Coverage (W/Dvd) (Spec) [Limited Edition, Special Edition]

Mandy Moore | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 21, 2003)
• Number of Discs: 2
• Format: Limited Edition, Special Edition
• Label: Sony
• ASIN: B0000DFZZX
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (63 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #290,004 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Senses Working Overtime

2. The Whole of the Moon

3. Can We Still Be Friends?

4. I Feel the Earth Move

5. Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters

6. Drop the Pilot

7. Moonshadow

8. One Way or Another

9. Breaking Us in Two

10. Anticipation

11. Help Me

12. Have a Little Faith in Me

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

33 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Must Have "Coverage", November 8, 2003

By 

Little Willow (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Coverage (W/Dvd) (Spec) (Audio CD)

Three cheers to Mandy Moore. She rummaged the aisles at a music store, selected all kinds of classic tunes and albums by singers/songwriters, and got the idea to make a CD of cover songs. She picked her album tunes not because they were famous, but because she enjoyed the songs. Some she had been familiar with for years and others were more recent finds, but either way, she wanted to expose a new generation to these great songs.

This special edition includes a DVD with bonus footage including the video for album's premiere release Have a Little Faith in Me, beautifully illustrated with photographs as the singer walks along, and the video for Drop the Pilot, which was supposed to be the first release.

I cannot help but crack up the volume as soon as the album begins, because it starts off with a bang: Senses Working Overtime. It is catchy and it has excellent harmonies and background vocals. It blends right into the next track, The Whole of the Moon, which is lyrically amazing and ends with a superb echo effect. Can We Still Be Friends slows things down a bit, only to be sped up by I Feel the Earth Move, which feels very "live" yet disco. Mona Lisa and Mad Hatters, another ballad, is heartfelt. Drop the Pilot is one of my favorite tracks on the album, rock meets pop, energy meets emotion. Moonshadow is light and sweet, aided by plucky guitar. Dare I say that I like her version of One Way or Another as much as the original? As with the other songs, it is great to hear a familiar song sung by someone who is not attempting to sound exactly like the original singer. Likewise, Anticipation is good and slow with twang, as it should be. I enjoy how full Help Me sounds with the brass section and background vocals. Have a Little Faith in Me is nicely done, another emotional track that shows off tight, layered harmonies.

Mandy's voice has matured a great deal over the past few years. You can tell and hear that she loves music, and it loves her right back. From start to finish, a great testament to well-written songs and a great listen for adults and teens alike. This album is sure to widen her audience.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Have a little faith in Mandy, January 27, 2004

By 

E. A Solinas "ea_solinas" (MD USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Coverage (W/Dvd) (Spec) (Audio CD)

Mandy Moore is the pop singer who managed to capture the fickle liking of the media, kept her clothes on, never kissed Madonna, made a name as an actress, and put out the best covers CD in years, "Coverage." After a few CDs of forgettable (often downright bad) pop fluff), Mandy spreads her creative wings by presenting covers of some of her favorite songs.

Starting off with a bang is "Senses Working Overtime" (XTC), followed by (among others) the low-key swirling "Whole of the Moon" (Waterboys), the catchy "I Feel The Earth Move" (Carly Simon), slow, soaring "Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters" (Elton John), sweet folky "Moonshadow" (Cat Stevens), the imploring "Help Me" (Joni Mitchell), and a rocking cover of "One Way or Another" (Blondie).

While "Coverage" didn't get the media burble that Britney's "In The Zone" did, it garnered far better reviews from fans and critics alike. It's a creative gamble, and the passion behind it pays off. Moore's taste in older songs only adds to the pleasure gotten from listening to her sing them. While giving a 21st-century spin on classics like "One Way or Another," Moore maintains the distinctive sound of each one.

Moore's vocals are fuller and richer than before, as if the better material has allowed her to stretch vocally. At times, the nuances of her voice change (such as "I Feel The Earth Move"), as if influenced by whoever sang it first. What's more, she sounds as if she really is relishing what she's doing. The background music is also more multilayered, with a flute, saxophone, what sounds like a tambourine, and possibly more. "Moonshadow" has almost nothing but a guitar serving to frame Moore's voice.

The bonus DVD adds a little dimension to the album, and fans of Moore's will enjoy it. It's a series of interviews in which she talks about the songs she selected, and why she likes them. Peppering the interviews are shots of her music videos, and a candid talk about her motives in making "Coverage." (An interesting detail is that the recording wasn't done in the usual place -- it was in a renovated garage, not a studio)

"Coverage" is a sign that Moore is aiming in the right direction. Sugarfluff pop it ain't -- good music it is. Even if you aren't a fan of 70s and 80s pop and rock, this solid collection will capture you.

20 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars TEENPOP FANS BEWARE!! This is an ADULT POWERPOP RECORD!!!, October 21, 2003

By 

Larry Davis (NYC/Long Island, NY, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Coverage (W/Dvd) (Spec) (Audio CD)

OK, Mandy Moore has done the unthinkable, in a GOOD way, however!! She has ditched the glossy teenpop stuff for an organic COVERS album of cool songs rooted in the 70s singer/songwriter tradition AND 70s/80s punk/new wave, with the common link being a distinct CLASSIC POWERPOP APPROACH, as the songs are all masterpieces in true pop songwriting!! I mean, it's a true powerpop record if JELLYFISH's notoriously shy ANDY STURMER guests on many tracks, plus SEMISONIC's Dan Wilson, both REMBRANDTS, and even a member of peculiar popsters SELF, powerpop singer/songwriter BLEU, and producer JOHN FIELDS, who has primarily done powerpop records.

Mandy DEFINITELY has the good kind of nerve, as I am sure, when Epic/Sony heard of Mandy's idea for this record (it really WAS her idea), they must have balked, and if it was up to them, they would have rejected it from the getgo. Really, "Coverage" IS commercial suicide, BUT that is a GOOD THING!!! Going for commercial results and sales is NOT GOOD, as quality is not the focus, just what would get on radio. WELL, RADIO is TERRIBLE and too tightly formatted!! Then again, I don't blame Mandy for going ANTI-commercial because when she was competing with Britney and Christina, radio never played her records, and she only had TWO minor charting records, nothing off her excellent true second + self-titled album. Sooooo, radio has always given Mandy the short end of the stick, so she goes ahead and turns the tables by REJECTING RADIO, and makes an ARTISTIC COVERS ALBUM, similar in stance to ANNIE LENNOX'S "MEDUSA"!! Good for Mandy!! Her records have always been better than her competition anyhow, that could be why she's been embraced moreso in Europe and Japan than in the US, as they know quality pop records more than the US market does, I'm not surprised.

The best thing that could happen to Mandy right now is if her teenpop/TRL fans go splitsville and ADULT POWERPOP fans + critics embrace her!! I'm keeping my fingers crossed because I really hope that's what happens. I mean, Mandy has got EXCELLENT taste, possibly aided by exposure via her boyfriend, tennis star Andy Roddick!! Lessee, she covers classics by JONI MITCHELL ("Help Me"), CARLY SIMON ("Anticipation" done alt-country style, woohoo!!), JOHN HIATT ("Have A Little Faith In Me", AWESOME song, first single, gorgeous performance, cool video), BLONDIE ("One Way Or Another", cool choice), XTC (the AWESOME, classic "Senses Working Overtime"), JOE JACKSON (the Badfinger ripoff "Breaking Us In Two"--the melody is a ripoff on "Day After Day", surprised the Pete Ham estate never sued Joe Jackson, but that's another story, Mandy does it great), JOAN ARMATRADING ("Drop The Pilot", awesome, obscure choice), CAROLE KING ("I Feel The Earth Move", classic pop tune), THE WATERBOYS (the 80s, and all-time, classic "The Whole Of The Moon"), TODD RUNDGREN (the amazing, classic "Can We Still Be Friends"), ELTON JOHN (the 70s classic "Mona Lisas And Mad Hatters"), and CAT STEVENS (the obscure and cool "Moon Shadow").

It also comes with an exclusive DVD with videoclips of 9 of these songs, and exclusive artwork + packaging not on the regular version. Sure, Mandy's fans can stay put, but most teenpop fans will be shocked, as they are closedminded enough that they are afraid to try anything GOOD and NEW (like, OH MY GOD, THE HORROR!!), and her closedminded fans will cry foul and treason, but those fans can drop dead for all I care and Mandy cares. HOWEVER, I hope new, ADULT powerpop fans will come to the table, those who dig Jellyfish and XTC, as this album is made just for us.

Good going Mandy!! I hope you keep moving in this direction, maybe do some powerpop songwriting next go-round!! No going back to the slick stuff, and radio?? You can go screw yourselves in your closed-mindedness and TOO-tight formatting, not allowing a quality + gloriously UN-commercial record like this to be heard on impressionable ears. Prove me wrong!!