MATTHEW SWEET & SUSANNA HOFFS - Vol. 2 Under The Covers

Now, I was not terribly blown away by Volume One and as Volume 2 started, I was fairly underwhelmed but something happened around Number 5 -- the material fit the talents of the artists. The song selection for this volume is mostly choice for the working of these two singers to shore up on their natural talents. The focus is on 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.

"punctuating AM pop hits and FM rock staples like "Sugar Magnolia," "Second Hand News," "All the Young Dudes," "You`re So Vain," "I`ve Seen All Good People," and "Maggie May" with power pop by the Raspberries ("Go All the Way"), Big Star ("Back of a Car"), and Todd Rundgren, who has no less than two songs from Something/Anything? featured here. The influence of that 1972 double LP can be heard in the similarly homespun production of Under the Covers, Vol. 2 but where Rundgren was open-ended, Sweet neatly ties up every loose end with the care of a pop fetishist, making sure all the harmonies and guitar licks are in place, never adding any untasteful elements. Sometimes, everything is a little bit too pat and pretty -- particularly on "Sugar Magnolia," whose processed guitars sparkle too brightly -- but the duo`s enduring, endearing love for this music is evident, sometimes infectious, and, at its best, throws out some surprises, like Susanna`s soulful reading of "Maggie May."" - AMG.

Song #1 - mp3

Song #2 - mp3

Song #3 - mp3

Song #4 - mp3