Rating:
Genre:
Folk
Release Date: 08/22/2006
A cover of a well-known song often serves as a good introduction to a lesser-known artist, and that is no less true of the opening cut on
Vance Gilbert's new album,
Angels Castles Covers.
"Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing" opens an album that's mostly filled with
pop and
R&B covers, delivered in
Gilbert's soulful, smooth vocal style and backed by light accompaniment. Indeed, one might think of
Gilbert's approach as
soul lite, an approach that's easy on the ears and that commingles easily on cuts like
"Rainy Night in Georgia," "I'm So Tired of Being Alone," and
"Save the Last Dance for Me." The most daunting thing here is that it's inevitable, since these songs are so well-known that they'll be compared to the originals. And while
Gilbert himself is bound to know that matching masters like
Marvin Gaye is an unenviable, thankless task, he acquits himself well.
Gilbert's light
soul approach seems less suited, however, for
Joni Mitchell's folky
"A Case of You" and
Jimi Hendrix's
rock ballad
"Castles Made of Sand." Be that as it may, one of the exciting things about covering other artists' songs is that they can be reinterpreted in a new way for a new audience, and
Gilbert's fans will find these interpretations a pleasing extension of his music.
~Ronnie D. Lankford, Jr., All Music Guide
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