Covering music's best

If you like James Taylor, you’re going to like his new album. That may seem like an obvious statement to make, but considering the material it’s important to know.

Covers consists entirely of, you guessed it, cover songs Taylor has performed numerous times before a live audience but never recorded in a studio. Actually, these songs weren’t performed in a studio either, but instead recorded live in a Massachusetts barn. 

Some fans dismiss their favorite musicians performing covers because they already know the original song too well or because the artist covering the song sways too far from their already-established sound.

But instead of going the Bruce Springsteen route and simply putting his own stamp on a genre, fans of Taylor succeeds in making each song a “James Taylor song.”

Some of the more interesting choices include Elvis Presley’s’ “Hound Dog,” Eddie Cochran’s “Summertime Blues” and Buddy Holly’s “Not Fade Away.”

By no coincidence, these are also the album’s best. They have far more energy than the others and their crisp, clear sound makes it all the more impressive that they were recorded live.

But a problem with Covers is that the above mentioned songs are so good that the others on the album seem boring by comparison.

It’s not that they’re badly put together or poorly sung; they simply fail to show any real passion and don’t hold up well amidst Taylor’s catalog.

True, the Dixie Chicks cover “Some Days You Gotta Dance” is a catchy track that I enjoy better than the original, but “Suzanne” and “On Broadway” fall victim to the unavoidable question that lingers when listening to a collection of covers: “Why?”

But that doesn’t mean Covers is short on shining moments. There are enough tracks that will pleasantly surprise newcomers and plenty of Taylor’s beautiful voice to satisfy old-time fans.