Holmes

It seems like there's a time in every band or performer's life when they decide to record a collection of covers, and now is that moment for Roy Shakked or, as the recording world currently knows him, Holmes. And just like everyone else currently, Holmes is trying to pick less obvious tracks and then turn them into something even less familiar. For that reason, Covers is a more successful collection of other people's songs than many other collections of other people's songs. The majority of the numbers undergo a transformation, such as Ice Cube's "It Was a Good Day" and the Gap Band's "You Dropped A Bomb On Me," which are both reimagined as stripped down pop songs. Elsewhere, Massive Attack, Yazoo and General Public get similar makeovers, and it's only when the renditions are too straightforward, such as his version of Queen's "Bicycle Race," that it falls a little flat. Covers is a fun little diversion for Holmes before his third proper album, but like other cover records, it's ultimately a little pointless for everyone else.