The Green Album

Serving as something of an appetiser for the main course that is the soon to be released Muppets movie, the cheekily titled Green Album is released this fortnight and features a sterling roster of American college rock types (Weezer, OK Go and Alkaline Trio) tackle songs from Kermie and the gang’s previous cinematic excursions. Like any good Muppets’ tale however, there are heroes and villains on this album: not every track clicks.

For example, Evanescence warbler Amy Lee delivers a shockingly bad rendition of the classic ‘Halfway Down The Stairs’ that takes what was once such a sweet song and turns it into a humourless, charisma-free mess. Alkaline Trio’s punk by numbers cover of ‘Movin’ Right Along’ isn’t much better. Mercifully the acts hit the mark more often than miss it. Rachel Yamagata’s ‘I’m Going To Go Back There Someday’ is suitably sugary while Weezer and Paramore’s Hayley Williams’ take on Kermit T. Frog’s signature tune ‘Rainbow Connection’ is so good it would make even him green – well, greener – with envy. Are the songs as good as the originals from the late ‘70s/early ‘80s films? Of course not, but they’re mostly delivered with genuine affection and care, and we think that the late, great Jim Henson would be happy to see his furry friends’ musical escapades re-imagined for a new generation.