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Matthew Sweet - Under The Covers Vol. 2
| Pastemagazine |
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In 2006, Sweet and Hoffs demonstrated with engaging ’60s collection Under The Covers Vol. 1 that revisiting rock standards is a viable aesthetic pursuit. Like its predecessor, their new ’70s retrospective uncannily re-creates indelible tracks from primary Sweet inspirations Todd Rundgren (twice), Big Star, Fleetwood Mac (with Lindsey Buckingham guesting) and Yes (ditto Steve Howe), while also giving Hoffs a chance to wrap her crystalline voice around unexpected choices like Carly Simon’s “You’re So Vain” and Bread’s “Everything I Own.” Working out of his home studio, Sweet—joined by drummer Ric Menck and multi-instrumentalist Greg Leisz—nails every sonic nuance, buried under cumulous clouds of glorious boy/girl harmonies. The sheer joy that permeates thrilling performances like The Raspberries’ “Go All the Way” and Derek & the Dominos’ “Bell Bottom Blues” makes for a captivating listen....full text |
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| Ew |
| While singer-songwriter Matthew Sweet and Bangles frontwoman Susanna Hoffs tackled mostly '60s tunes on 2006's first Under the Covers collection, the follow-up, Under the Covers Vol. 2, finds them running through '70s songs such as ''You're So Vain'' and ''All the Young Dudes.'' The result is a skilled and, if you like extremely faithful covers, enjoyable set. They even enlist Fleetwood Mac's Lindsey Buckingham and Yes' Steve Howe to play on, respectively, ''Second Hand News'' and ''I've Seen All Good People.'' At their current rate, the pair should start performing songs from the future around Vol. 6. B...full text |
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| Boston |
| If their first “Under the Covers’’ album was about paying tribute to their 1960s forebears and heroes, then “Vol. 2’’ catches Matthew Sweet and Susanna Hoffs moving into the ’70s and hitting their sweet spots, the songs that washed over them from the radio and their turntables during the years their musical sensibilities were being shaped. Some surprising choices like the Grateful Dead and Yes notwithstanding, it’s mostly gimmes like Carly Simon, a pair of solo Beatles, and some nascent power pop. In fact, some might fit a little too perfectly, so close to the originals that there doesn’t seem to be much point. But they best serve as reminders about what was so great about them to begin with. Hoffs glimmers brightest on Todd Rundgren’s “Couldn’t I Just Tell You’’ (putting the snarl that’s always tucked right behind her vocal cords to good use) and a version of Derek and the Dominos’ “Bell Bottom Blues’’ that’s loaded with urgency, which means they’re playing it correctly. The album’s most brilliant move is giving Hoffs the girl’s lines in the Raspberries’ “Go All the Way,’’ recasting it into a dialogue between the singers and finally putting both parties on equal footing. (Out tomorrow) MARC HIRSH...full text |
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