Long since separated from a major label,
Everclear subjects themselves to the indignity of re-recording their hits for the tiny independent label Cleopatra, surrounding familiar tunes -- “Santa Monica,” “Wonderful,” “Father of Mine,” “I Will Buy You a New Life,” “Everything to Everyone” -- with even more familiar tunes by the likes of
Van Morrison,
Steve Miller,
Tom Petty, and
the Police.
Art Alexakis' new five-piece lineup of L.A. studio pros are certainly competent, yet they’re anonymous enough to give the impression that they knocked these off in an afternoon with guns for hire. There are no reinterpretations -- and it can’t quite be said that the group plays the covers straight, not with all the joshing around on “The Joker” -- but they’re definitely not going to be mistaken for the originals, as the production is not as slick and the performances are just a bit smoother. Not a bad album, necessarily, but certainly a pointless one.