I've been buying lots of CD's featuring cover songs. This one ranks way up there. Matthew Sweet is just so amazing, and the way he and Suzie sing together is just pop perfection. If you like this sort of CD I also highly recommend "High School Reunion - a tribute to those great 80's films!" That's one I bought last year from Amazon and it rocks!!! As a matter of fact, Matthew Sweet covers Tom Petty's "American Girl" from Fast Times at Ridgemont High on that CD. It's one of my favorites.Free Music Review: I Love Covers
Hit: 5 Stars
Matt and Suz put their own spin on covers from the 60's. It's clear that they love the songs on this CD and it shows. The covers are not always well known, which makes it even a greater kick to hear them put their spin on these songs and make them their own. A fun CD to play time and again-puts a smile on your face-not deep, but definitely fun.Free Music Review: Engaging Treat
Hit: 4 Stars
A collection of well known (and not so well known) songs from the 60s. I bought this with little in the way of expectations and have been pleasantly surprised. Good musicianship, killer singing and harmonies and just a wonderful treat for the ears on a summer day. Covers of Beatles tunes, Dylan, Neil Young, Zombies, Beach Boys etc.
Not a bad CD to put in the player....
Well, perhaps ** 1/2 stars. But too late to edit it now *s* Undue pressure to review this resulted in the higher rating.
Free Music Review: Matthew & Suzanna's mix tape for the world.
Hit: 4 Stars
I have enjoyed these two artists music many times (and met them too, very nice people!). This is such a nifty collection of 60's Power Pop favorites and rarities done by musicans who really love thier music.
Matthew and Suzanna don't beat the original recordings, but they sound so great together. My only (little) gripe is sometimes they get carried away with how many vocal overdubs they can add on top. And thier version of Dylan's "It's All Over Now, Baby Blue" just doesnt work as a boy-girl duet. But listening to Suzanna's wonderful cover of the Zombies "Care of Cell 44" makes me wonder if the group originally wrote this for a female singer back in 1967.
Any 60's Pop fanatic like me can't help but like this CD. Thier version of the Bee Gees classic "Run To Me" is heartbreakingly beautiful. This CD is not essental for any Bangles or Sweet fan, but it's a lot of fun to hear these two tackle these classic songs. Don't take this CD too seriously and just have a good time listening! (PS: If you love a song on this CD you've never heard before, go look for the original version, thats what they want you to do!)
Free Music Review: Snuggling UNDER THE COVERS With Harmonies From Heaven
Hit: 4 Stars
As far as both Matthew Sweet and Susanna Hoffs are concerned, a genuine love of pop music - and it's history - has always been evident throughout their careers, be it his solo work and one-shot with the (semi) super-group The Thorns, or her stint(s) with the Bangles. Things such as melodies, harmonies and a strong appreciation of good songwriting have always been polished and upfront. This is absolutely the case on UNDER THE COVERS, VOL. I, the pair's duet album of 60's and 70's hidden gems and timeless classics. Hoffs and Sweet literally went thru their record collections, picking out all their favorite songs (rumour has it that there's enough material chosen and/or recorded for a Volume II). Opening up the disc is the little-known "I See The Rain." With it's semi-psychedelic groove, kitchy lyrics ("The ducks are congregating/Round, round the lily pond/And the cows have all gone/Running home to put their coats on") and wonderfully blended dual lead vocals, the track instantly transports you back to an era of minis, headbands, lava lamps and flower power. Groovy, indeed! Next up is the Beatles' "And Your Bird Can Sing." Bouyant, charming and chiming, there's an energetic magic to the track that's simply infectious. Special note of merit has to be mentioned in regard to Hoffs' vocal....sexy and assured, it ranks as one of her all-time best! And how can anyone go wrong with Dylan? You can't! Which is why "It's All Over Now, Baby Blue" works so well. Add a muted arrangement that gently lopes along and sterling harmonies (I LOVE how the vocals blend over the line "All your seasick sailors/They are rowing home!") and you have a winner that's pretty much a given! "Who Knows Where The Time Goes" has a shimmering, dusky beauty to it. Sandy Denny has long been a cult icon, but Hoffs really makes this song her own....the Bangles would be wise to add it to their live set. The duo's take on Neil Young's "Cinnamon Girl" is one of my favorite cuts for a number of reasons.....first, it rocks pretty much harder than any thing else on the album, which adds a nice counter-edge (Richard Lloyd's guitar playing is KILLER!). Next, like "And Your Bird Can Sing", it's kind of cool to hear a female (co-lead) vocal on a track that is so historically male-identified. Finally, like "I See The Rain", the track just transports you to another simpler, more relaxed, time. Another high point is Love's "Alone Again Or." The track is given a glorious flamenco treatment, all acoustic guitars, strings, Mexican horns and subtle percussion. Add in those happy?/sad?/ironic?/caustic? lyrics so typical of the 60's ("I think that people are the greatest fun"), and you have a song that just jumps out. When playing the disc for other people, this is the cut most listeners have perked up over and just gone "WOW!" for. When doing an album like this, where harmonies are going to play such a big part, doing a Beach Boys song is a given, but which one?!? The pair has wisely chosen "Warmth Of The Sun", and they just nail it. Sweet's lead is timeless, while Hoffs' backing vocals are simply angelic. Yet another album high point! In the liner notes (which provide comments on why each song was chosen vs. just your standard lyrics sheets), we're informed that Hoffs taught herself to sing by "sweetly wailing along to this gem", when discussing "Different Drum." That's not just a cute story....along side a spirited arrangement and soaring backing vocals from Sweet, Hoffs delivers yet another strong, assured lead vocal that allows her version to stand right upside, toe to toe, next to Ronstadt's original.....and that's saying a lot! I'm not particularly fond of the pair's version of The Who's "The Kids Are Alright"....it seems a tad bit too poppy and upbeat, maybe even a smidge too polished. Then again, it could just be that every release has to have a least favorite track.....and for me, when it comes to UNDER THE COVERS, well, I guess this is it! The Velvet Underground's "Sunday Morning" has a delicate beauty to it, with a simple, unaffected lead vocal from Hoffs and some haunting guitar work from Sweet, Ivan Julian and Greg Leisz. Neil Young's "Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere" is given a twangy, full-bodied, down-home vibe - to GREAT effect! - what with sweet "La la"'s and stinging guitars. Totally cool! The Zombies' "Care Of Cell #44" has a glorious English girl-group feel to it, sort of like Petula Clark or Lulu arranged and backed up by the Beach Boys! Jolly good fun, old chap! "Monday Monday" is one of pop music's all-time classics, and Sweet and Hoffs certainly do it justice! What the Mamas and the Papas did with four-part harmonies the pair pull off with just their two voices, and pull it off they do....beautifully! Still ANOTHER high point! "She May Call You Up Tonight" by The Left Banke could just as easily be a Bangles cut, albeit with a guest male harmony vocal. All jangly and upbeat, the track is anchored by some spot-on piano from Sweet. Wrapping things up is an elegantly haunting version of the Bee Gees' "Run To Me." Big, bold and beautiful, both Hoffs and Sweet deliver lead vocals that are nothing short of brilliant. Probably my favorite cut on UNDER THE COVERS, VOL. I, it ends things in stunning fashion. All in all, I gotta say.....Matthew Sweet and Susanna Hoffs have really delivered the goods here....can't wait for VOLUME II! (As with all my reviews, I'm giving the disc an extra half a star, this time for the play-by-play on why each song was chosen, vs. just the lyrics, which can get into big (publishing) bucks and end up being insanely costly on a covers album!)