“…why is it that U2’s stuff sound so much better when covered?”
“…why is it that U2’s stuff sound so much better when covered?”
Little Annie and Paul Wallfisch – When Good Things Happen to Bad Pianos
http://www.konkurrent.nl/ http://www.southern.net/
Now here’s something a little different. Little Annie is a character who has been about for a while, collaborating with all sorts of people, doing all sorts of things. Maybe it’s unfair to call her a reformed punk chanteuse, a description which a friend regaled me with. Still we’ll stick with it for now.
Certainly Little Annie’s smoky voice conjures up late night bars and Tom Waits style reflections rather than her collaborations with Crass. Torch songs are in abundance on her new LP; When Good Things Happen… is a collection of intelligent covers with the odd surprise; we get Brel’s If You Go Away, a truly fabulous version of Tina Turner’s Private Dancer, It Was a Very Good Year… you can pretty much guess the rest.
The piano is pretty much the lead instrument throughout, apart from the odd sonic flourish or addition. To be frank, it doesn’t need much as Little Annie’s woozy cajoling holds the mood quite magnificently. The surprise comes late on in the LP, a quite brilliant (and sarcastic?) version of U2’s Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For, (why is it that U2’s stuff sound so much better when covered?) and All I Want For Christmas.
Great stuff. Investigate without delay.
Words: Richard Foster