Coming to the disc as an admittedly unfamiliar Buddy Holly fan, I wasn’t sure what to expect. I’ve heard a few Buddy Holly songs in my travels, but his brand of pop never really struck a chord with me. As a kid I listened to the 50s & 60s hits of course, but I was primarily a Beach Boys guy growing up. No doubt inspired by some neon typefaced movie soundtrack initially, they became my first heavy rotation band at six years old.
That said, even the Brian Wilson cut of “Listen To Me” didn’t grab me the first play through. It wasn’t really until Jackson Browne’s haunting “True Love Ways” at track 5 that I opened up to the groove. A stand out cover, but could also stand on its own, Browne’s vocal tone and use of pedal steel round out an appropriate portrait. Then in true diametric juxtoposition, Peggy Sue jumps out and grabs your junk. Well, Cobra Starship give her that treatment anyway. Starting off in dangerous territory, they do manage to pull out a memorable rendition, albeit lacking a lot of replay potential. Your toddlers might enjoy this version though, as it certainly kicks the Wiggles’ ass. Not that I’d know.
One highlight was The Fray’s cover of “Take Your Time”, which had an immediate and deep resonance for me. When the vocalist began, I noticed a little teen heartthrob quality that I might expect to hear while watching a young warewolf or vampire saga. Maybe they’ve been heard there already, but as I listened deeper I heard something reminiscent of Matchbox 20′s big debut and Wide Mouth Mason’s Self-titled Warner release. By far this was the most commercial cut on the compilation, but that didn’t negate it from also becoming a personal favourite.
Music’s living legends are all over the tracklist with Stevie Nicks, Chris Isaak, Linda Ronstadt, Natalie Merchant and even Eric Idle donating songs to this collection benefiting the Songwriters.org Listen To Me program. Ringo Starr does a particularly groovy job of giving “Think It Over” the flower power makeover, while Lyle Lovett won me over with a real live show feel. His effort shines through thanks to some wide open mixing and a genuine performance. It ain’t funk, but it’s got soul.
The collection has a wide spectrum, much like Buddy Holly’s song catalog itself, and this disc may be better as a singles collection; pieced out to the people track by track. I hope they don’t force you to buy it all for a good cause, but only ever listen to 20% of it again. That would be a barrier… I mean, bummer… wouldn’t it?
