Busted Jukebox is the umbrella term
Shovels & Rope use for the covers they record with their friends. Arriving in 2017, just two years after its predecessor, Busted Jukebox, Vol. 2 finds the duo relying on old college rock favorites, peppering in tributes to
Leonard Cohen and
Chuck Berry amidst a
Willie Nelson staple ("Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain," sung with
John Moreland), a left-field
Sigur Rós interpretation ("Untitled 1," with
Matthew Logan Vasquez), and a
Shovels & Rope original originally performed by its co-writer,
Bill Carson, and now sung by
Brandi Carlile. By and large, these versions veer toward the slow and spooky, a gritty and grim destination that gets a little monochromatic. That's why the versions of
the Clash's "Death or Glory" and
Faith No More's "Epic" are so welcome toward the end:
Hayes Carll sings the former with abandon and
Lera Lynn turns the latter into something slinky and seductive. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine