Sweetheart: Love Songs
Album by various artists. Starbucks Corp.’s Hear Music
Happy Valentine’s Day from Starbucks. This collection of love song covers done by various alternative rock artists is the latest from Hear Music, the music store chain Starbucks bought in 1999. As such, “Sweetheart: Love Songs” has a Starbucks quality to it, sort of like the coffee chain’s Decaf LightNote Blend. Much of it leans towards wispy, VH1-style soft rock. But there are some gems. “She’s Got Everything,” a rousing Old 97’s cover of The Kinks song, is a double espresso compared to some of the record’s more dreary moments. Then there’s Calexico’s version of Joy Division’s “Love Will Tear Us Apart,” which captures the tragic beauty of the original and then some. Other standouts: “Your Sweet Voice,” a rich, somber reworking of the Matthew Sweet song by Milton Mapes; Neko Case’s country twang on Bob Dylan’s “Buckets of Rain”; and M. Ward’s pedal steel guitar treatment on Pete Townshend’s “Let My Love Open the Door.” As for the rest of the record, there’s bits of jazz, an electronica version of the Flamingos’ “I Only Have Eyes for You” and other decaf moments. “Sweetheart: Love Songs” is worth having for a handful of exceptional songs. Just don’t forget the flowers and chocolates to go with it.
,Michael Lyster
RATING: FOUR BRIEFCASES
