It's impossible to review this album in an objective manner because it's impossible to not love what's here. Just when you think you don't need to hear any more cover versions, Tanya Donelly (Belly, Throwing Muses) has teamed up with the Parkington Sisters to tackle a carefully-chosen set of alt-rock standards. The record, Tanya Donelly & The Parkington Sisters, out today via American Laundromat Records, is so easy to love that a reviewer is left to simply rave about how enjoyable this is.
Opening mellow-and-intense with a cover of "Automatic" by The Go-Go's, this record eases right into another eight classics. While a run at "Dance Me to the End of Love" by Leonard Cohen is a fine showcase for Donelly's vocals, "Days" allows Tanya and the Parkington Sisters to shine effortlessly. An elegant, nearly-classical recasting of the Ray Davies' Kinks number, this is a beautiful track. Similarly, "Kid" is a number that Tanya Donelly seems perfectly suited for. The Pretenders' classic here is smoothed out and made soothing while retaining the glorious hooks, even as "Ocean Rain" nudges the soul and briefly soars. While "Let Me Roll It" wisely sits a Paul McCartney composition next to those of alt-rock legends, my generation's McCartney, Neil Finn, is here too. "Devil You Know", a gorgeous, lesser-known Split Enz track, is here brought to beautiful life by Tanya Donelly and the Parkington Sisters. On a record full of covers of well-loved songs, this is the one that might surprise the most. But if it reminds people of the genius of Neil Finn, Tanya Donelly and crew have done another good deed beyond simply making such a wholly listenable album.
With the angelic voice of Donelly held up by the strings and instruments of the Parkington Sisters, any selection here is one worth checking out. And considering the songs chosen to be covered here, a guy like me has little to critique here. In that sense, Tanya Donelly & The Parkington Sisters is nearly beyond any criticism. This record rewards those of us of a certain generation with lovely renditions of a few classic numbers, with a few here given fresh, new interpretations.
Tanya Donelly and The Parkington Sisters is out today via American Laundromat Records.