Why care: “War Child Presents Heroes,” features 16 trendy bands covering classic songs.
Trivia: To put together this album, famous acts were told to pick one of their own best songs and suggest who should cover it. And so Bob Dylan chose Beck for a fuzzed-out version of “Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat,” while Franz Ferdinand were tapped for a live take on Blondie’s “Call Me.”
Standouts: The Hold Steady adds a saxophone to its souped-up cover of Bruce Springsteen’s “Atlantic City.” The track didn’t originally use sax, and so the group almost out-Springsteens the Boss himself.
Fans dig: Covers
Andy says: This terrifically assembled benefit album does a great job of pairing cool-kid bands with their influences. The result: generally reverent covers that muck with the originals just enough to give fans of both the old and young groups something to enjoy.
Grade: A-minus
“The Annie Lennox Collection”
Why care: This best of collects almost every track Lennox has landed on the Billboard charts since the Eurhythmics split up in 1991.
Trivia: The album has two new tracks: “Pattern of My Life,” written by Keane’s Tom Chaplin, and “Shining Light,” a cover of Ash.
Standouts: Let’s say “Little Bird,” an up-tempo track that uses synthesizers. The song topped the dance chart in 1993, but only hit No. 49 on the Billboard 100.
Fans dig: Androgyny.
Andy says: If you don’t know Lennox, the short-haired lady who goes walking on broken glass and vows to say no more I love you’s, this 14 track roundup offers a solid introduction. Still, I wish she had included a few more deeper cuts, like the epic “Loneliness” off 2003’s “Bare.”
Grade: B-minus
Andy Rathbun: 425-339-3455, arathbun@heraldnet.com
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