Rewind!
Various Artists
Ubiquity
One would almost automatically expect an album of Doors, Cream, Pink Floyd, Michael Jackson, Celia Cruz, Ohio Players, Thelonius Monk, and Nat King Cole covers would be as inconsistent and torturous as the Spanish Inquisition. Oddly enough, this compilation is almost as pleasant as being released from the inquisitors’ grasps. Of course, damned near everything Ubiquity does has to be soulful and almost an equal number has to be exceptional. Rewind is no deviation. This disc is full of makeovers by stars like Yesterdays New Quintet, Gotan Project, and Rockers Hi-Fi (whose version of Cream’s “Sunshine of Your Love” can’t get no sexier). Frank de Jo Jo’s “Turn Off the Lights” is another R&B scorcher. Jazztronik gives Jack Costanza’s “Quimbara” that Latin neo-disco feel while As One adds a serious bass groove to Costanza’s “Calypso Blues.” And the crate diggers unearthed a real reggae gem with Shinehead’s “Billy Jean.” This one alone is worth the price of admission.
Ubiquity Records: http://www.ubiquityrecords.com
