Under The Covers: Vol. 2 Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)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)

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Matthew Sweet and Susanna Hoffs delighted rock and pop fans when they teamed up as Sid 'n Susie to record an album's worth of '60s classics called Under the Covers Vol. 1. Now, three years later, Under the Covers Vol. 2 finds our heroes moving forward through rock's back pages to take on another decade: the '70s. From power-pop like The Raspberries and Big Star to the soft-rock of Carly Simon and Bread, and from the classic-rock of John Lennon and Derek and the Dominos to the prog-rock of Yes, Sid 'n Susie offer a pretty thorough survey of the state of rock, just before the Sex Pistols. Features guest appearances by Lindsey Buckingham of Fleetwood Mac, Steve Howe of Yes, and George Harrison's son, Dhani Harrison.

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Under The Covers, Vol. 1 Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)"Under the Covers" is a solid album covering '60s and '70s pop tunes. Sweet and Hoffs have the talent and production chops to put together convincing remakes of some well known songsand some exciting obscurities. Mostly it works well, although Sweet should never again attempt early-period Beach Boys (he just can't sing up there effectively). The album is more a celebration of Sweet and Hoff's great taste (and Sweet's guitar prowess) than an album with anything urgent or fresh to say. It's a pleasant listen and a good way of getting lots of great tunes in one place. But it doesn't really do anything all that innovative or moving.

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What do alt-rock/power pop heroes like Susanna Hoffs (The Bangles) and Matthew Sweet do on their time off? They get together in Matthew's comfy home studio and record a stunning album of their favorite '60s pop hits and rarities, of course!The two first worked together in conjunction with Mike Myers as members of the band Ming Tea, appearing in all three Austin Powers movies and soundtracks. Now they've struck out on their own with Under The Covers Vol. 1, a tribute to their favorite '60s acts, including The Beatles, Bob Dylan, Neil Young,The Who, and cult favorites like The Velvet Underground,The Zombies,The Left Banke, and Love. Leaving the songwriting to others lets Matthew and Susanna focus on singing, and the results are breathtaking. For extra authenticity, they even asked Van Dyke Parks (most famous for his work with the Beach Boys)to play keyboards and write string arrangements. It all adds up to a rock fan's dream come true.

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