Disco de Annie Lennox: “Medusa [Bonus Track]”

I've been a fan of the music of Annie Lennox (and her partner Dave Stewart) since the early days of the '80s band, Eurythmics. Once she said everything she could say with that musical pairing, Lennox went on to a solo career, that continued to prove she was a talented & original, consummate artist. I think, that is why so many people were rather surprised, when she came out with the 1995 CD, "Medusa", which was basically an album of 'cover' tunes. The funny thing about 'cover' albums is that it is a niche in the music industry, where artists can so easily fail and make a fools of themselves. Many cover albums have appeared in the past that are flat, uninspired and have come off as just bad 'kareoke'. This is not the case with Annie Lennox's "Medusa". She takes songs, that I'm assuming she enjoys or has in some way ment something to her and completely gives them her own original spin. In other words, she makes them her own. Case in point would be my personal favorite cut of the album, "Don't Let it Bring You Down". This Neil Young, folk-rock tune is a classic in it's own right. It takes a lot of guts (or a certain part of the lower male anatomy) to take on a tune that is so intertwined with it's creator. Yet, Lennox does it and she's quite successful. Her version isn't necessarily better, its' just that she emotionally takes the tune to such a different place. I think that this is a strategy, that Lennox uses with most of the tunes on this album and it works. Other personal favorites include beautiful and very original covers of Bob Marley's "Waiting in Vain", Procul Harem's "A Whiter Shade of Pale" and Paul Simon's "Something So Right". I particularly love Lennox's upbeat and very danceble reading of The Clash's "Train in Vain". It just makes you want to move! The one song I might have a difference with is her version of The Blue Nile's "Downtown Lights". While Lennox does a very fine reading of this really wonderful song, it just doesn't have the emotional impact of the original version. Still, this is a great CD and I would urge any music fan to make "Medusa" a permanent part of their music collection. I have and the more I play it the better it gets! Highly recommended!

No matter what your listening pleasures may be, I defy anyone with a love of music not to be thoroughly intoxicated by this fabulous collection of covers. While we have all been seduced by NO MORE I LOVE YOUS in every bar, restaurant and even dentist's lounge since the album's release, there are so many more treats on this perfectly produced pop album. The arrangements reflect each original yet glimmer with their own distinctive sound, led, of course, by the supremely satisfying vocals by Annie Lennox. She truly bridges the gap between rock, pop and adult contemporary in her own niche, one that surely appeals to all. My personal favorite is WAITING IN VAIN, which has gotten me back in Bob Marley in a big way. Since I bought this CD three years ago, I rarely take it off my 5-CD carousel. It has brought me immeasurable joy and pleasure, and provides a perfect soundtrack to virtually anything you may choose to do with your time -- but every once in awhile, just sit and listen. The pleasures keep revealing themselves every time this CD spins.

I guess I rate the longevity of music by how long I keep listening to it. I bought this album right before I went away to college failing to understand how it would impact me at the time. Since then I've downloaded it onto my computer at work, put many songs on my mp3 player and even mixed in many songs to cd's i've created for road trips or variety. I have to say this disc is perfect, and the fact that Annie pulls off these covers with such conviction suggests that she believes in every word. It was last year when I saw Serendipity and Waiting in Vain came on during a scene when I realized what a delayed effect this disc has on people. Downtown lights is still as cinematic and touching as it was when I first heard it. Don't let it bring you down, my least favourite in 1995 has since become a song I almost immediately return to each visit. No more I love you's will carry me through life I feel. I think you can feel every word on this album and relate. Having heard very few of the originals leaves little room for comparison. To me, this album is full of best friends and memories and maybe that is why it is so powerful, but it still amazes me how many years have gone by and how often I return to this disc. I am anxious for her new release and only hope that I can feel a little of that magic all over again. This album is classic and a true achievement. Too bad it took me 7 years to come up with these words.

Few artists have pushed the boundaries of pop music more than Annie Lennox, so when I heard she was doing an album of "covers", I must admit I was disappointed. Why would such a creative force choose to rehash hits from other performers? Then, with great trepidation, I listened to MEDUSA, and all my fears we allayed. This is not your average cover album. On the contrary, MEDUSA is pure magic! The opening cut, "No More I Love You's" sets the tone, with a carnival-like atmosphere that is so unlike anything this reviewer had ever before heard, that I was forced to play this cut over and over, even before I advanced to the next song. It was pure rapture, and I was not disappointed as the remainder of the album played on. The classic "Take Me To The River" had an entirely new feel to it, as did the sometimes tired "Whiter Shade of Pale" into which Ms. Lennox breathes new life and soul. With so many strong cuts, it is hard to choose a stand-out, yet in addition to "No More I Love You's", the other favorite is "Downtown Lights". More dramatic that simple pop, these songs act as pure theatre, with Annie Lennox as the Ring Master....and Annie Lennox is one of the few current artists brilliant enough to carry it off. When you listen to MEDUSA, you will recognize the songs, but you will also hear them in a new and exciting way that transforms them into an entirely new work, filled with excitement and a fresh new spirit. This is the perfect cover album...adding new life and dimension to old classics.

More often than not, there are two types of cover tunes: note by note recreations that bring nothing new to the table, or abysmal hatchet jobs. Either way, you end up longing for the original. Annie falls into the rare category of someone who can actually put her own stamp on each and every song, and make it work. If I didn't know better, I would have thought this was an album of Lennox originals.

Someone said she brings nothing new to "Thin Line Between Love and Hate", and I have to respectfully disagree. I think she's the only artist who's ever truly sold the song's story of a neglected housewife on the verge of going postal. "No More I Love You's" is gorgeous, and my favorite track on the album.

I could go on, but you get the idea. Annie Lennox has a beautiful voice, plus something that the Jessicas, Christinas, and Kelly Clarksons of the world are sorely lacking: she has SOUL, and she does it without the vocal acrobatics. Buy this CD!