Under the Covers, Vol. 3 • Matthew Sweet and Susanna Hoffs • Shout Factory! • Producers: Matthew Sweet and Susanna Hoffs • Score: 8 out of 10
With previous forays into '60s and '70s pop, this is the third installment in the duo's rock & roll retrospective series. Here we find them wearing their interpretative hats as the two delve into hand-picked tracks from the '80s, like Petty's "Free Fallin," the Pretenders' "Kid" and the Go Go's "Our Lips Are Sealed." The performances feel genuine because, let's face it, these two lived it! Sweet rose to prominence in the late '80s/early '90s as a solo artist and Hoffs fronted the Bangles, one of the biggest bands of the decade they are honoring. As a nostalgia vehicle it is brilliant. But it would be nice to hear Sweet and Hoffs back on the charts with original material!
-Eric A. Harabadian
