Covered isn't just a collection of familiar songs given the
Macy Gray treatment -- it's a frequently funny journey through what makes
Macy Gray Macy Gray, with celebrity guests visiting to offer advice (like JB Smoove advising she wield a sword on-stage, or
Nicole Scherzinger saying she should sing more
Alanis Morissette songs). Fortunately, all of it's enlivened by
Gray's ability to (mostly) deliver strong performances that don't sound like they've been labored over. With her keyboard-led live band in tow,
Gray mashes
Eurythmics' "Here Comes the Rain Again" with
Radiohead's "Creep,"
Kanye West's "Love Lockdown" with
Nina Simone's "Buck." Her choice and range of material to cover are astonishing, always yielding songs that are perfect for her (and her audience), like "Smoke Two Joints," done earlier by
Sublime as well as
the Toyes. ~ John Bush