Photo by: crackintheroad.com
Counting Crows has had a long history of making successful covers with its various b-sides, but its new record, Underwater Sunshine, shows the band testing its cover savvy on a full-length album. The album pays homage to old greats like Bob Dylan and The Band while also acknowledging up-and-comers like Dawes. It is always novel to hear an established song sung in Adam Duritz’s pained falsetto, but only a few songs on this collection are interesting in their own right; after hearing several tracks arranged in the same style, this hour-long collection becomes a chore to get through.
There are a few standouts, though. The band seems right at home covering its contemporaries. This is especially true when chugging through Sordid Humor’s “Jumpin’ Jesus.” Sordid Humor came of age in the same San Francisco scene in which Counting Crows started. In fact, each of the Crows played in Sordid Humor at some point. The track jumps right into a full harmonious chorus before slowing to a downbeat jam that rivals the original in catchy appeal. Here, the full seven-piece band is utilized effectively.
On a cover of Craig Fuller’s “Amie,” a mandolin riff leads into an old-fashioned stomp complete with walking bass and accordion. Counting Crows give the 1973 single a bluegrass feel, which sounds more appropriate than the country-rock of the original. The new instruments and tones coupled with tight harmonies make for a powerful, memorable ballad.
Many of the songs in this collection are obscure tracks from Adam Duritz’ encyclopedic knowledge of music, so it’s refreshing to hear an immediately recognizable pop single. The opening chords of The Faces’ “Ooh La La” offer a welcome bit of familiarity on a densely packed album.
In addition to generally expansive instrumentation, the band utilizes a traditional country feel throughout much of the record, notably exploring this side of its music with a fiery version of Richard Thompson’s “Meet On the Ledge.” The band matches the folk-rock legend’s guitar prowess, proving it can whip out a wild solo when necessary. This throwback is a good example of the Crows fleshing out a mostly acoustic song to match its full band.
Unfortunately, these standout tracks are overshadowed by the rest of the album’s monotonous feel, with the seven-piece arrangement style being overused to grating effect. While Underwater Sunshine is a great example of the Crows’ taste in music, it is not a classic representation of the band’s diverse arrangement abilities, as many of the songs seem to utilize this exact same kind of style.
The Crows settled on making a cover album in part because the group has been concentrating on other projects in the past year, with Duritz releasing a solo EP and the Crows releasing its third live album in October, and Vickery and Bogios releasing the debut album to their Tender Mercies side project in August. As a result, the band’s half-investment in this cover collection is audible, and while there are a few standouts, the rest of Underwater Sunshine is hardly worth hearing.
