Review: Matthew Sweet & Susanna Hoffs’ “Under The Covers Vol. 2”

If you aren’t familiar with “Vol. 1″ of this series, let me fill you in.  On the “Under The Covers” records, the smart songsmith (a post-nineties, buzz-bin-status, Sweet) and seemingly ageless  Bangles-member (Hoffs) perform versions of their favorite songs.  On the first volume, they masterfully tackled songs mostly from the sixties.  Here, on this volume, they make it into the seventies.  Since this is a covers record, not much new or innovative is happening here.  The arrangements mostly mirror the originals.  But if you are a fan of these songs (and for that matter a fan of Sweet or Hoffs) this is definitely worth your time.  It just sounds like a rerecorded mix-tape from another era. The duo opens the set with an ultra-twangy cover of the Dead’s “Sugar Magnolia.”  Singing together, they have a sunny, seventies California sound.  Neither  one is a folk musician, really, (Sweet has tried a little.)  but their vocal approach when put together, makes them sound very rootsy. “The Raspberries’ “Go All The Way” is next.  It’s given some nice guitar chuggage at the beginning.  Having Hoffs sing the chorus gives the song some extra sizzle.  Fleetwood Mac is obviously a huge influence on the sound they are going for on this record, so it fits that they’d attack “Second-Hand News” with ferocious enthusiasm.   On their version of Derek & the Dominos’ “Bell-Bottom Blues,” Hoffs expertly sings the song with a sweetness Clapton never could.  It’s at first off-putting and then revolutionary.  She really transforms the song, giving it the same lovingly feminine spirit she gave “Eternal Flame.” It’s a wonderful reinvention.   The Sweet-led cover of “All The Young Dudes” is on the money completely, even if it does sound like he’s doing his best Bowie impression.  Similarly, Hoffs’ straightforward reading of Carly Simon’s “You’re So Vain” recaptures the intensity of the original.  Sweet approaches Tom Petty’s “Here Comes My Girl” like he’s heard it  a hundred times.  Every little vocal cadence, every little shout seems lifted from the original.  Even his vocal pattern during the spoken sections seems to capture Petty’s essence.  This wouldn’t work if it wasn’t done with feeling.  An exact copy can be boring, but these two know how to add soul and love to these renditions.   Their expansive take on Yes’ “I’ve Seen All Good People; Your Move/All Good People,” while impressive, runs a little long.     Then again, the original is similarly long-winded.  But with all the song’s tempo shifts, the duo captures the track’s original, folky, early prog-rock essence. Todd Rundgren’s “Hello It’s Me” has been done to death, but the Sweet-led version here is still likable, again because it faithfully keeps the energy of its original source.  On their take of Little Feat’s “Willin’,” it’s hard to believe that Hoffs has ever been “drunk and dirty.”  Her vocal delivery, as always is pristine.  She doesn’t have the tone of a haggard road warrior.  She needs a bit of a rasp for this to be believed.   With everyone else covering “Thirteen,” it seems, it’s nice to hear Sweet and Hoffs cover Big Star’s “Back Of A Car.”  Hoffs is no stranger to covering Big Star.  The Bangles covered “September Gurls” on their album “Different Light.”  (For the record – on said Bangles cover, Michael Steele sang lead and not Hoffs, but it still counts for something!) They go back to Rundgren on a brightly, spirited version of “Couldn’t I Just Tell You.”  Another song done to death is John Lennon’s “Give Me Some Truth.”  Sweet does an OK job here adding some fury to the song’s pointed lyrics, however,  he neither offends nor makes this take unique.  Hoffs delivers a tender version of Rod Stewart’s “Maggie May,” again throwing previously held gender conceptions out the window.  She also gives Bread’s “lite-radio” anthem, “Everything I Own” a fitting reading.  The album closes with a version of George Harrison’s “Beware of Darkness.”  If this version has a fault, it’s that it isn’t that dark at all, but it still maintains control throughout Harrison’s winding, tricky chord construction.  “Vol. 1″ had a slightly better batch of songs, but this collection pretty much picks up where that one left off.  These are capable, enjoyable covers which will hopefully please fans of the originals.  It’ll be interesting to see if Sweet & Hoffs, (or Sid n’ Susie as they are listed in the liner notes) record a third set.  These two have long been friends, working together in Austin Powers’ band “Ming Tea.” (No joke!  Hoffs is married to director, Jay Roach!) Maybe for their third set, "Sid n' Susie" should try their own, original compositions.