It's impossible to dislike
the Morells, so don't even try. Any band that covers both
the Monkees and
the Delmore Brothers on a single album has definitely got its heart in the right place, and so what if its members don't have a great singing voice between them? Lots of mediocre singers have made great albums.
Think About It, the third album released under the
Morells name since the band formed in 1982 (there actually was a fourth, released in 1997 under the name the Skeletons), isn't exactly great but it's somewhere between good and great, and it flirts regularly with the high upper end of that range. It's an open question whether they bring any new insight to
Chuck Berry's "Nadine," and they don't come anywhere near equaling
Dr. John's version of "How Come My Dog Don't Bark." But their rollicking, good-natured take on
the Delmores' "Girls Don't Worry My Mind" is tons of fun, and their guitar-centric instrumental "Popbelly" and homemade pop confection "Cool Summer" are too. And "She's Gone" offers the T-shirt-worthy line "Now my heart is just a pile of masticated protein." Thanks for that one, guys. Recommended. ~ Rick Anderson