The Bottom Line
All you have to do, however, is open the CD booklet to page one to understand why he decided to make a cover album. In bold white letters, it says, "It had to happen." And so the record begins.
- "Another Kind of Blue"
- "Everette"
- "Call It Sleep"
- "Millionaire"
- "Song For June"
- None.
Description
- Some magnificent songs by some great unknown writers
- Slaid Cleaves brings his usual melancholic voice together with some great honest folk songs
- Mary Gauthier guests on backing vocals
Guide Review - Slaid Cleaves - Unsung
Unsung probably refers to the fact that many of these songs may never have gotten as much exposure as an already adored artist like Slaid Cleaves could get them. Written by other songwriters – most of whom you've probably never heard of – the songs on Unsung no doubt inspire Cleaves in some way explicable only by singing them himself.
Choosing cover tunes for an album can be both limiting and liberating. After all, half the pressure of penning the perfect line evaporates as soon as you decide to make a cover album. There's also the pressure of picking the perfect mix of other people's work. It's like singing your own mix CD, and Cleaves had his work cut out for him.
Still, there isn't a dull moment on the disc. From Steve Brooks' “Everette” to the grief and relief of Chris Montgomery's "Call it Sleep," to JJ Baron's "Song for June,” Unsung introduces us to some magnificent relatively unknown writers.
In the process, he also manages to share some more intimate vocals and emotions than could be possible in the recitation of one's own work.
Listen/Download Unsung MP3s.
