Covers albums tend to get a bad rap. Most of them deserve it, to be honest. It’s too easy for a covers album to turn into an ill conceived tribute album and add nothing to the compositions that are being covered. The best sort of covers album should take the original compositions and breathe new life into them; add the flavour of the artist who is re-interpreting the songs. So here are some of my favourite covers albums.
Tori Amos – ‘Strange Little Girls’
Taking songs composed by male artists and reimagining them in a way only Tori Amos can, the result is a sparse, spooky and incredibly interesting listen. Eminem’s ’97 Bonnie & Clyde’ is turned into a haunting, string laden, spoken word track that tells the grisly murder tale from the perspective of the victim. 10cc’s ‘I’m Not in Love’ is stripped back to chilling effect, and The Strangler’s ‘Strange Little Girl’ just rocks. Not for the faint hearted or those who value the originals too much, but definitely recommended for the adventurous listener.
Listen to: ‘Rattlesnakes’, ‘Strange Little Girl’, ‘Happiness Is a Warm Gun’, ‘Real Men’
Peter Gabriel – ‘Scratch My Back’
Peter Gabriel goes down the orchestral route on Scratch My Back, making an interesting selection of songs into orchestrally backed tracks. Arcade Fire, Bon Iver, Regina Spektor and Elbow are amongst the artists to receive the treatment, which is at once stirring and powerful. David Bowie’s ‘Heroes’ is made all the more dramatic with its string accompaniment and Radiohead’s ‘Street Spirit (Fade Out)’ is all the more plaintive when given this treatment. While the album can become a bit samey with constant string arrangements, when the album works it really works. Unfortunately the reciprocal album I’ll Scratch Yours featuring Peter Gabriel covers from the artists he covered hasn’t emerged in it’s entirety.
Listen to: ‘Heroes’, ‘Apres Moi’, ‘Flume’, ‘The Boy In the Bubble’
Carly Simon – ‘Into White’
Carly has always had a knack at reinterpreting classic songs, releasing a string of brilliant standards albums over the years. Into White changes the formula a bit, seeing Carly cover a more diverse range of songs in a more acoustic setting. The album is like a beautifully sung lullaby, which might seem like a backhanded compliment but isn’t intended to be. The Beatles’ ‘Blackbird’ is given a faithful reading, while ‘Scarborough Fair’, done to death already, feels fresh. Black Orpheus theme ‘Manha De Carnaval’ is stripped of lyrics and ‘la-la-la’d’ to great effect, while James Taylor’s ‘You Can Close Your Eyes’ is bettered by the combination of Carly and James’ two children joining her on vocals. A perfect album to fall asleep to.
Listen to: ‘Blackbird’, ‘You Can Close Your Eyes’, ‘Manha De Carnaval’, ‘You Are My Sunshine’ , ‘Over the Rainbow’
Johnny Cash – ‘American IV: The Man Comes Around’
While it does feature some Cash compositions, American IV is the album in the American Recordings series featuring the most covers (I think). As with the majority of the American Recordings series, the songs are stripped back to Cash and his acoustic guitar and given unique readings by Cash’s world weary voice and heavy strumming. Nine Inch Nails’ ‘Hurt’ is probably the most effective cover here adding a sense of despair to match the angst of the original. Other effective cuts include the touching rendition of ‘Bridge Over Troubled Water’ and a powerful version of Depeche Mode’s ‘Personal Jesus’. While Johnny Cash has always been rooted in country, this album, and in fact this whole series of albums, showed a great diversity in his ability to cover songs from so many genres effectively. Definitely worth checking out, even if it feels a bit hyped.
Listen to: ‘Hurt’, ‘Personal Jesus’, ‘The Man Comes Around’, ‘In My Life’, ‘Bridge Over Troubled Water’
Laura Nyro – ‘Gonna Take a Miracle’
Quite possibly one of the most underrated artists in history, Laura Nyro had always managed to slip under the radar somewhat. Nevertheless, her 1971 album Gonna Take a Miracle remains one of the great highlights of her career containing brilliant versions of soul classics. Nyro’s voice beautifully suits the soul genre and she sings the shit out of these songs, making you feel every lyric, every syllable. Impressive, right? ‘You’ve Really Got a Hold on Me’ is filled with yearning, assisted by vocal trio Labelle, while ‘Monkey Time/Dancing in the Street’ takes a more upbeat and fun approach. A raw approach to recording adds to the charm of the album and it represents a refreshing direction in Nyro’s catalogue.
Listen to: ‘You’ve Really Got a Hold on Me’, ‘Nowhere to Run’, ‘Gonna Take a Miracle’, ‘Monkey Time/Dancing in the Street’
Charlotte Martin – ‘Reproductions’
When artists make covers of songs that they simply like listening to the results don’t always turn out amazing, however singer-songwriter Charlotte Martin has a knack for turning all she touches to gold and it’s no different on this eclectic collection of covers. The arrangements don’t always deviate too far from the originals, however Martin is able to own the songs while still retaining the heart of the originals, particularly on ‘Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town’, ‘Urge For Going’ and ‘Cherry-Coloured Funk’. The vocals are excellent and the album as a whole is an exciting and cohesive listen.
Listen to: ‘Angel’, ‘Constant Craving’, ‘Cherry-Coloured Funk’, ‘Urge For Going’
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