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“Different Drum” – Matthew Sweet and Susanna Hoffs
(Words/music: Michael Nesmith, available on Under the Covers, Vol. 1, Shout! Factory 2006)

I hold the belief that pop music can (and should) push boundaries and strive toward innovative new fronts.  However, that doesn’t mean that good pop music always needs to be challenging – sometimes perfect simplicity, whether in songwriting, a performance, or an arrangement, speaks more profoundly than more ambitious works.  Also, some days we just want to hear something soothing, and on those days I don’t need my music to make my thoughts any more tangled.

Matthew Sweet and Susanna Hoffs’ collaborative album of ‘60s pop songs fills this role perfectly.  The track list reads like an awesome ‘60s mix and the recording is about as essential.  Still, that’s not to say that Under the Covers, Vol. 1 is an unnecessary album or poorly made – it’s a bunch of loving renditions made by a pair of musicians who clearly love these songs.  Still, while most fall short of the originals (“The Kids are Alright” comes to mind immediately), a few of these songs work extremely well under Sweet and Hoffs’ care.  “Different Drum,” an ode to independence that made Linda Rondstadt famous, lends itself well to Hoffs’ sugary sweet voice.  Even a decade and a half after The Bangles left the public eye, Hofffs makes her protagonist sound like a youthful free spirit, making her excuses for turning away her suitor believable.  Sweet surrounds Hoffs with an impeccable arrangement, particularly when the song cuts to just strings, guitar, and Hoffs near the end of the song.  It’s unorthodox on paper, but it makes the song sound like more than a coffee shop homage.  It’s these moments of precision – the deliberately isolated strings, Sweet’s flawless harmonies (this version’s secret weapon), or Hoffs’ attention to the melody – that make their cover songs worth the time investment.  Even if the result is a breezy, effortless pop song that only asks for our enjoyment, the attention to detail makes it a worthy tribute to a pop classic.

More on Matthew Sweet and Susanna Hoffs: Allmusic | Amazon MP3 | Emusic | Last.fm