I've made an executive decision not to buy any more quirky lounge/folky versions of great tunes. I am a big fan of this when it's done well but I've noticed that a lot of it is about and a lot of it is just advert music. I blame Jamie Cullum and what he did with that Radiohead tune. I've never really liked Jamie Cullum. Maybe because he's too short or maybe because he does naff jazz cover versions or maybe because he's just a little too self-satisfied. Or maybe because he gets to got to bed with Sophie Dahl. Anyway, I care not for Cullum nor for his oeuvre.
For me, the zenith of lounge cover versions has to be Nouvelle Vague especially their first album which I found quite exquisite. I've probably mentioned before that I'm a sucker for foreign accents on songs and this certainly had them in abundance. The standout song for me was "In a Manner of Speaking". It took an obscure but cool 80s new wave song and re-presented it as a love song of faith, love, doubt and longing.
Another classic from this genre is Bossa N Stones. It's a collection of bossanova versions of Rolling Stones classics. It's not half as bad as it sounds and the bossa tunes sound very up to date. My personal favourite is "Fool to Cry" although this is similar in composition to the re-working of Manner of Speaking, it's a lot frothier. It certainly has a Bebel Gilberto feel to it.
There's a similar concept album that was released a year or two after where Guns N Roses got the same treatment. It didn't work so well.
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