A decade after the American singer-songwriter’s acclaimed second album, seven wonderfully written songs are reissued alongside versions by contrasting guests including Fiona Apple, IDLES, and Lucinda Williams. Reissues seem to be in vogue at the moment, from Taylor Swift’s big-selling re-workings to the recent McCartney III Imagined, this one very much worth a look because of the quality of the songs themselves, written when Van Etten, then 29, was emerging from a bad and abusive relationship. It’s nice to re-listen to the originals in this double album, and that their stripped-back indie lo-fi still has such emotional power , but how about the parallel new versions? It’s a slightly mixed bag, but overall a rewarding package. Some successfully give greater body and volume to the originals, such as the supergroup indie band Big Red Machine (aka The National’s Aaron Dessner and Justin Vernon aka Bon Iver) for A Crime, or IDLES’s menacing guitar on Peace Sign, where it’s could to hear Joe Talbot reaching for some fully melody. These new versions also help make Van Etten’s songs more like PJ Harvey, who is almost certainly one of her big influences.
Texan pop artist Shamir’s soaring voice on DSharpG adds a new dimension, but while Lucinda Williams gives a deeper range and heartfelt delivery on Save Yourself, it is musically less interesting. Courtney Barnett, who is very much a fine and comparable artist, brings more electric guitar, but still rather similar and straight cover to Don’t Do It. St Panther can delivery her own music inventively, but her simple beat and slight vocoder rendition of Love More doesn’t add much. Meanwhile something very much more worthwhile comes with Fiona Apple joining Van Etten on Love More, the closing track, with the guest’s voice as powerful solo as well in vocal harmonies, in addition to added percussion arrangement all brings something entirely new to the original. Out on Ba Da Bing! Records.
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