HOMETOWN REVIEW

FROM NEW HAVEN ADVOCATE

St. Bernadette, Cover Thy Neighbor (Exotic Recordings, saintbernadettemusic.com). This limited edition release is not just a collection in which St. Bernadette covers other local musicians — St. Bernadette covers obscure recordings by other local musicians. It's a cool concept, and a bold one at that. They put the sainthood stamp on each track so that despite the vastly different sources, the final product gels cohesively and has its own vibe, which is kind of like what a party in a haunted barn might sound like. "Play to Win" was written by The Zambonis, but you'd never guess it without focusing on the hockey-centric lyrics. "Outta Here" by Stamford's Shangk is de-punkified, and gets a hard-swingin' slide guitar and Dixieland trumpet solo treatment. The closest listening experience I can think of to compare it to is with Tori Amos' Strange Little Girls, which covered all songs recorded by men (again with an eerie vibe). Even if you don't know the songs being covered (I review local music and I didn't recognize most of them), it's a strong album that could be a gateway for discovering more quality music that's right under our noses. —Mike Sembos