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This sheen generally works to the song’s advantage here, in no small part to the involvement of the rhythm section of Robbie Shakespeare and Sly Dunbar across several tracks. Dig under the Bay Area vibe and the beauty was there, hidden from first hearing. You might think the Grateful Dead were never imbued with such a lively pop sensibility, but actually, yes they were. From there it just gets better and better. Rather than just adding a touch of bluebeat to the originals, these are full-blooded immersions in Jamaican music, the vocals giving no truck to a more rock ‘n’ roll tradition, exemplified in opener (to Volume 2), um, “Truckin’,” the idiosyncratic vocal interplay of the Wailing Souls true to themselves, the backing vocals a masterclass in themselves. No half-hearted anonymous studio concoction, either this features real heavy hitters of the genre, from Toots Hibbert to Gregory Isaacs, Wailing Souls to the Congos, with Judy Mowatt and Marcia Griffiths to add some female flair. Someone here having already mentioned above the need for more reggae and the Dead – okay, it was me – well, here is a real feast. Worst cover: Adam Sandler, “Werewolves of London”įire on the Mountain: Reggae Celebrates The Grateful Dead, Volumes 1 & 2 – Ray Padgettīest cover: Jill Sobule, “Don’t Let Us Get Sick” The covers largely lean towards the reverent, which feels appropriate given the context, but the Pixies rip the throat out of “Ain’t That Pretty At All.” Nothing tops Jill Sobule’s fingerpicked “Don’t Let Us Get Sick,” though, made doubly heartbreaking by the tragic context.
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Longtime friends from Jackson Browne to Billy Bob Thornton turn up, as do more famous admirers like Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen. His advice: “Enjoy every sandwich.”Įnjoy Every Sandwich came out in October 2004, just over a year after Zevon’s passing. Letterman asked him what he’d learned in this experience. Zevon had been diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer and knew he only had months to live. The reference, as Zevon fans will know, is to Zevon’s final David Letterman interview. In a world of lame puns and half-assed song references, Enjoy Every Sandwich stands out as perhaps the only genuinely moving tribute album title in existence. Worst cover: Barbara Kessler, “Preachin’ the Blues”Įnjoy Every Sandwich: The Songs of Warren Zevon – Ray Padgettīest cover: Haley Bonar, “Send Me to the ‘Lectric Chair” All in all, it sounds modern, taking an artist too often put in a time capsule and making her songs feel fresh. Americana looms large, but one song veers punk (Haley Bonar, “Send Me to the ‘Lectric Chair”) while another takes its cues from electronic music (Hanne Hukkelberg’s “Nobody Knows You When You’re Down and Out”). The album succeeds on more than just principle too, paying homage to Smith’s great music without trying to recreate the sound of 1920s blues. You’d never know it from the title, or even from the tracklist (turns out the “Tim” in indie-pop duo Tim & Adam is female). Double kudos for featuring entirely women on the album, without using that fact as the marketing gimmick many other tributes do. So kudos to Jim Sampas of the great tribute label Reimagine Music for honoring someone every bit as deserving as your Springsteen or Nirvana: Bessie Smith. Lord knows that problem in the music industry stretches far beyond the tribute world, but you’d hope a format based on celebrating deserving artists would look farther beyond the typical classic-rock canon.
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Go back to the beginning The Empress of the Blues: A Tribute to Bessie SmithĪs I discussed in my book, the world of tribute albums leans very male and very white.