Cover Two

As its title suggests, Cover Two is the second collection of covers from Joan as Police Womans Joan Wasser (her first, 2009s Cover, was initially sold only at her shows and on her website). Considering how versatile and distinctive Wassers own music is, its not surprising that shes skilled at putting her own stamp on the work of widely different musicians. Even Cover Twos cover is a rendition of sorts, channeling Loverboys Get Lucky and its iconic red leather jumpsuit. But what could be just a karaoke lark is much more in Wassers hands: Cover Two is musically nimble and reflects a songwriters appreciation of other songwriters. As on Cover, Wasser samples from an eclectic array of artists. She begins Cover Two with the challenge of reinterpreting Princes Kiss, transforming the originals sudden flirtation into sultry, slow-burning foreplay that turns the line women, not girls, rule my world into a mantra. Later, she closes the album with a breezy vocal pop arrangement of Rizzos lament There Are Worse Things I Could Do from the musical Grease and a graceful, piano-driven interpretation of Gil Scott-Herons Running. In between, Cover Twos highlights include a cozy version of the Strokes 60s soul-pop homage Under Control where her voice dances over its caressing melody, and a minimalist reading of Michael McDonalds Keep Forgetting that showcases all the nuances of her singing. On Out of Time, she reimagines one of Blurs sci-fi ballads into something that couldve appeared on Tapestry. By contrast, she focuses on her musics experimental side on Not the Way, setting Cass McCombs searching lyrics to meditative drones and saxophones. As she revisits some of her favorite songs on Cover Two, Wasser brings out the best in her own music. ~ Heather Phares