The biggest surprise is how well this works.
What on paper seems like a goof -- a ukulele tribute to The Replacements -- turns out to be a thoroughly listenable and fun record.
Nashville mainstays Jonathan Bright and Tom Littlefield -- get it? Bright Little Field! -- have bridged the worlds of alt-country and American college rock (what they used to call the 'Mats' music back in the day) and reinvented these marvelous tunes.
"Achin' To Be" and "Can't Hardly Wait" lend themselves well to this ukulele-and-vocals treatment. And "Swingin' Party" is especially poignant here. The strengths of Paul Westerberg as a songwriter are so obvious when you hear this cut recast in a different light.
Treatment Bound: A Ukulele Tribute To The Replacements is out now on Bar/None Records.
Check out the Facebook page for Bright Little Field here.
