Tuned In: Cassandra Wilson's 'Closer to You' is enervating

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"CLOSER TO YOU: THE POP SIDE," Cassandra Wilson (Blue Note/EMI)

Cassandra Wilson's "Closer to You: The Pop Side" isn't the stuff of Top 40 radio.
The release compiles Wilson's cover versions of songs by pop/rock acts over the years, only her renditions are neither pop nor rock. Instead, the jazz singer contorts, subverts, tranquilizes and segues them into something suiting her own style. The results are mixed: Obviously, the perspective of fans of the originals might clash with that of Wilson's fans, yet there should be more objective reactions for those without sentimental attachments.
Wilson's spin on The Wallflowers' "Closer to You" is the most provocative in the bunch, a serpentine-sounding arrangement with gurgling electronics and rattling bass meandering through the atmosphere as her lower range shades in darkness. Meanwhile, the singer's understated take on U2's "Love Is Blindness" and her sauntering cover of The Band's "The Weight" work by virtue of the soulful delivery of her rich vocals. And the only thing missing from the flavorful, percussion-dominated version of Sting's "Fragile" is a tropical cocktail.
However, much of the rest of "Closer to You" is self-indulgent somnolence. Time stands still on a cover of Cyndi Lauper's "Time After Time," and Wilson's take of Van Morrison's "Tupelo Honey" is slow as molasses. The singer and the musicians trod over a nearly imperceptible rhythm as if they're waiting for something to happen on their rendition of Ann Peebles' "I Can't Stand the Rain," and their zipless cover of Bob Dylan's "Lay Lady Lay" just lies there, incomplete. Meanwhile, an improbable cover of The Monkees' "Last Train to Clarksville" is entirely disorienting, an out-of-whack mishmash of chugging acoustic guitar, vibes and scat singing. But at least it's not boring.
The cover of "Closer to You: The Pop Side" features a photo of Wilson sprawled on the grass, eyes closed, seemingly covering a yawn. That's how many listeners will feel when they hear half of these songs.
Rating (five possible): 3

"COVERED: A REVOLUTION IN SOUND," various acts (Warner Bros.)

Warner Bros. Records celebrates its 50th anniversary with "Covered: A Revolution in Sound," one of a series of releases commemorating the milestone. The compilation features a dozen current-ish acts remaking mostly classic songs from the Warner Bros. vaults.
Considering the occasion, "Covered" feels more like a private gathering than a party, and it often seems more perfunctory than festive.
There are too many faithful and only slightly altered covers -- including James Otto's rendition of Van Morrison's "Into the Mystic," Disturbed's take on Faith No More's "Midlife Crisis" and a redo of Neil Young's "Like a Hurricane" by Adam Sandler (yes, that Adam Sandler). In addition to those are modestly updated remakes such as Mastodon's ragged take on ZZ Top's "Just Got Paid," Taking Back Sunday's electrified tinkering of Tom Petty's "You Wreck Me" and Avenged Sevenfold's chugging cover of Black Sabbath's "Paranoid."
Although they're pleasant enough to hear, many of the cuts might have Warner Bros. officials wondering if their artists of today simply lack the creativity of their earlier acts.
Fortunately, other performers put a little more thought into their projects. Although the effort backfires when Michelle Branch gets slurry with Joni Mitchell's "A Case of You" and Against Me! drags and whines through The Replacements' "Here Comes a Regular," at least those acts took chances. The Black Keys had more success adding tatter and dirt to Captain Beefheart's "Her Eyes Are a Blue Million Miles," and Missy Higgins dared to make a folk song out of Roxy Music's ethereal "More Than This." Best of all are The Used's bottom-heavy, incendiary reworking of Talking Heads' "Burning Down the House," and a histrionic/electronic reinvention of Madonna's "Borderline" by The Flaming Lips with Stardeath and White Dwarfs.
Purists may balk at those latter tracks, but great artists don't play it safe. And it's too bad more acts on "Covered" didn't go bold.
Rating: 3

"RUNNING WITH THE WASTERS," The Takeover UK (Ryko)

Given the name they picked for themselves, members of the Takeover UK obviously would have you associate them with Great Britain. That's not a knock on their native Pittsburgh, it's simply a career move: Unlike the U.K., their hometown isn't known for its legion of great bands. And the Takeover UK is a great band.
The twist is that the Takeover UK sounds like a sparkling brew of Weezer, the Beach Boys, Green Day and Smashing Pumpkins -- all of them American bands. But, whatever. Any ploy that entices potential fans to check out "Running With the Wasters" is justifiable.
The group's unflappable energy is built on a quirky sensibility, swarming guitars and insanely infectious choruses (typically emphasized with gang-vocal delivery). The sound is bracing, yet somehow un-abrasive, as the band darts and weaves through crunchy cadence and harmonic uprisings.
"Running With the Wasters" maintains a garage-rock credibility while reaching out with an endearing, retro-naivete on fresh crowd-pleasers such as "Ah La La," "The Lonely Ones" and "Don't Wait Up," as well as the romantic inclinations of the swaggering "Denise" and nostalgic ballad "Evelyn."
The Takeover UK branches out from its remarkable base of punchy hooks and driving electricity elsewhere, too, though the jumbled jangle of "Kill Me Dead" and vampy goofing of "Sleep It All Away" don't add much to the "Running With the Wasters" experience.
You can't blame the Takeover UK for pushing itself -- that's what the best bands do. But when a group has such a solid foundation, there's really nothing to prove.
Rating: 4

(E-mail Chuck Campbell of The Knoxville News-Sentinel in Tennessee at Campbell(at)knews.com.)
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