As its title suggests,
Cover Two
is the second collection of covers from
Joan as Police Woman
's
Joan Wasser
(her first, 2009's Cover, was initially sold only at her shows and on her website). Considering how versatile and distinctive
Wasser
's own music is, it's not surprising that she's skilled at putting her own stamp on the work of widely different musicians. Even
's cover is a rendition of sorts, channeling
Loverboy
Get Lucky
and its iconic red leather jumpsuit. But what could be just a karaoke lark is much more in
's hands:
is musically nimble and reflects a songwriter's appreciation of other songwriters. As on Cover,
samples from an eclectic array of artists. She begins
with the challenge of reinterpreting
Prince
's "Kiss," transforming the original's sudden flirtation into sultry, slow-burning foreplay that turns the line "women, not girls, rule my world" into a mantra. Later, she closes the album with a breezy vocal pop arrangement of Rizzo's lament "There Are Worse Things I Could Do" from the musical Grease and a graceful, piano-driven interpretation of
Gil Scott-Heron
's "Running." In between,
's highlights include a cozy version of
the Strokes
' '60s soul-pop homage "Under Control'' where her voice dances over its caressing melody, and a minimalist reading of
Michael McDonald
's "Keep Forgetting" that showcases all the nuances of her singing. On "Out of Time," she reimagines one of
Blur
's sci-fi ballads into something that could've appeared on
Tapestry
. By contrast, she focuses on her music's experimental side on "Not the Way," setting
Cass McCombs
' searching lyrics to meditative drones and saxophones. As she revisits some of her favorite songs on
,
brings out the best in her own music. ~ Heather Phares