Monday, April 16, 2012

Album Review: Counting Crows - Underwater Sunshine (Or What We Did On Our Summer Vacation)

Counting Crows - Underwater Sunshine (Or What We Did On Our Summer Vacation)

It's been five years since the last studio album by one of my favourite bands, the Counting Crows. 2007's Saturday Nights and Sunday Mornings was a lovely mixture of tracks, and so I was looking forward to hearing Underwater Sunshine - only their sixth studio album in 19 years.

Having read nothing about this record whatsoever, it was only when I recognised track eight as Travis' Coming Around that I realised this was an album of cover versions. Saying that, I only recognised a handful of the songs - four of them are re-recordings of covers they have already released - and so to me it all sounds like new Counting Crows music.

If you're not already a Counting Crows fan then this album isn't going to convert you. It's 15 songs in their inimitable country/rock style and the bands they've chosen to cover range from Teenage Fanclub to Fairport Convention. As I like the band, I unsurprisingly found myself really enjoying Underwater Sunshine. It's melodic, laid back and engaging in exactly the same way that each of their previous albums have been. I'm never quite sure what the point of a covers album is, but if you like the voice of Adam Duritz and the sound of his band, there's lots here to like.

0 Discussions:

Post a Comment

<< Home