Covers and Misc.?

Today's Music isn't an album, it's actually a mix disc of cover songs that a friend gave me. I sort of listened to it on Saturday, but I wasn't really in a mood to blog, so I suppose this will happen today. But first, as is my style, I will devise a scale on which to rate these songs. Today's scale is going to be pie. As always, feel free to disagree with my taste in music, or pie. With no further interruptions, the scale, listed from the bottom up:

Chicken Pot Pie: I don't think I've actually had one of these in fifteen years or more, and for good reason. Yikes.
Mincemeat Pie: Save this one for my grandma, I'll pass.
American Pie: let's go with the Don McLean song, which has its moments but mostly ruins its charm by being four times as long as would be necessary, and not the crappy movie with Eugene Levy.
Cherry Pie: Not necessarily bad, just not really my thing.
Lemon Meringue Pie: Pretty good, just can't compete with the better fruit pies.
Apple Pie: Solid if unspectacular, a good choice if not always special.
Strawberry Rhubarb Pie: Oh, goodness. Now we're talking.
Raspberry Pie: In this case, top of the line. I am particularly thinking of a raspberry pie from a family holiday a few years ago, made by my grandmother, that was so tart that my younger cousins couldn't eat it. Wow. What a pie.

Well, enough pie talk, as I am getting hungry. Let's get to the music:
*P.M. Dawn - medley with '1999' and others - okay, not a bad start. Cherry Pie.

*Dolly Parton - 'Shine' - actually better than the original, still not a great song. Dolly Parton deserves more attention for her music, which is underrated, to be honest. Lemon Meringue Pie.

*Wire Waltz - 'Modern Love' - pretty good stuff, a nice slow burn, very much in the vein of Mazzy Star with a dash of twang. I'm not sure exactly where to rate this one, but it probably warrants a Strawberry Rhubarb Pie.

*Chris Cornell - 'Billie Jean' - not bad, I guess; I just can't get behind Chris Cornell trying to rein in his voice for an acoustic cover like this. Good intentions, but undelivered promises. Cherry Pie.

*Counting Crows - 'Borderline' - this song seems to suit their style; it's too bad they didn't have much in the way of style to begin with. Not awful, I guess, but very pleasant in a conservative white-underwear sort of way. Sometimes, though, this band makes groups like The Hold Steady look like the hardest rock band imaginable. We'll say American Pie.

*Cat Power - 'New York' - yeah, it's probably unfair that Cat Power gets a pass but Counting Crows draw my ire. This song is actually a little atypical of Cat Power's sound, but it still works okay. Lemon Meringue Pie.

*The Automatic - 'Gold Digger' - I didn't care for this too much. Kind of cute in a spastic sort of way, but not really an improvement. Mincemeat Pie.

*Antony and the Johnsons - 'Crazy in Love' - yeah, not so much. Though I blame Beyonce for putting out a pretty crappy song to begin with. Still, the melodramatic delivery doesn't work for me here. Mincemeat Pie.

*Puracane - 'Summertime Rolls' - this one has a great album title, "Things You Should Leave Alone". This one is a little too 'hey it's 1998 and let's do dancey remixes of everything' but it's not that bad. A much better use of style than the previous two. Cherry Pie.

*Willis - 'Word Up' - pretty decent, at least better than the Korn version of this song. This one works better than some of the previous string-based efforts; it's not my all-time favorite but I kind of like it. Apple Pie.

*Donny Hathaway - 'Jealous Guy' - nice enough but see the Counting Crows entry above. Really, I didn't care for this at all; 'blue-eyed soul' generally means 'elevator music' to me. Chicken Pot Pie.

*Trinidad Steel Drummers - 'Cissy Strut' - no score given. The recording was too faint for me to make heads or tails of any actual sound.

*Ramsey Lewis - 'Dear Prudence' - all strings and Muzak, basically. Probably has to go with Mincemeat Pie, simply because the world doesn't really need an orchestral version of a Beatles tune.

*Prince - 'A Case of U' - not so bad. Not really my style - it's a sweet ballad with minimal percussion and dominant piano, but it's simple enough and plays to its strengths. Lemon Meringue Pie.

*Pucho and his Latin Soul Brothers - 'Got Myself a Good Man' - not bad, takes a little time to get going, though. All instrumental, not super but definitely listenable. Lemon Meringue Pie.

*Aretha Franklin - 'Border Song (Holy Moses)' - yeah. It's wicked good. Maybe not everyone appreciates Aretha, but some people are fools. Strawberry Rhubarb Pie, and that's really not fair.

*Nina Simone - 'Suzanne' - okay, I guess, but too schmaltzy. Probably American Pie at best.

*Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66 - 'For What It's Worth' - decent but not really on the money; fun but not ultimately very satisfying. Cherry Pie.

*The Brother's Rap - 'The Revolution Will Not Be Televised' - this is a gimmick track but it's a good one. Man, do I love sassy kids. It only loses points because spoken word tracks like this are basically a novelty, though this one has a good message. Strawberry Rhubarb Pie.

*Ray Charles - 'Living For the City' - maybe too busy at times, but you will have respect for Mister Ray Charles. The early part of the song, where it's just Ray, is amazing. When the other singers come in, it's not bad, but it's like putting some kind of condiment on a perfect, juicy steak. It's just more, and while it doesn't spoil everything, it's not really better. Strawberry Rhubarby Pie, and apologies to Ray.

*Nina Gordon - 'Straight Outta Compton' - yeah. Pretty good in its own right, and all the sweetly sung vulgarity is just glorious. Perfect way to close a covers album, just enough to make me wish the whole album was like that. Raspberry Pie, all the way.

So there you have it: some real stinkers, strong efforts by the folks with serious chops, a couple novelties, and a real dynamite send-off. Thanks to The Cheese for this disc!

In Other News:
Pretty good weekend, just what I needed. I didn't get everything I wanted - my foot hurt too much last night for running, among other things - but it was fun.