Tuesday, August 24, 2004

The Twilight Singers Cover Mary J. and Bjork
I have been a fan of Greg Dulli's for over a decade now. I loved how The Afghan Whigs were able to put a little soul into their rock 'n' roll, and now with The Twilight Singers' new LP of cover versions, She Loves You (out today on One Little Indian US) he goes one step further. Among the songs by Marvin Gaye, Mazzy Star, Gershwin, Coltrane and Martina Topley-Bird is a cover of hip hop diva Mary J Blige's Real Love. It's a typically Dulli-fied rendition - featuring he and guest vocalist Mark Lanegan's soulfully gruff crooning over a lapsteel driven mid tempo rocker. It ain't funky like Mary J but it's a pretty sweet rendition. Also covered on this record is Bjork's Hyperballad - again a smouldering mid tempo rocker featuring Mark Lanegan. It's fascinating hearing this rendition - those lyrics you know so well over such a different backdrop. I've had a chance to listen to this record a couple of times today and I dig it - it's pretty ambitious, but it seems to work.
Posted by Michael at 4:31 PM

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

I always thought Gentleman (or was it Gentlemen?)was one of the best records ever. I've always been kinda surprised that Dulli never received mainstream recognition.

-Joseph K

Wed Aug 25, 07:45:00 AM
Michael said...

Yeah, I love that record too. I always felt that they deserved more success than they had - they had such a unique take on rock back in the day. Probably because they weren't "grunge" enough...

Wed Aug 25, 01:27:00 PM
Chris Jay said...

They were really snappy dressers, too, which was against the rules. I cannot imagine Greg Dulli in cut-off blue jean shorts and combat boots. I have to admit that as a huge Afghan Whigs fan, I've been a bit hesitant to really actively listen to the Twilight Singers, but I have finally come around to the awesomeness of Blackberry Belle.

Thu Aug 26, 01:03:00 PM
Anonymous said...

Having been a fan of Greg's work since I was a wee soul chile and also sharing similar taste in music, I was very pleased when he decided to come out with this cover album. For so many years, The Afghan Whigs covered some of my favorite soul tracks of the 60's and with the Twilight Singers he just blew up with creativeness and took it to the next level collaborating with some great artists such as Harold Chichester, Shawn Smith, Fila Brazilia and currently with Mark Lanegan. Hold on to your seats ladies and gents, him and lanegan are working on some compositions that will blow your socks off!

Thu Aug 26, 06:48:00 PM

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