Word: lennox
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Considering the surprise success of Lennox's last effort, Diva, (which featuredmostly Lennox originals) it is tempting to imagine that the singer is suffering from sophomore jitters or simply laziness. But reworking other people's songs is more difficult than it first seems. The medium presents its own set of problems. Often, the burden of the past proves too much for an artist to bear...
With Medusa, however, Lennox makes the most of these inherent obstacles. What emerges is a powerful, energetic recreation of the past. She manipulates a broad range of musical styles, covering the work of artists as diverse as Bob Marley, The Clash and Procol Harem...
...much laughter and applause, by asking, "Isn't `A Whiter Shade of Pale' the most pretentious piece of crap you've ever heard in your life?" He's half right. Procol Harem's famous ditty (and only hit) has always been annoyingly obscure. But it's also strangely beautiful. Lennox's eerie modern version of the song is almost an improvement on the overblown original...
...richness of Lennox's voice is also on display in her rendition of "Downtown Lights." The singer shows her amazing vocal range in her blue-eyed soul version of the Al Green classic "Take Me to the River." On another Motown classic, "Can't Get Next to You," she brings in a Spanish guitar to interesting effect. Ultimately, though, it is Lennox's voice that remains the album's most vital instrument...
Only on Neil Young's "Don't Let It Bring You Down" does Lennox's voice somewhat fail her. This track is one of the album's weakest, and things aren't helped by overdone instrumentation. Lennox's version just doesn't hold up next to the original...