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 BUY + TRACK LIST @AMAZON |
EMMANUEL SANTARROMANA "FAB4EVER" (REPHLEKTOR INKORPORATED) |
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I was surprised by this CD. I mean, I didn't go into it thinking it would be bad, but a concept album whose concept is doing a bunch of remakes of a particular band (in this case, The Beatles) can suck like a Hoover or it can be an interesting rethinking of classic songs or, occasionally, it can be a grand slam. This isn't quite a grand slam but it's more than just an interesting rethinking. The reason the disc does work is thanks to the eclectic mix of elements here. Alternative, electronica, folk, blues, hard rock, soul - all these things and more go into the reimagining of these songs. Different vocalists tackle different songs. The arrangements are spiritually faithful to the originals yet manage to tweak things in fascinating ways. From song to song, the album keeps things refreshing and never feels repetitive. Each track makes you want to hear what the next one is going to sound like. I'll admit that the CD isn't a 100 percent success (the cover of "Back in the USSR" was a little wince-inducing) but on the whole this is a smart revamping of the Fab 4's rock-and-roll legacy. (I'd like to add that I'm glad Santarromana went out of the way to include some tracks you might not expect; there are totally classic Beatles' tracks here but there are also some deep cuts that are equally classic but less well-known to casual Beatles listeners.) -- review by Kristofer Upjohn
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