Review: The Wandering Hearts’ “Déjà Vu”

So, you are a London based acoustic Americana band. What are you going to come up with to stand out from the crowd? If you’re the Wandering Hearts, the answer is Déjà Vu. And if that doesn’t sound familiar, keep reading.

The subtitle of this intriguing release is a lyric from the title track: “We Have All Been Here Before.” To me, that’s either a musing metaphysical or a tad presumptuous. I mean, really–how many of us have actually sat down and decided to make a song by song cover album from one of the premier vocal bands of all time? If they had elected to cover, say, the debut by the original three-piece that may have made better sense, being a more acoustic arrangement, by and large.

But they didn’t. Déjà Vu was, arguably, the release of 1970, as Messrs. Crosby, Stills and Nash bestrode the world, adding the trump card of Neil Young into the brand. Very much of its time, hippy dippy lyricism aplenty, somehow it remains timeless. There are few 50-year-old records that can raise the neck hairs like this one can. Each and every song comes with an instant flashback to the day first heard, whether you were hurling down the highway in an open top car or (like me) headphones on, under the bedcovers. A wonderful record, we gave it the Cover Me badge of honor a year or 5 back, with our own specially compiled covers compilation.

So who the Hearts, Wandering or otherwise? Tara Wilcox, Chess Whiffin and AJ Dean Revington is who. They have been on the UK country circuit long enough to have gained plaudits from most who have encountered them, sharing stages with big hitters like Robert Plant, Tom Petty and more. Indeed, no lesser than Lissie chose them as her support band for her US tour of 2024. This is album number four, the third as a trio, founding member Tim Prottery-Jones having left after their 2018 debut. All three are strong and confident singers, gelling well for the harmonies that are their trademark.

The earlier releases suggest that this record would be a milder confection than it actually is, the trio electing to go for the full-on electric assaults that characterize the release. Which, given the axe-wielding credentials of Young and Stills, might be considered brave or even foolhardy. We’ll get to that, but suffice to say it is their regular band they employ to provide the surprisingly faithful instrumental heft of the full fat rock songs that fill out the recording, along with the additional input of producer Michael Rault. That the set was recorded at Taurus Rising Studios, Joshua Tree, CA, may have something to do with the atmosphere of authenticity, too.

The first and most obvious realization, as they launch into “Carry On,” is their willingness to mirror the original arrangement. So, strummed 12-strings, check. Dual and dueling lead guitars, check. A swell of organ to underpin it all, check. The organ isn’t the same organ, and the soloing is different, but the vibe is the same. The vocals, well of course they aren’t and can’t be those of four men, when these are but three, and two of them women. But they still shiver the timbers, and make for a pretty remarkable reproduction. But there the world class karaoke ends, as “Teach Your Children” becomes, actually, much less saccharine than the (let’s be honest) anodyne original. Electric piano gives it a likeable shimmy along. Revington takes the nominal lead, his female bandmates adding their harmonies, and I’m loving it.

I’m uncertain how high “freak flags” fly these days, but it certainly says something that “Almost Cut My Hair” is taken by Wilcox. She manages to imbue the song with a a convincing rock chick (sic) holler. Apparently she did then actually elect for a shorter coiffure, but it is a gutsy recreation, and Rault’s guitar, and that of Steve Milbourne, ring out to rally the troops with finesse. It is a strong contender for standout track. The aptly named Doug Organ, possibly a pseudonym, plays keyboards here and throughout, with bass from Dustin Bookatz and drums from Garrett Ray.

“Helpless” is one of the more-covered Neil Young songs in existence. So a good cover needs a very strong vocal delivery to lift it above the mundane. Whiffin has such a voice, abetted by her cohorts. The instrumentation is juggled neatly, which manages to give a different feel to, essentially, the usual arrangement. Mr. Organ’s piano is solid and strong, with moans of electric guitar to capture the high plains drift. As it becomes a cappella to finish, it is nigh on perfect. No interference for “Woodstock,” and no attempt to introduce any aspects from any other version. This doesn’t and shouldn’t disappoint. Revington is pleasingly gruff with his delivery, and Ray patters about his kit with sufficient relish to make for a very enjoyable experience.

So far, so good, if playing it all rather straight. Then the title track breaks rank, with flute tooting all over it, the bass of Bookatz a rotating rumble. The combined female vocals sound a little more rushed than Crosby perhaps planned, but I like that aspect, even as it then slows right, right down, the gruffness of Revington, as he takes over, now a little smoother, but still his own voice. A lovely retro guitar solo from Rault adds further luster, with the bass running riot as the song fades. Once more they have made one of my less preferred songs sound better. Can they do the same for the second of the Nash ick-fests? I am pleased to say that they can. Just. Guitar and vocals, Wilcox on lead, Whiffin on harmony, it does actually drag a little.

Revington tackles the otherwise Stills solo, “4+20,” with a little band assistance, electric piano and drums, for his own guitar. It’s a nice rendition. Another high point, but, you know, most of these are. The courage to re-arrange clearly having caused no harm, “Country Girl” gets a gloriously mournful spin, without some of the OTT production that marred that song, first time around. The flute is back again, coming from a Jesse Chandler. Oddly, I find myself reminded of the late Jesse Colin Young, in his middle period, for this iteration of the song, and that is no bad thing at all.

Does anyone actually ever play the last track on the 1970 album? OK, there isn’t a whole lot you can do to de-whimsy “Everybody I Love You.” But these guys have a darn good crack at it, and it bears listening all the way through for more than mere politeness. The recreation of the guitar and organ sound is again relentless in its realism, and I commend the trio for this, right up to that slightly bitter end.

Call me surprised, but this Déjà Vu knocked spots off any expectations I may have held for it. May I equally suggest it will knock spots off your own prejudices, whatever they may be.

Déjà Vu (We Have All Been Here Before) tracklisting:

1. Carry On
2. Teach Your Children
3. Almost Cut My Hair
4. Helpless
5. Woodstock
6. Déjà Vu
7. Our House
8. 4 + 20
9. Country Girl
10. Everybody I Love You

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