Under The Covers, Vol. 1
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Free Music Notes for Under The Covers, Vol. 1
Free Music Review: I DID IT BETTER
Hit: 3 Stars
Funny....that's exactly the same title I had planned to use for my similar efforts. But, being that I don't have the notoriety of Hoffs/Sweet, my covers album has gone nowhere. Sounds like they went for the mirror image on "Monday Moday"...and sang in pitch unlike the original group. "Warmth of the Sun"? Sorry....you don't even go there, no matter who you are. Maybe TAKE 6 could have topped the original, but Brian's will always be best. "Different Drum" is good. I love Susanna's voice - always have. "And Your Bird Can Sing"? My version buries this one. And I'll e-mail an mp3 to anyone interested.Free Music Review: Great Music - Lousy Mastering
Hit: 3 Stars
Why do record companies, engineers and/or artists insist on ruining great music with their "louder is better" mastering techniques?
I put on Sweet's "Girlfriend," or the first Bangles record and I can crank it up in the car or at home. I put on "Under the Covers" and I have to turn it down because it's ALL LOUD ALL THE TIME, LIKE I'M TRYING TO READ WORDS IN ALL CAPS.
Please, don't let Volume 2 suffer the same fate.
The music? It's wonderful. First of all, I am a sucker for Susanna Hoffs' voice. Like none other in rock. Sweet knows how to make a classic rock and roll record (the above-mentioned "Girlfriend"). So it's only natural that they tackle these classic tracks without making them carbon copies of the originals. Only a few tracks don't work for me, but when it does work (The Left Banke's "She May Call You Up Tonight"), the results are near perfect.
I'm looking forward to another volume (and maybe a tour?). Just ease-up on the L2 plugin and we'll all be in good shape.
Minus one star for mastering. Otherwise, a great collection.
Free Music Review: Well done, but underwhelming
Hit: 3 Stars
Just having finished listening to the first "Sid 'n Susie" work, I'm reminded of a review of the "Saturday Morning" CD that featured modern alt-rock bands playing classic cartoon themes. With regards to Mattew Sweet's contribution... the "Scooby-Doo" theme... the reviewer remarked that while it was very well done, it was so faithful and close to the original that it really didn't add anything.
"Under the Covers, volume 1" suffers from the same problem. Hoffs and Sweet do an impeccable job revisiting these classic tunes, but in doing so they don't add anything new to them. Vocals and music are solid and the entire disc is entertaining and listenable... but nothing ever "grabbed" me.
Both the Bangles and Matthew Sweet have used 60's-style tunes to great effect. The Bangle's cover of "Hazy Shade of Winter" updated and revitalized the classic Simon and Garfunkel number, and their single "In Your Room" was so definitively 60s and yet new and fresh. I've always loved Sweet's work, and thought his revisting of the Phil Spector "wall of sound" style on the "Millennium Blues" album was a masterpiece.
This new disc is sort of... bland. Of all the songs here, I am most familiar with "Cinnamon Girl", "Warmth of the Sun", and "Monday, Monday". "Warmth of the Sun" could almost be the original Beach Boys playing it, save for Sweet replacing Brian Wilson and a slightly richer arrangement. "Monday, Monday"... the same. For "Cinnamon Girl", a tune I don't much care for when done by Neil Young, I can't help comparing to Type O Negative's goth metal cover. While I prefer Hoffs' and Sweet's vocals to Neil's, I think the TON version adds more to the song and makes it fresh and different. This new cover simply reprises it.
I think someone with both a real love for the 60's originals and for Hoffs and/or Sweet would really enjoy this album, since it would be songs they love covered by artists they love. For such an audience, the faithfulness of the covers would be an entirely positive thing. Listeners from other backgrounds, however, may find the effort uninspiring.
Free Music Review: The Kids Are More Than Alright
Hit: 4 Stars
This is a fun, bright CD. Good for summer, the beach, parties, or whenever you want to feel good. "Warmth of the Sun" is just beautiful. I didn't give it 5 stars because the background vocals occasionally get in the way...but a minor quibble...and it was nice to discover a couple of tunes I was not familiar with, which turned out to be excellent tracks.Free Music Review: Not up to par-excellence of Matthew Sweet
Hit: 2 Stars
First, none of these covers are done better than the originals.
Second, for those of us that love Matthew Sweet, Susanna Hoffs voice tends to be annoying.
Third, Don't waste your money. Wait for some original Sweet music.