LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - In an age when classic rock has been reduced to ringtones and soundtracks to TV commercials, it was refreshing to see Matthew Sweet and Susanna Hoffs attempt to transform those old songs back into art, rather than a commodity.
Backed by a four-piece band, the pair gave their first public performance together Wednesday at the Hotel Cafe. Sweet and Hoffs didn't just preview "Under the Covers Vol. 1," due April 18 on Shout! Factory, but played the entire album in sequence.
The result was an odd triple dose of nostalgia, brought on by the material and by the performers' own musical histories. The repertoire, a mix of classics and obscurities from 1964-71, is from the same golden era that inspired Sweet and Hoffs when they recorded their original songs in their prime. Sweet reached his artistic peak in the early '90s with his album "Girlfriend," while Hoffs went from local sensation to major pop juggernaut as a member of the Bangles in the '80s.
Given their past success and history, it was a delight to see the pair share the stage at the intimate venue and a pleasure to hear their take on such classics as the Beatles' "And Your Bird Can Sing" and Bob Dylan's "It's All Over Now, Baby Blue," with the latter featuring Brian Wilson collaborator Van Dyke Parks reprising his recorded role on piano. The pair also delved into some obscurities, including Marmalade's "I See Rain," which seemed perfectly suited to their vocals and the band's four-guitar attack.
At times Sweet and Hoffs referred to sheet music propped up on stands in front of them, and Sweet made several references about the challenges posed by some of the material. Sporting a hat and sunglasses, he looked a bit like Blues Traveler frontman John Popper without a harmonica. He was in strong voice for most of the evening but had trouble replicating the high notes during the band's take on the Beach Boys' "The Warmth of the Sun" and the Mamas and the Papas' "Monday Monday." Hoffs, who has retained her pixie-ish good looks, shined on her take of the Mike Nesmith-penned Stone Poneys hit "Different Drum," which also featured Parks on piano.
The band -- featuring noted session guitarist Greg Leisz, Velvet Crush singer-guitarist Paul Chastain and drummer Ric Menck and former Cruzado Tony Marsico on bass -- did a fine job, with Leisz in particular adding tasteful lap steel guitar to the cover of the Velvet Underground's "Sunday Morning."
While Sweet and Hoffs admittedly still need to work out some kinks, it was hard not to smile along with the pair as they ripped through Neil Young & Crazy Horse's "Cinnamon Girl" and the Who's "The Kids Are Alright." They return to the Hotel Cafe on Wednesday before moving to the Roxy on April 22.
http://today.reuters.com/news/articlenews.aspx?type=musicNews&storyid=2006-03-03T105455Z_01_N03238708_RTRIDST_0_MUSIC-REVIEW-MUSIC-SWEET-DC.XML
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