I’m an audiophile of the highest order, second or third to Ridley Thunder and his/her dad. While I enjoy the work of many different artists and genres, I can definitely say that nothing in the last 8 years has caught my attention as much as the latest album by Paul Anka.
That’s right, I said Paul Anka, the same guy who had his major career peak sometime in the 1960s. You’d be hard pressed to find someone who would be less likely to be a new favorite of mine!
“Rock Swings” is an album full of covers, but not just any covers – big-band themed covers. This in itself wouldn’t be all that interesting or entertaining, except for some of the tracks he chose to cover in this manner, including:
You need to buy this album immediately, if only for these 5 songs. His rendition of Black Hole Sun, in particular, is a staggeringly brilliant arrangement that is the closest to musical genius I have come in nearly a decade.
In almost every case, his rendition is either better than or equal to the original. Paul Anka also made a wise choice in choosing to cover songs that featured absolutely horrific enunciation in their original form – finally I can understand what Spandau Ballet was mumbling in “True”, and can listen to “Smells Like Teen Spirit” without a lyric sheet.
Trust me, go out and get this thing. Get it for yourself, get it for your families, your friends – get it for anyone whose eyes you want to open to musical grandeur!!
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