May 312013
 

In the Spotlight showcases a cross-section of an artist’s cover work. View past installments, then post suggestions for future picks in the comments!

Greg Dulli is back on top of his game. He’s sobered up, lost a lot of weight, and, after years of will-they-or-won’t-they speculation, his primary band the Afghan Whigs toured the better part of last year after a baker’s dozen years of absence. Dulli has never sat still for long, alternately fronting The Twilight Singers, The Gutter Twins, and going out solo from time to time. Through it all, he has focused his obsession with other people’s tunes, particularly black music across several genres, into a funnel cloud of cock rock fury, soulful loneliness, and unrequited lust.

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Jan 262012
 

Leonard Cohen’s new album Old Ideas comes out next week, and to celebrate, Rolling Stone is hosting a cover series called “Old Ideas with New Friends.” The first performance comes from Greg Dulli, of Afghan Whigs and the Twilight Singers, doing his take on “Paper Thin Hotel.” Continue reading »

Oct 032011
 

They Say It’s Your Birthday celebrates an artist’s special day with other people singing his or her songs. Let others do the work for a while. Happy birthday!

Lindsey Buckingham turns 62 today. At an age where most people are looking forward to getting their first Social Security check, he’s in the middle of a 31-city tour, supporting his fourth album in the last six years, Seeds We Sow, featuring a fantastic cover of The Rolling Stones’ “She Smiled Sweetly”. Buckingham holds a special place in rock history, not just for his years as the crux of Fleetwood Mac, but for his willingness to embrace an off-kilter alternative sound even as he anchored a band that was guaranteed a top-ten placing with any album they released. Only Buckingham could ride the white stripe between the fast lane and the ditch with such confidence, due in no small part to his poppy but dark songwriting, his arranging skills, and his always-underrated guitar playing. Continue reading »