Erin McKeown - Sing You Sinners

Today "Get Happy" is probably the best known song on the set, famously delivered on screen by Judy Garland, but McKeown and her backing trio, further buttressed by a horn section, turn the song inside out, threading it through myriad musical styles, from its champagne piano intro, across the shifting sands of jazz, into RB and rock'n'roll, and out into '60s surf. In just over three minutes, "Happy" gleefully dances its way through three decades of music styles.

"Paper Moon" is an equal classic, but now shines over the Caribbean in its new reggaefied calypso gladrags. And of course, jazz fans will instantly recognize Fats Waller's "If You a Viper", but McKeown's vampish version is built around not piano, but her banjo and a walking bass line. Anita O'Day's "Thanks for the Boogie Ride" rode off in big band style, in contrast, McKeown drives it straight into rockabilly. Cole Porter's elegant "Just One of Those Things" now ebbs and flows between moody jazz, darkly ambient Bristol Sound (a la Massive Attack), and brooding surf.

McKeown, herself, contributes one song to the set, "Melody" an exuberant, ragtime raveup dedicated to the glories of melody itself. And it's melodies that McKeown loves, so she never disrepects them, showcasing each one's enduring qualities, whilst simultaneously creating stunning new musical backdrops for them.

Bar "Melody," the songs all date between 1930 and 1955, while the arrangements travel even further afield, from the '20s into the '60s, capturing virtually the entire range of popular musical styles along the way. It's a toss up whether McKeown had more fun with the arrangements or her vocal performances, but the entire set is imbued with a sparkle and a whimsical sense of humor that is absolutely infectious.

In all the best ways, McKeown makes every one of these songs her own, most notably "Rhode Island Is Famous for You", so much so, that some fans mistakenly believe McKeown wrote the 1948 number. You'll never think of a cover song in the same way again, and to have created an entire set of such inspired versions is sheer genius indeed.

- JoAnn Greene, All Music Guide