MUSIC REVIEW OF THE DAY: A-SIDES CLUB - CREEDENCE

I don't know about Australia, where this bunch is from, but to these ears, Creedence is one of the most over-played groups ever, in bars, on radio, in commercials, you name it. So while it seems like an unnecessary effort to do a full covers album of CCR tunes in celebration of the group's 50th anniversary, surprisingly it's a complete different take than the usual.

The "club" is actually a semi-super group of members of four bands from Sydney, Australia, representing Boy & Bear, All Our Exes Live In Texas, Hot Spoke and The Whitlams. The first thing you'll notice is that it's no John Fogerty imitator handling vocals, but instead two women, Katie Wighton from All Our Exes... and Ness Quinn of Hot Spoke. Next difference is the slightly hazy, woozie takes, giving the set a Cowboy Junkies feel. Then there are the non-traditional choices, such as starting with the relatively lesser performed "Long As I Can See The Light", and then a very laid back version of "I Put A Spell On You", the Screaming Jay Hawkins tune CCR also covered. "Midnight Special" gets returned to a country blues song, the way Leadbelly did it.

When they do get to more standard fare, again they put a very different spin on it. "Lodi" is quiet and acoustic, while "Bad Moon Rising" is a spooky dirge. These aren't tarted up with modern tradecraft either; "Fortunate Son" gets a slinky groove thanks to good old guitars, drums and keyboards, just like Creedence used to make 'em, only wonderfully fresh and re-imagined. There's life in those classics still.