Persuasions

Thirty years after American composer Frank Zappa and his wife signed them to their first deal, a cappella vocal group the Persuasions are returning the favour with this (mostly) a cappella tribute to the late, great songwriter. And in order to do the complexities of Zappa's material justice, they added two extra members for the occasion. While the song selection may be a little on the conservative side (nothing from Joe's Garage, for example), it's hard to imagine the local church choir picking up on "The Meek Shall Inherit Nothing." It's a kinder, gentler Zappa without the guitar freak-outs and 13/8 time signatures; even the seemingly naughty stuff like "Harder Than Your Husband" comes across more like '50s classic "Earth Angel" than Zappa's "Crew Slut." This isn't the first time Zappa's received an atypical covers treatment - the London Symphony Orchestra tackled him in early '80s - but it is definitely the funniest and most loving.