This may very well be my pick for weird record of 2013. The completely unexpected duo of Billy Joe Armstrong (yes, the Green Day front man) and Norah Jones (the slumberingly mellow singer-songwriter of light jazz / adult contemporary airplay fame) combine to re-record the second Everly Brothers record, 1958’s Songs Our Daddy Taught Us, itself a collection of country / folk covers and classics.
Wait…… what?
As if that’s not odd enough on its own, Billy Joe and Norah play it completely straight. Sure, the production values are better just based on equipment. But it really is a re-recording, not a cover record. They nail the tight harmony vocals perfectly (easy to do blending alto and tenor), and the furthest they stray from the two guitars and occasional upright bass of the original is to add some light and subtle jazz drumming to a couple of tracks (actually, there’s some mandolin and organ in there, too, but it’s very low in the mix). Honestly, it’s really bizarre.
In fairness/respect to Don and Phil Everly, I actually cracked out Songs Our Daddy Taught Us and gave it a side-by side. Foreverly is so close in places it’s creepy. And I mean like Buffalo Bill creepy. But the whole thing is done with such love, such reverence, it’s easy to hear how deeply the duo really feel these songs. This particular country tradition – late singing-cowboy era ballads and pre-WWII folk standards – lends itself well to the kind of understated, emotive singing Jones is known for and Billy Joe (somewhat surprisingly) keeps up very well. Their chemistry is nice, and together they produce what is in many ways a subtle and moving tribute to two of the great early pioneers of rock ‘n’ roll.
But in the end, it is only a tribute – and a tribute to a tribute at that (the levels of mimesis here would make my lit crit class turn catatonic). I can’t deny the craftsmanship of Foreverly yet at the same time it feels like a forgery, like it’s trying to be a perfect replica that can be passed off as if it’s real. I don’t even have a name for the slightly-off-but-intellectually-interested emotion it causes me.
It’s just weird.
Final Grade: I have no idea what to make of this. It’s not even very useful as a gateway to the Everly Brothers, since none of these songs were written by them or hits. Download “Roving Gambler” and “I’m Here to Get My Baby Out of Jail” and figure out if its your speed.
Your Shitty Record Won't Review Itself 