Play The Hits

Most bands, if they last long enough, get around to cutting an album of cover tunes at some point, and given that the Mavericks celebrated thirty years together in 2019, one could reasonably argue theyre overdue. Theyre also better suited to the task than most groups, given their eclectic style and eager embrace of a wide range of material. 2019s Play the Hits finds the Mavericks playing eleven songs that were hits for other people, borrowing inspiration from the songbooks of everyone from Patsy Cline and Waylon Jennings to Bruce Springsteen and Elvis Presley. The warm, graceful tone of Raul Malos voice has always seemed ready to take on anything, and hes in typically excellent form here, sounding sly on John Andersons Swingin, heartsick on Freddy Fenders Before the Next Teardrop Falls, and full of nervy swagger on Waylons Are You Sure Hank Done It This Way. And the musicians have no problem investing their own personalities into the material, with Are You Sure Hank Done It This Way sounding like something from Elvis Presleys Vegas period, Bruce Springsteens Hungry Heart reimagined as a countrypolitan shuffle with Duane Eddy guitar, and tackling Swingin with a deep mid-tempo groove while the ghost of Wooly Bully is visible in the background. Even when the Mavericks dont necessarily make the songs their own, they know how to perform them with a conviction that elevates them from the work of another cover outfit, in particular on the whisper-quiet take on Willie Nelsons Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain and the weepy Why Cant She Be You, made famous with a pronoun switch by Patsy Cline. The Mavericks have chosen wisely in terms of material and perform with a focus thats imaginative and playful. While the majority of all-cover releases feel like a holding action while the band comes up with new ideas, Play the Hits sounds like their music through and through, even if someone else wrote the material. ~ Mark Deming