erikb

I've always thought the tradition in jazz, to do covers of standards, is strange. It's like the performance is everything and the song writing means nothing. Ok, only a few artists are gifted enough to both be a song writer and performer. This is why I was happy to hear that these two Swedish jazz singers were doing a album with Steely Dan covers. Not only is this a fresh change in the song material, it is also a statement on the value of good songs.

To me, Steely Dan is not jazz. However, the interpretations on this album sound quite natural. It's mostly two voices and a piano. It's definitely a jazz take, maybe not a typical one though. The production is so basic you could easily mistake this for a demo. Small gestures.

I like their performance, and the straight-on style. Being a Steely Dan fan, I miss some of the sound quality and the intellectual touch of the originals. This cover album does not have that typical SD groove - but then again, it was probably never the idea. The focus is on the songs and everything else is secondary.