Customer Reviews

Recovered

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Most cover albums leave a bad taste in my mouth. Musicians have forgotten how to play songs they actually LOVE and instead retreat to seeing how funny it would be to play songs like "Earth Angel" in punk rock (or whatever style said band/singer enjoys). Thankfully, for his cover album, Denison Witmer picks out songs he loves and plays them with personal passion.

I have to admit, I was quite surprise Witmer would do a cover album, of all people. I always associated cover albums with aforementioned goofball punk bands (hello Ghoti Hook). But after hearing these songs I wasn't surprised at all. From the gentle beauty of Neil Young's "Love in Mind" and Big Star's "Nightime" to the more energized "Farther On" by Jackson Browne, Witmer amazingly makes these songs his own. Not one track sounds out of place or awkward. A naive music listener could pick this up and think they are all Witmer's original work.

As Dave Bazan and Nick Cave are making honest, spiritual music important again, Witmer is doing his duty in resurrecting the cover album. A job well done, I must say. But do check out his original work, too.

When I started collecting Denison Witmer's back catalogue of albums after turning on to his fabulous 2005 release (ARE YOU A DREAMER?), I was the least hopeful about this album, RECOVERED, a collection of cover version of early 70s singer-songwriters. Although I had a few of these albums in my record collection (Carole King's TAPESTRY, Joni Mitchell's BLUE), I was not strictly a follower of this Dylan-influenced post-folk tradition. So why would I want a collection of retro cover versions by a 1990s/2000s singer-songwriter I'm just getting into?

Surprise-- I can't get this CD out of my player! This is totally atypical of me-- I like to cycle my listening through a wide range of styles. But no matter what else I play, all I can think is, would it be ridiculous to play RECOVERED again? My biggest concern is that I'm going to get sick of it if I continue like this, but with each playing the emotional honesty of the songs just gets better.

I did not know many of the songs on this album. You couldn't have paid me to listen to records by Fleetwood Mac in the 70s and 80s, but this Christine McVie tune, "Songbird," is enchantingly sung by Denison. Jackson Browne I had more appreciation for, but I am still stunned by Witmer's moving delivery on "These Days." But the biggest highlight of all is the ambient electronic backdrop and loops behind Carole King's "So Far Away," with Denison's voice hushed and barely cracking into song. His love for CSNY comes through on sensitive remakes of Graham Nash's "Simple Man" and Neil Young's "Love in Mind."

Tribute albums can often be pretty embarrassing affairs, but this one does a whole tradition proud and points out how silly we are to overlook its influence and importance. Spread the word far and wide about this CD.