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15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A good collection of fairly faithful covers, July 22, 2009
There are two paths that musical artists can take on a cover album: The safer course of offering faithful renditions that don't stray too far from the original arrangements and then being accused of lacking originality, or the riskier course of radically rearranging the songs and then hearing critics say "I don't think Hank done it this way." Matthew Sweet and Susanna Hoffs have done the former on their second volume of "Under The Covers" tunes.
Like the first album, which came out three years ago, the harmonies and music are first-rate. The focus has moved from the late '60s to the early '70s, but the vibe is still the same. If you enjoyed "Vol. 1," as I did, then you'll probably enjoy this one, too. If you're looking for radical reinterpretations of these songs, you'll be disappointed. Those who are just looking for some entertaining cover tunes will probably find at least a couple of new favorites among all of the different types of songs that the album offers.
Like the first album, some of the songs are more familiar than others. This is a whole different kind of risk: How do you top the original version of a mega-hit song like "You're So Vain" or "Maggie May," signature songs for Carly Simon and Rod Stewart? The answer, of course, is that you probably can't top it, but you can offer a solid cover version. Susanna does a nice raspy Rod-style vocal on "Maggie May," and a nice version of "You're So Vain" as well, even though Carly's original will remain my favorite. Matthew Sweet is a vocal chameleon, channeling the Grateful Dead, Tom Petty, Todd Rundgren and John Lennon with equal aplomb.
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10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Affectionate, Beautiful Covers, August 2, 2009
As in the first volume of this series, which focused on the 60s, Sweet and Hoffs pay tribute to the 70s with more of their perfectly selected, arranged, and performed covers. While faithful to the originals, these tracks vary in many ways, both in the colors their voices bring to the harmonies and in the styles of guitar work on display.
Both performers clearly love the era and the radio singles they sang along to when they were young. Their emotional fidelity is as remarkable as their technical proficiency, and the fact that both have retained their youthful attitudes and voices in middle age (Hoffs is 50!) amazes this aging baby-boomer.
Both CDs are a joy to listen to, and we can only hope that the two will give us further volumes devoted to the 80s, when Hoffs' group The Bangles had their heyday, and to the 90s, when Sweet made his commercial breakthrough.
I also recommend the bonus CD version of this album, which includes ten more interesting and adventuresome tracks:
Dreaming (3:07)
Marquee Moon (11:40) (even longer than the original!)
I Wanna Be Sedated (2:23)
Baby Blue (4:00)
You Say You Don't Love Me (3:07)
(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding (4:22)
You Can Close Your Eyes (2:47)
Melissa (4:34)
Killer Queen (3:08)
A Song For You (5:07)
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8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Not as Good as VOlume One, July 21, 2009
Don't get me wrong -- every song picked on this compilation is a classic beauty. And I loved Under the Covers Volume One -- Sid and Susie breathed life into those '60's gems and picked some obscure ones that really shine. But Volume two sounds like a karaoke version of these songs. Susanna says she taught herself to sing by singing along to the radio -- it sounds like she's still doing it here. Back of My Car, Couldn't I Just Tell You and Go all the Way -- all power pop classics shine brilliantly as they well should with Matthew Sweet. Pop Susanna just can't seem to sing the blues on Bell Bottom Blues which lacks real emotion. And George Harrison's gorgeous Beware of Darkness lacks the depth and haunting lyricism of the original, despite Dhani Harrison's guitar playing. The rest sounds karaoke. The Bangles were always well known for choosing obsure songs (like "Live") and making them their own by making them better than the originals. Not true here with Susanna. I suggest downloading the original versions of these songs. On UTC Volume 2 Download: Maggie May, Back of a Car, Go All the Way, Couldn't I Just Tell You - the best tracks here. Funny that the best versions don't appear on the album but on bonus tracks, download-able here on amazon. These include Badfinger's Baby Blue, You Can Close Your Eyes (Sue sings beautifully here -- better than Sheryl Crow's version) and The Buzzcock's You Say You Don't Love Me and QUeen's Killer Queen.
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by Matthew Sweet 
