Assorted Artists “Jem Records Celebrates Ray Davies”
The fourth release in a series honoring the best songwriters in rock. Jem Records Celebrates Ray Davies is an homage to one of England’s finest rock writers and follows the success of Jem Records Celebrates John Lennon, Brian Wilson, and Pete Townshend. It features fantastic covers by The Weeklings, The Grip Weeds, Nick Piunti, The Anderson Council, and many more. Kurt Reil of The Grip Weeds (who also contributed) recorded a majority of the songs for the album’s 13 tracks at The House of Vibe Studios in New Jersey. Next to The Beatles, the Kinks are a great band to pay tribute to because of the great songwriting, and some of my favorites here include deep cuts in the catalog like “Do You Remember Walter” (The Anderson Council), “Picture Book” (The Airport 77s), and the gentle “Days” (Lisa Mychols & Super 8). All the songs here are great, so it’s definitely Highly Recommended.
Assorted Artists “Abbey Road Reimagined – A Tribute To The Beatles”
The Beatles are likely the most covered band in history, and there are hours of Beatles tributes available, so why did producer/multi-instrumentalist Fernando Perdomo release this one? Abbey Road, which The Beatles released in October 1969, quickly rose to fame. It was perfect in every respect and most would say that they were at their peak.
What makes this tribute such a standout are the diverse group of artists here, and some unique interpretations by power pop royalty, including appearances from Matthew Sweet, Roger Manning (Jellyfish), and Charles Jones (Vulfpeck). The most creative and effective cover here is “Octopus’ Garden,” reimagined as a country song by Matt Axton and Brian Auger. Another highlight is the rendition of “Because” by Rebecca Pidgeon & Patrick Moraz with a sitar giving the harmonies added depth. Not all covers have that power, but most work just fine, sticking faithfully to the arrangements. Well done!
Sparkle*Jets U.K. “Best Of Friends”
This is a different kind of cover album for the Long Beach, California trio, consisting of vocalist guitarist Susan West, bassist Jamie Knight, and singer/multi-instrumentalist Michael Simmons. In this album, they do covers of other bands from the late ’90s and early 2000s. It’s a trio of talented power-pop fans covering their favorite songs from that era. This is a perfect idea, as these songs aren’t so familiar and deserve to be re-discovered!
A sneeze starts out with “Hold On Tight” (Walter Clevenger) an excellent opener, and it doesn’t hold back. Songs by The Masticators, Andersons, Kompost, Adam Daniel, Cockeyed Ghost, The Dons, Linus of Hollywood, The Shazam, and more. Let’s just say only the most devoted Power Pop fan will recall them all. The band does a great job here, and the songs are ripe for covering that magical time prior to the 21st century. Highly Reccomended!
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