Under the Radar: Night Bird

Posted by Patrick Robbins at 5:00 pm No Responses »

Feb 082013

Under the Radar shines a light on lesser-known cover artists. If you’re not listening to these folks, you should. Catch up on past installments here.

Susanne Mohle and Pete Klein are Night Bird, a jazz-inflected Deutschland duo who take popular songs and transform them into tunes that fit right into any smoky basement with a cover charge. It’s not an uncommon approach, but the end results are a lot rarer – quality performances that don’t leave you pining for the original hits by the original artists.
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The Best Cover Albums of 2012

Posted by Staff at 12:00 pm 1 Response »

Dec 172012

This year’s cover albums offered ambition on a scale we’ve never seen before. Moving beyond the normal “cover a bunch of random songs we like” tossoff, 2012 offered deeply thought-out conceptual collections. One updated kiddie folk songs for raved-out rockers, others reworked complete albums to their own ends. Even the all-star tributes that pop up every year aimed higher – one of the year’s most high-profile had 70+ tracks! So today we count down the best of the bunch, the ones that swung for the fences and got there. With every passing year there seems to be less sigma attached to the phrase “cover album,” and these sets move that needle even farther forward. Continue reading »

Watch: Lou Reed Pays Tribute to Sam Cooke with a Gruff “A Change Is Gonna Come”

Posted by Ray Padgett at 12:00 pm No Responses »

Mar 192012

When you want someone to pay tribute to Sam Cooke’s soaring soul sound, Lou Reed may not be the first voice to come to mind. For Hal Willner’s Freedom Rides tribute concert last fall though, Reed came out to deliver “A Change Is Gonna Come.” Now there’s a video that proves that, in his own way, he nailed it. Continue reading »

Heinali and Matt Finney Cover, Redeem (?) Lou Reed and Metallica Collab

Posted by Ray Padgett at 3:00 pm No Responses »

Nov 182011

What’s left to say about Lou Reed and Metallica’s universally-derided Lulu? Critics have had a field day tearing this putrid mess apart and fans have been, if anything, even crueler. Metacritic users currently rate the album a 1.9 out of 10, making it the fifth-worst album ever. Consequence of Sound even put together a hilarious collection of critical similes to describe how awful it is (sample: “Listening to Lulu is like watching the Challenger take off”). Continue reading »

Under the Radar: Pink Turtle

Posted by Patrick Robbins at 5:00 pm No Responses »

Sep 302011

Under the Radar shines a light on lesser-known cover artists. If you’re not listening to these folks, you should be. Catch up on past installments here.

A subset of cover artists specialize in taking the songs of the day and turning them into the songs of “back in the day.” Early practitioners included The Templeton Twins and Big Daddy; we’ve offered you the ’40s close-harmony stylings of The Puppini Sisters, the Djangoesque djazz of The Lost Fingers, and rockabilly heroes The Baseballs. Now we add Pink Turtle to that list, a Paris septet out to prove that it still don’t mean a thing if it ain’t got that swing. Continue reading »

Five Good Covers: Femme Fatale (The Velvet Underground)

Posted by Patrick Robbins at 5:00 pm 5 Responses »

Sep 142011

Five Good Covers presents five cross-genre reinterpretations of an oft-covered song.

Andy Warhol’s vision of the perfect rock band, The Velvet Underground wrote the book on cool. With Nico, their aloof European vocalist, and the dark lyrics of Lou Reed, they were fixtures in Warhol’s Factory scene. When Warhol suggested that Reed should write a song about fellow Factory scenestress Edie Sedgwick, youthquaker, socialite, and all-around trouble with a capital T, Reed asked what kind of song. Warhol said, “Oh, don’t you think she’s a femme fatale, Lou?” Of such conversations are deathless works of art made. Continue reading »

Jackson Browne, Lou Reed, and More Celebrate Woody Guthrie's 100th Birthday on New Tribute

Posted by Peter Ferioli at 9:00 am No Responses »

Jul 202011

As part of the upcoming 2012 year-long 100th birthday celebration of Woody Guthrie comes Note of Hope, a twelve song covers tribute of mostly unreleased Guthrie songs. Woody’s daughter Nora Guthrie is at the helm producing the project which features bass player extraordinaire Rob Wasserman joining up with a fantastic selection of artists. The legendary American singer-songwriter and folk musician is getting the birthday party he deserves. Continue reading »

Review: Various Artists, 'Rave On Buddy Holly'

Posted by Caroline Lees at 11:00 am 2 Responses »

Jun 272011

Rave On Buddy Holly, arguably the most hyped cover album of the year, finally drops this week. Rampant previews hinted that the album would be something special, and the A-list lineup of artists doesn’t disappoint. Rave On is a solid, carefully curated collection of tracks from Buddy Holly‘s surprisingly extensive catalog, a worthy tribute to the rock pioneer.

Choosing standouts from such a varied and high-profile set of covers is a challenge. Some of the best moments come from contributors who chose to keep their covers low-key. Dan Auerbach’s vocals gracefully carry the Black Keys‘ quiet, percussion-based opener “Dearest,” while Fiona Apple and Jon Brion trip through a pitch-perfect duet in “Everyday.” My Morning Jacket offers the elegantly subdued “True Love Ways,” embellished with a lovely string section. Continue reading »