Tribute albums tend to vacillate between vacuous, star-studded vocal competitions, hit-or-miss label showcases for bearded up-and-comers, gas station kiosk-tailored cash grabs, or questionably comedic, one-note novelty items that pair an unlikely instrument with an even less likely artist (A Fabulous Sousaphone and Bass Balalaika Tribute to
Joy Division!). Nashville's
Bright Little Field, a ukulele duo consisting of area veterans
Tom Littlefield and Jonathan Bright, the former a member of '80s jangle pop provocateurs the Questionnaires and the latter a versatile axeman who honed his formidable chops in the hard rock scene, take the idea of putting together a tribute album in an altogether more honest and altruistic direction by mixing novelty (ukulele) and pure, unadulterated love of the source material. By approaching the songs as fans,
Littlefield and Bright have more to prove than your average session musicians just looking for a paycheck, and they imbue the whole project with a patina of genuine warmth and solid, studied musicianship. This isn't background music for an inland luau; it's got a pop pedigree.
Treatment Bound: A Ukulele Tribute to the Replacements is just that, a 12-track collection of
'Mats classics, sung by a seasoned duo, played on a pair of "ukes" and accompanied by what its creators proudly list as "percussion, pot, pans and a rubber chicken." What's surprising is how fast the novelty wears off, and songs like "I'll Be You," "Skyway," "Kiss Me on the Bus," "Swingin Party," and, of course, "Can't Hardly Wait" just roll on in like they've been on vacation for the last 25 years, just soaking it all in, and now, after having procured some age-appropriate clothing and switched out the hard stuff for a nice craft beer from a locally sustainable brewery, are ready to give it another go. ~ James Christopher Monger