Jamie Hoover - Hoo-ever

  by Malcolm Carter

published: 12 / 7 / 2004

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Jamie Hoover has already released one of the best albums of the year so far in his collaboration with Bill Lloyd on ‘Paparazzi’.'Hoo-ever' is not a new album as such, it’s a collection of some of the cover songs Hoover has contributed to tribute albums through the years and a couple which weren’t on tribute albums, but are songs held in high regard by Hoover. As such is should be, as most tribute albums are, it is a hit and miss affair. But then again we only have the songs that Hoover covered on this collection so that makes that statement pretty redundant. Every one of the 13 tracks is given the Hoover treatment and if anyone knows how to cover a song properly then Hoover, on this evidence, is at the head of the queue. The liner notes are worth the price of admission alone. Hoover writes about each song and it’s not just a few lines. He fills in all the background details and it’s fascinating reading. He starts by explaining how the album got its title and a little about why he’s put all the songs on one album at last. I hope he doesn’t mind but before we go onto the music I’ll write the last few lines of Hoover’s introduction ; it sums up, for me at least, exactly what makes Hoover and these songs so great, he is talking specifically about ‘Sukiyaki’, Elusive Butterfly’, ‘Theme From A Summer Place’ and ‘Goodnight’. “These songs affect me physically: they can bring tears and pain, which is my highest compliment for a song. They’re most important in my life; they’re the reason I want to make music”. The album begins with Hoover’s take on the Travelling Wilburys ‘Handle With Care’ from the Not Lame ‘Lynne Me Your Ears’ tribute album. Hoover says he took a quasi-reggae approach to the song which is a much better description than I could ever come up with. It was a brave choice for Hoover to make. Rather than try to emulate Roy Orbison’s vocals he really has ‘Hooverised’ the song and not, as the man himself says, done "a karaoke version of the song". It works extremely well. Not all of the songs on this collection are that well known. Hoover’s cover on the Bobby Fuller Four tribute album is ‘It’s Love, Come What May’. I feel no shame in confessing that even if pushed I could probably only come up with a couple of Bobby Fuller Four song titles so it’s an eye opener to hear these lesser known songs. Not knowing the original I can’t compare Hoover’s version to Fuller's but it’s given an acoustic treatment and brings to mind the Everly Brothers (there is also a killer version of that duo’s ‘Cathy’s Clown’ on this album). Perhaps the most surprising cover here is that of ‘Sukiyaki’. Hoover’s notes about this song are essential reading. He doesn’t take the lead vocal; that is given over to Rina Hersey, and it’s a truly stunning piece of work. The song spent a number of weeks in the U.K. charts way back in 1963 and was performed both by Kyu Sakamoto and Kenny Ball's Jazzmen. Following on from ‘Sukiyaki’ is a song more in keeping with what we’ve come to expect from Hoover. George Harrison’s ‘Only A Northern Song’ is a natural choice for Hoover to cover and again he makes a fine job of it. Another less obvious song for Hoover to cover is Bob Lind’s ‘Elusive Butterfly’. I wouldn’t say that Hoover’s version is better than the original. Lind’s version holds a special place in my memory and I wouldn’t normally go out of my way to hear a cover of this song, but I’m pleased to say that Hoover has stayed fairly true to the original while still putting his own stamp on the song and, as Lind’s version is currently out of print on CD, it’s good to have Hoover’s version to hand. The most moving song on the album is the traditional ‘Barbara Allen’ which Hoover recorded for his wife as a Christmas present. On an album of what is a superb collection of covers this really is the standout track. The sound of the acoustic guitars and Hoover’s vocals are both outstanding. If this doesn’t touch you nothing will. But coming a close second is ‘You Were On My Mind’, the Ian and Sylvia song best known in the UK for the version by Crispian St. Peters from 1966 rather than the version by The We Five that Hoover took his inspiration from. If any doubts ever existed about Hoover’s vocal capabilities then this track should be held up as proof that the man can sure sing! Featuring Hoover singing into his old eight track and then mixed down onto a cassette, it is stunning! The one thing that this album has done is to rid me of the prejudice I had regarding tribute or cover albums. While I admit that there have been, over the last few years, more and more decent covers of classic songs being issued the old adage that the original was always the best was one that I more or less stuck by. I probably would have passed over this album had I not been a fan of Hoover’s previous work; it would have been my loss. Read the sleeve notes if you have the chance, then be prepared to pay out for the album

Track Listing:-

1 Handle with Care
2 Silly Boys
3 It's Love, Come What May
4 Sukiyaki
5 It's Only a Northern Song
6 Izzat Love?
7 Elusive Butterfly
8 Barbara Allen
9 Horizon
10 Theme from a Summer Place
11 Cathy's Clown
12 You Were on My Mind
13 Goodnight

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