Customer Reviews

Coverage

5 star:		(101)
4 star:		(40)
3 star:		(12)
2 star:		(14)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

I have to admit that when I first heard that Mandy was releasing an album of covers and covers only, I wasn't looking forward to it. As an eighteen-year-old girl, I wasn't too excited about the music of the 60s, 70s and 80s ... but Mandy brings forth a well-done renewal of each of the songs.

"Coverage" is one of those lazy Saturday morning CDs to sit back and relax to. Or even to dance to. While Mandy's voice on this record is nothing exceptional, the total ambience of the record is well worth the investment. She takes a step back from the conventional "unconventional" type of pop music and a step toward a newfound maturity with "Coverage". The music is so much more than just her voice and the beat; there exists a flute, a sax, some exotic instruments that bring back the hippie/indie flavor of the mid-20th century.

Traditional pop music, "Coverage" is not. But an easy listen and soundtrack to a sunny day it is. It possesses a refreshing and sparkling quality that may even bring the sun TO your day.

It was not uncommon in the sixties for artists to put out an album consisting entirely of covers of other people's music. In fact it was quite common that most albums would contain several "cover" songs that were already hits. Even the Beatles covered the Miracles, Carl Perkins, girl-group The Marvelettes and Chuck Berry among others.

Former teen queen, now rising actress Mandy Moore has gone retro in more ways than one. First by including only covers, then by restricting herself to songs of the late 60's thru early 80's, and finally even the graphics (including that large Columbia logo like a stamp on the front cover) hearken back to that "cover-age" from whence her album gets its name.

The song choices are excellent. From the familiar Carole King ("I Feel The Earth Move"), Cat Stevens ("Moonshadow"), and Joni Mitchell ("Help Me") to the hidden Elton John gem "Mona Lisa & Mad Hatter" to the obscure (to most Americans) tracks by the Waterboys ("Whole of the Moon"), XTC ("Sense Working Overtime"), and Joan Armatrading ("Drop The Pilot"). Excellent and brave choices!

My regret, however, is that the arrangements do not match the bravery of the repetoire. They are largely copies of the original material, rather than fresh reinterpreations. I'd love to have heard "Whole of the Moon" reinvented as a tender ballad. Or "Moonshadow" with only string accompaniment.

Anything other than karaoke versions. Although it must be said, these are first-rate karaoke versions.

If Mandy Moore wants to be the Eva Cassidy for a new generation, she still has a ways to go. I hope she makes it.

They say don't do a cover if you can't do it better; Mandy does it better! This is a great idea and I hope she puts out a double CD of cover tunes next time.

Standout tracks:

"I Feel The Earth Move" Sounds great.

"Mona Lisas And Mad Hatters" My favorite, Mandy sounds amazing on this. Rember this, by Elton John, was used in Almost Famous in New York.

"One Way Or Another" She nails this song.

"Anticipation" Another great choice.

I played it 10 times in my car, that's the highest praise!

I have to agree with the other reviewers who have raved about this album. It is really a beautifully orchestrated collection of songs and can in no way be considered "cotton-candy style pop." Mandy's voice reveres each song and so do the others who put this album together, maintaining much of the original sound to each song and not trying too hard to make it sound like a lot of the modern garbage on the radio. (Thank God.) I really believe this album separates Mandy Moore from the other pop princesses she is lumped together with. I've always thought she was different, but this time it's not just my personal opinion that says so. Her work on this album proves that she is on a higher level with her ability and her taste.

1. SENSE WORKING OVERTIME - A fun, catchy song with oddball lyrics. "One, two, three four, five, senses working overtime, trying to taste the difference between the lemon and lime." 4/5

2. THE WHOLE OF THE MOON - I fell in love with this song the first time I heard it and it's my favorite song on the track (tied with "Have a Little Faith In Me.") I believe Mandy said that this song reminded her of a big purple cloud or mashmallow...something like that, and I have to agree. It has this beautiful texture to it. I love all the lyrics, but my favorite part is the "Unicorns and cannonballs, palaces and piers...." part. I downloaded the originial by the Waterboys and I love that version too, but I'm probably more partial to Mandy's since I heard hers first. 5/5

CAN WE STILL BE FRIENDS - The first few times I heard this song, I didn't really care for it, but now I've warmed up to it. I love the chorus. 4/5

I FEEL THE EARTH MOVE - Hmm, I think I may perfer Mandy's version to Carol Kings. She adds a funky, updated twist to it, yes it still sounds like it came from the '70s. 4/5

MAD HATTERS AND MONA LISAS - This is a cover of an Elton John song that I had never heard before. Despite its weird title, it's a lovely song. 4/5

DROP THE PILOT - This song probably has the weirdest lyrics I have ever heard, but I love it! It's so fun and catchy. I'm not even sure what exactly the lyrics mean: "Drop the pilot, try my balloon. Drop the monkey, smell my perfume. Drop the malhout, I'm the easy rider. Don't use your army to fight a losing batttle. Animal, mineral, physical, spiritual." It's like, huh? But I love this song. My third favorite on the album. 5/5

MOONSHADOW - A small, gem of a song. She starts out soft in the beginning, then gets louder towards the end. 4.5/5

ONE WAY OR ANOTHER - Very fun version of Blondie's hit. It's not too different from the orginial, but I don't know how many ways there are to sing that song. Of all the songs she covered, this one was the one I was most familiar with. (Along with "I Feel the Earth Move," obviously). One of my favorites from the album. 5/5

BREAKING US IN TWO - Hmm, I really can't get into this song. It's a little too mellow for me. I wish she had chosen another song to cover in place of this one. 2/5

ANTICIPATION - Great cover of the Carly Simon song, even though it's pretty identical. 4/5

HELP ME - Another song on this album I much don't care for. It just bores me. But besides this song and "Breaking Us In Two," the album is a grand slam! 2/5

HAVE A LITTLE FAITH IN ME - I just love this song. It's beautiful. I can't decide if I like this one or "The Whole of the Moon" better, so that's why they're tied. I love both Mandy's version and John Hiatt's version and I heard Jewel sing a version of this song. I pretty much love this song all around, no matter who sings it. Mandy's vocals espeically shine in this one. 5/5

Okay, I know what you're thinking: This is Mandy Moore's sad attempt at credibility. But, she actually pulls it off.

I admit, the thing that originally drew me to this CD was the same magnetism that makes people stop at traffic accidents; kind of a "how BAD CAN THIS REALLY BE" curiosity. But, I was proven wrong with the opening beats to "Senses Working Overtime". Mandy actually takes this XTC college radio gem and transforms it into a irresistable pop song.

The tracklist on Coverage reads like a record-geeks' dream: cult songwriters like Joan Armatrading, Todd Rundgren and Joe Jackson; college radio kings the Waterboys and XTC; even the Elton John song isn't an obvious one.

The arrangments are smart and tasteful, sometimes taking risks, like the funked-up "I Feel the Earth Move" or the countryfied "Anticipation," but other times, playing it straight, like on her excellent reading of "Can We Still Be Friends" or "Whole of the Moon". This leaves plenty of room to showcase Moore's voice. She isn't inventing the wheel with these interpretations; this is meant to but fun, but she never borders on pretentious either.

There have been numerous cover albums over the last few years. But, unlike the Rod Stewart and Michael McDonald outings, Mandy Moore actually takes risks and covers some rather heady material. And put Coverage up against the atrocious "California" from Wilson Phillips and there's NO comparison. Moore's disc is a fun listen, Wilson Phillips is blasphemy.

I have always liked Mandy Moore, out of the wave of teen singers that she emerged with Jessica, Britney and Christina, I have the most respect for Mandy. She seems very down to earth and so unfazed by all she's accomplished at only 19. Her first two albums, SO REAL & I WANNA BE WITH YOU were very produced pop, that, for the most part sounded a lot like everything else on the radio then, the third one, MANDY MOORE was great and showed a more grown-up side of her. This album, her fourth is so different in its approach than any of the previous three. She has taken songs written by other artists, most of whom I liked and had heard of but a few songs were by artists I had mostly HEARD OF but not heard. First off, this album was recorded without the consent of her label, which is pretty cool, and secondly, she handles these songs very very well, considering that most of these songs she didn't even grow up listening to. I was not familiar with "Senses Working Overtime" by XTC, or "Whole of The Moon" by The Waterboys (?), Joan Armatrading's "Drop The Pilot" or Elton John's "Mona Lisas & Mad Hatters" & Joe Jackson's "Breaking Us In Two", so I don't know how THOSE original versions are, but Mandy's are great. I HOWEVER am a big fan of Carly Simon, Carole King, Joni Mitchell, Cat Stevens and Blondie, so her covers of "Anticipation", "I Feel The Earth Move", "Help Me","Moonshadow" and "One Way Or Another", respectively, had me a bit skeptical as to how she would handle them. I think she did an AWESOME job with "Anticipation", the guitars sound almost the same as on Carly's, "I Feel The Earth Move" got a BIT updated but nothing that ruined it or rendered it unrecognizable, as some coverers do. "Help Me" sounds pretty good and "Moonshadow" sounds almost as simplistic as Cat Stevens', with a bit more melancholy to it, and "One Way or Another" goes from a late 70s rocker to a somewhat early 80s version, but they ALL work. There honestly isn't a bad song on this album, and the production of it is great too, I would suggest getting the limited edition with the dvd with it, it tells more about the making of the album and is only a tad more costly than the regular one. You won't be disappointed. How many other teen stars who came out of the wake of Backstreet Boys and Britney would DARE do an album of songs that were out before they were born?? 'Nuf said!

I am endlessly amazed by the artistry and work of Mandy Moore, but this album is more than I could have imagined. Mandy's voice is constantly improving and she shows it well in this album. She has learned to control her pitch, and uses her voice in many tones, showing so much emotion and variety in each song. She sounds absolutely beautiful. The production in this album is spectacular. John Fields uses such a variety of instruments and knows exactly how to rejuvenate these songs of the past. I would have really liked to hear new material from Mandy, but nevertheless she has done a brilliant job on this album. And I truly appreciate the fact that she recorded this independently, on her own terms, and did simply what she wanted. Unlike her counterparts who are in the business mainly for money, this is a work of passion and love to Mandy, and that is something anyone can admire. I look forward to hearing more from her, but for now, I will keep listening to this amazing album.

How do you go from Typical to Incredible? Cut the Record Company out!
Mandy recorded this on her own. No input from the Record Company....and it shows.
WHAT AN INCREDIBLE CD! This one is head and shoulders above her last ones. It is great....the singing, the instrumentation, the producing.
It doesn't get any better than this!
:)

This CD comprises of pop singles from the 60's, 70's, and 80's. Some are originally by Artists that many people know of today; like Elton John and Carol King for examples. Mandy's voice has matured into more of a young woman's since the recording of "So Real" and her love for these tunes are shown by how she sings them. She recorded them so differently because there's more passion in her for these! One interesting thing about "Coverage" is that numerous Mandy vocals are deeper, stronger, and longer-lasting. A good reason for that is because the songs on here are not like past Mandy hits; such such as "I Wanna Be With You", "Walk Me Home", & "In My Pocket". This album may take a while for me to get used to. It is not like Miss Moore's first two albums and isn't even similar to the third one, "Mandy Moore". But it's awesome music! The lyrics, vocals, and sounds are incredibly outrageous. The more I listen to it, the more comfortable I get with it. I'm happy Mandy got to do a project supported by members of SONY.

COVERAGE

1. "Senses Working Overtime" 4/5
2. "The Whole Of The Moon" 5/5
3. "Can We Still Be Friends" 5/5
4. "I Feel The Earth Move" 2/5
5. "Mona Lisas And Mad Hatters" 5/5
6. "Drop The Pilot" 3/5
7. "Moonshadow" 5/5
8. "One Way Or Another" 2/5
9. "Breaking Us In Two" 4/5
10. "Anticipation" 3/5
11. "Help Me" 3/5
12. "Have A Little Faith In Me" 5/5