Search - Matthew Sweet & Susanna Hoffs :: Under The Covers: Vol. 2

A good collection of fairly faithful covers

Clyde Spicer | Alva, FL United States | 07/22/2009

(4 out of 5 stars)

"There are two paths that musical artists can take on a cover album: The safer course of offering faithful renditions that don't stray too far from the original arrangements and then being accused of lacking originality, or the riskier course of radically rearranging the songs and then hearing critics say "I don't think Hank done it this way." Matthew Sweet and Susanna Hoffs have done the former on their second volume of "Under The Covers" tunes.



Like the first album, which came out three years ago, the harmonies and music are first-rate. The focus has moved from the late '60s to the early '70s, but the vibe is still the same. If you enjoyed "Vol. 1," as I did, then you'll probably enjoy this one, too. If you're looking for radical reinterpretations of these songs, you'll be disappointed. Those who are just looking for some entertaining cover tunes will probably find at least a couple of new favorites among all of the different types of songs that the album offers.



Like the first album, some of the songs are more familiar than others. This is a whole different kind of risk: How do you top the original version of a mega-hit song like "You're So Vain" or "Maggie May," signature songs for Carly Simon and Rod Stewart? The answer, of course, is that you probably can't top it, but you can offer a solid cover version. Susanna does a nice raspy Rod-style vocal on "Maggie May," and a nice version of "You're So Vain" as well, even though Carly's original will remain my favorite. Matthew Sweet is a vocal chameleon, channeling the Grateful Dead, Tom Petty, Todd Rundgren and John Lennon with equal aplomb."

Affectionate, Beautiful Covers

T. Davis | Seattle, WA | 08/03/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"As in the first volume of this series, which focused on the 60s, Sweet and Hoffs pay tribute to the 70s with more of their perfectly selected, arranged, and performed covers. While faithful to the originals, these tracks vary in many ways, both in the colors their voices bring to the harmonies and in the styles of guitar work on display.



Both performers clearly love the era and the radio singles they sang along to when they were young. Their emotional fidelity is as remarkable as their technical proficiency, and the fact that both have retained their youthful attitudes and voices in middle age (Hoffs is 50!) amazes this aging baby-boomer.



Both CDs are a joy to listen to, and we can only hope that the two will give us further volumes devoted to the 80s, when Hoffs' group The Bangles had their heyday, and to the 90s, when Sweet made his commercial breakthrough.



I also recommend the bonus tracks that you can download for this album, which include ten more interesting and adventuresome cuts:



Dreaming (3:07)

Marquee Moon (11:40) (even longer than the original!)

I Wanna Be Sedated (2:23)

Baby Blue (4:00)

You Say You Don't Love Me (3:07)

(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding (4:22)

You Can Close Your Eyes (2:47)

Melissa (4:34)

Killer Queen (3:08)

A Song For You (5:07)"

I don't get it

William Miller | Ocala, Florida | 08/27/2009

(2 out of 5 stars)

"Take one of my all time favorite singer-songwriter-guitarists, pair him with one of my all time favorite pop vocalists, and have them record some of the greatest songs of the 1970's. What do you get? One of the most unnecessary recordings in history. There is an effort on every one of these songs to duplicate note for note, instrument for instrument, and arrangement for arrangement, the classic originals. They are really talented musicians and do a credible job for the most part, but in every single instance the original is far better, and in a few ("Willin'" in particular), the cover is disastrous. It is clear that these two have great taste. My advice is to find each of these originals and make your own mix disc. It will be awesome."