Covers albums have traditionally ranked among pop’s most pointless pursuits. Frequently, they are flippant and lacklustre, offered up in fulfillment of contractual obligation or as a reminder to wavering fans that a band still exists.
Lately though, the cover record has matured into something more distinctive: the tribute album.
Tributes allow emerging artists to pay homage to their heroes, while suggesting, slyly, that perhaps they could have done a better job with the same material.
Lamentably, Toronto’s Cowboy Junkies, three sad men with guitars and one weepy woman with a voice like shattered glass, prefer the old school.
On Early 21st Century Blues, they dust down 11 staples of mid-tempo ‘iconic’ rock and treat them to plodding make-overs.
What results is a collection of drab standards, dumped in a bucket of ennui and left to congeal overnight.
Cowboy Junkies do not cast their net widely: U2’s ‘One’ is about as contemporary as it gets.
They certainly don’t set out to upset anyone: Bruce Springsteen’s ‘You’re Missing’ and ‘Brothers Under The Bridge’ are re-hashed with delicate reverence; Dylan’s ‘License To Kill’ reclines on a bed of furtive acoustic guitars and hushed drum-licks. Two original songs, by the Junkies’ Michael Timmins, seems almost deliberately drab, as if afraid to stand out.
Cumulatively, the effect is akin to a flat-mate throwing a party with the stereo turned low and everyone speaking in whispers. If you’re not going to have a blast, what’s the point?