After the first two parts of the "Cover To Cover" saga, Morse, Portnoy & George are back this year with a third opus: "Cov3r To Cov3r". One wonders how the band found time to record this album considering their overflowing actuality. For those who would have missed this side project, the musicians got used to meet from time to time to rehearse already existing tracks. As a tribute to the 70's and 80's, the years in which they grew up and forged a musical identity, they decided to record their favourite covers and compile them on these cover albums. Surely an excellent way to spend some pleasant moments in a band and let the pressure go!
The least we can say is that the songs chosen are simply excellent for the most part. Better still, they sweep across a wide spectrum of the golden age of rock, thus testifying to the breadth of the artistic palette of these gentlemen.
The first surprise comes from the cover of 'No Opportunity Necessary, No Experience Needed' by Yes, with Jon Davison, the band's singer since 2012, as the only guest vocalist! We knew the song was very good, the cover is just as good. In the progressive register, one of the highlights is undoubtedly the cover of 'One More Red Nightmare' from King Crimson's cult album 'Red'. There's even saxophone as on the original track!
The album also has a very pop side, with songs like 'Black Coffee In Bed' by Squeeze, which reminds us how heady this song is, or the beautiful 'Life On Mars' by the great David Bowie. Finally, the album is full of powerful rock tracks. Tom Petty is in the spotlight with 'Runnin' Down A Dream', or Jethro Tull with 'Hymn 43' and his famous riff. Lenny Kravitz's 'Let Love Rule' is slower, but just as rocky and closes the album as it should.
If you were hoping to hear an album of covers revisited by the three musicians, it's not the case. Here, the versions offered are relatively close to the original versions that the audience knows well. Nevertheless, the result is devilishly effective because, it must be said, we are dealing with excellent versatile musicians.
If some will find that the interest of such an album is relatively limited, Morse, Portnoy & George will nevertheless show nostalgic fans of 70s and 80s rock a great time by revisiting classics and more little-known songs from the general public, always with good taste and success!
Note that on the same day that this album will be released "Cover to Cover Anthology (Vol. 1-3)" which covers the three cover albums recorded by the trio so far.