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Review: Colin Meloy Sings Morrissey |
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Written by Michael Salsbury
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Wednesday, 14 December 2005 |
Morrissey fans haven't, in my experience, been very easy find. Aside from the few people I've introduced to Morrissey's music, I've perhaps only met a couple. Because "The Mozzer's" fans are so few and far-between, it's fun to encounter another one. I'd never heard of Colin Meloy or The Decemberists prior to seeing this album, but he'll get some of my attention for no other reason than releasing this disc. It's a pleasure "meeting" another fan.
Listening to this disc, you will not at all be confused as to whether it's Morrissey himself or a cover. Meloy's vocals are quite a bit higher-pitched and perhaps even a bit strained compared to Morrissey's. The instrumentals on the album consist solely of Meloy's acoustic guitar. You won't find any of the trademark Morrissey sampling of obscure sounds, electric guitar riffs, etc. Just a man, his guitar, and some songs by Morrissey.
Meloy chose some interesting tracks. Most are B-sides and less commonly played songs, with the exceptions of "I'm a Poet" and "Everyday is Like Sunday". In some ways, this serves him well. Since the songs aren't "mainstream" Morrissey pieces, it's less likely you'll mind as much that it's not Morrissey singing them. One of the more interesting things to me about this album is the fact that Meloy's vocals are much more distinct and easier to understand than Morrissey's (or at least they're not covered by a lot of instrumentals). This is also a failing of the album, in that when Meloy goofs up a word here or there it becomes incredibly obvious (like when he sings "share some please tea with me" instead of "share some greased tea with me" in "Everyday is Like Sunday").
While I would give Meloy an "A" for effort, an "A" for coolness in choosing to cover Morrissey, and at least a "B-" for picking the right kind of songs to do acoustically, I've got to give him about a "C-" for his vocals. Having not heard The Decemberists, I am curious now to see how well suited those same vocals are to Meloy's own music, since they really don't fit in with Morrisseys. His performance almost sounds like it's causing him physical pain at times to reach the notes he tries (but doesn't quite manage) to reach.
Sadly, other than as a nostalgic tribute to Morrissey, this album just doesn't quite succeed. I enjoyed listening to it the first time, if only to hear another artist's interpretation of Morrissey's work. But as a work in itself, I'm just not that impressed. On a 1-10 scale, with 10 being "excellent", "Colin Meloy Sings Morrissey" gets about a 5.
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Last Updated ( Saturday, 25 March 2006 )
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