On his latest album 'Tuskegee', the Motown legend pairs up with some of country music's top performers for entirely different takes on the songs that made him a superstar
LIONEL RICHIE/ TUSKEGEE
The long serving pop ballad master knows a thing or two about what it takes to come up with a classic _ he is after all the man responsible for All Night Long and Say You, Say Me. And he revisits several of them on the follow-up to his 2009 record Just Go, Tuskegee, a concept album named after his hometown in Alabama.
The album's premise is simple: Richie took a bunch of his '80s hits, got some of the world's greatest country artists to join him in singing them and voila! It sounds cheesy, doesn't it? Well, to tell you the truth, it is. (It's Richie we're talking about here. Need we remind you of the all-time No1 cringe-worthy ditty called Hello?) Now in his sixties and with rumours that he's about to replace Simon Cowell as a judge on the X Factor, the two-time Grammy Award winner rounds up the best voices in country music to help him revamp the classics.
The album's first single, the Shania Twain-aided Endless Love, left us feeling a bit depressed despite the use of the cheery sounding ukelele. Nothing against the Canadian country songstress, but nobody could ever top Diana Ross.
This version is just OK _ a remake that doesn't really add or take anything away from the original. The same goes for Sail On, where even the MacDaddy of country music Tim McGraw fails to deliver. On Hello, Sugarland's Jennifer Nettles tries a touch too hard and ends up oversinging her part, which ruins Richie's part in the process.
Fortunately, the rest of the record overshadows these flaws. Former Hootie and the Blowfish frontman Darius Rucker helps re-create magic on Stuck on You, and Jason Aldean's twang lends itself unexpectedly well on Say You, Say Me. Top-notch vocal harmonising can be found on Little Big Town's recreation of Deep River Woman, and on the ballad Easy, with Willie Nelson. The more up-tempo numbers, such as All Night Long with Jimmy Buffett and Dancing on the Ceiling with Rascal Flatts, should get you on your feet, thanks to Caribbean-inspired drums in the former, and a whole lot of banjo in the latter.
For fans of Richie, Tuskegee is definitely worth buying. For the uninitiated, first where have you been all this time? Now that that's out of the way, do yourselves a favour and get this album. Not only does it double as a crash course to Richie's musical legacy, it also introduces you to a host of fine country artists apart from the big names like Shania Twain and Tim McGraw.
If you end up not liking it, don't worry, someone else in your family will.
THE PLAYLIST
Alanis Morissette/ Magical Child
Here's one artist from the '90s we actually missed. Ahead of the forthcoming release of her next album, expected next month, Canadian rocker Alanis Morissette teases us with a tune called Magical Child. From what we know so far, the song is included on a Starbucks-exclusive compilation album, Every Mother Counts Volume 2, which helps raise funds and awareness for the campaign of the same name to increase education and support for mothers around the world. Magical Child is an electronica-inspired ballad. If you remember her earlier single, Uninvited, this one shares a similar contemplative quality, and should keep her fans happy until the album's release.
MIA/ Come Walk With Me
The Bad Girl of pop goes back to her roots on Come Walk With Me, a second single (supposedly) taken from her upcoming record which seems to be titled Mantangi (MIA's birth name). Yes, we know, full of surprises this one, isn't she? The boisterous track runs high on energy, which instantly brings to mind the vibes of her last two singles, Kala and Diplo-produced Maya (and a bit of Major Lazer, naturally). The music may not be everyone's cup of tea, but it's hard to not fall in love with the wonderfully sarcastic hook: ''Come on walk with me/You ain't gotta shake it, just be with me/You ain't gotta throw your hands in the air/'Cause tonight we ain't acting like we don't care.''
Greyson Chance/ Take a Look at Me Now
If there's anyone who can possibly rival pop sensation Justin Bieber, Greyson Chance is probably our best, well, chance. Having gained overnight fame from a clip of him performing Lady Gaga's Paparazzi (which has so far garnered a cool 50 million views on YouTube), the 15-year-old singer/piano player went on to release his debut album, Hold on 'til the Night, late last year. The album's fourth single, Take a Look at Me Now, is a mid-tempo pop ballad where Chance pours his heart out, singing: ''Would you stop and take a look at me now?/Could you stop and take a look at me now?/When you're standing right in front of me.'' Is it just us, or do kids these days really grow up fast?
Florence and the Machine/ Breath of Life
The mystical being that is Florence Welch and her Machine provide their signature omnimous theatrics to the soundtrack of Snow White & the Huntsman, an upcoming action fantasy film starring Charlize Theron and Kristen Stewart. Fans of Flo and Co should know that the band is no stranger to the task, having previously given us Heavy in Your Arms, a track taken from the soundtrack of The Twilight Saga: Eclipse. As expected, Breath of Life is majestic in its production with thundering drums as a sonic backbone. Welch's soaring vocals take us high in the stratosphere, leave us suspended before the string section takes charge, ushering in the cathedral-calibre choir. This is goosebump-inducing stuff.
Little Boots/ Every Night I Say a Prayer
British electro-pop songstress Little Boots celebrated Record Store Day last month with the release of a new single, Every Night I Say a Prayer, which is also part of her latest mixtape, Into the Future. Every Night I Say a Prayer rides on a catchy disco-tinged Europop beat, recalling earlier works from pop divas such as Kylie Minogue and Madonna. ''I have seen into the future/Every night I say a prayer,'' she sings _ rather passively _ during the chorus. While it may not be as good as her last cut, Shake ('Til Your Heart Breaks), this track still shines, thanks to the subtle piano in the background.
