Crooked Fingers - Reservoir Songs EP (Merge, 2002)

Crooked Fingers
Reservoir Songs EP
Merge
2002

Rating: 7.5 above ground pools out of 10

I’ve always been indecisive about cover songs. Be it in recorded output or a live setting, it can either come across as a brilliant addition to the main songwriter’s stable of tunes, or as a cop out, hoping to achieve listeners by suckering them in with an already familiar sound. I believe the deciding factor between these two scenarios is what the new performer does with these classic songs, whether or not he can breathe new life into the classic composition. This EP, Reservoir Songs, is made up of five cover songs, and no originals. For those keeping score, this is the first time Crooked Fingers has even done one cover song, much less an entire EP of them. The songs cover a wide spectrum, from Neil Diamond to Kris Kristofferson to Bruce Springsteen. These are interesting choices, considering how much Eric Bachman’s voice sounds like these performers. He breathes new life with his unique finger picking style of playing his guitar, and the addition of banjos, slide guitar, and cellos at various times during the performances. The real jewels in this release, and textbook examples of what’s good about cover songs, are in the versions of Prince’s ‘When U Were Mine’ and Queen/David Bowie’s ‘Under Pressure.’ Hearing the Crooked Finger’s style translated onto these classics is like hearing them for the first time. If only all cover songs could be as brilliant as this album.