Kimmie Rhodes
Album: Covers
Label: Self Released
Tracks: 15
Website: http://www.kimmierhodes.com

When I saw that Kimmie Rhodes was making an album devoted to the songs of other writers, I was somewhat curious. Why would an acclaimed songwriter such as Kimmie want to record an album of covers? And why would she want to cover such chestnuts as "Yesterday", "What A Wonderful World" and "With A Little Help From My Friends",which must be some of the most-covered songs ever?

The answer is that, on this album, Kimmie wanted to cover songs that had particular significance to her and which had provided key milestones in both her professional and personal life.

Kimmie and her son Gabriel have produced a most enjoyable and surprisingly cohesive album by using a "dream team" of pickers and singers, including Rodney Crowell, Delbert McClinton and Marcia Ball.

There are fifteen songs covered on the album, some well-known, some less so. The styles range from gritty blues to country to Cajun to pop.

Personal favourites include two numbers served up as Texas blues, the late, great Townes Van Zandt's "White Freight Liner"and Bob Dylan's epochal "Everything Is Broken". The most moving song is a beautiful version of Tom Waits' heartrending "Georgia Lee".

Kimmie's choice of Neil Young's "Birds" [from "After The Goldrush"-still one of my favourite albums of all time] is inspired. She retains the tender fragility of the original version but the new arrangement adds an extra dimension to it.

The album contains three excellent duets. The first is with Rodney Crowell on his beautifully poignant "Adam's Song".

The next is with Delbert McClinton who adds his distinctive vocals and harmonica to Jimmy Reed's 1963 blues classic "Shame,Shame,Shame", on which Kimmie shows that she is equally at home singing the blues as well as country.

The third duet is equally convincing. Here Kimmie is joined by Marcia Ball on vocals and accordion for an impressive Cajun romp through Mark Knopfler's "Cannibals".

Overall, this is a most enjoyable album of covers which are well-sung, well-played and well-arranged by Kimmie, Gabriel and a host of excellent guests. Personally, I prefer the less well-known songs to the over-familiar "standards". Indeed, I could get by without " a Little Help Help From My Friends" or indeed "Yesterday" or "What A Wonderful World". Don't get me wrong, they are perfectly good versions of the songs and I am sure that they have significance to Kimmie, it's just that they have been done so many times, by so many people.

Peter Cowley