Recovered: A Spicy Selection of Soulful Cover Versions Vol. 2

• Artist: Various Artists
• Release Date: 2005
• Type: Collection (various artists)
• Genre: Rock

Review

The track listing for the second volume in the Recovered series reads like something ripped from the pages of a "Mad Libs" book: the combinations of artists and songs are so incongruous, so ludicrous, it seems they can't possibly be real -- until you actually hear them, that is. Jackie Wilson covering the Doors' "Light My Fire"? Check. Willie Mitchell tackling Dave Brubeck's "Take Five"? Check. And Joe Tex doing Roger Miller's "King of the Road"? That's here, too. Thing is, by and large Recovered actually works -- the 22 artists assembled here all know their way around a melody, and even if they don't make these songs their own, they nevertheless invent some pretty ingenious twists on familiar material. Credit compiler DJ Levi for keeping the emphasis squarely on the groove -- once you get past your initial apprehension concerning Johnnie Taylor's decision to cover Tennessee Ernie Ford's "Sixteen Tons," you'll marvel at the funky audacity of the concept. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Music Guide