Seth Avett & Jessica Lee Mayfield
Seth Avett & Jessica Lea Mayfield Sing Elliott Smith (2015)
The music of Elliott Smith tends to be cherished by his fans, and while covers abound, to say that most of them are sub-par is generously understated. The raw, haunting quality of Smith’s voice combined with his technical skill and lyrical prowess transport the listener into an unflinchingly honest inner dialog that is difficult to replicate. Seth Avett and Jessica Lea Mayfield have managed to defy this paradigm with their upcoming album “…Sing Elliott Smith”. While there are low points, the majority of this record is a tasteful and well made tribute to one of the greatest singer-songwriters of recent years.
The song choice here covers every studio album except 1995’s “Elliott Smith”, though there is a cover of “Angel in the Snow” which was originally released as an outtake from those sessions. The majority of the songs here come from Smith’s later albums, with 1/3 of the tracks originally appearing on the posthumous release “From a Basement on the Hill”. Avett and Mayfield’s vocal styles definitely lean more toward melodic songs with varied acoustic instrumentation but there are a couple of full band tracks here. Most of these covers are straight-forward renditions that stay true to the arrangement of the original, a good example being the first track “Between the Bars” which is almost exact to the version from “Either/Or”.
Though they both sing on nearly every track, the best work here is done by Jessica Lea Mayfield. Avett’s voice compliments hers nicely in a supporting role, but doesn’t quite stand up in the foreground on tracks like “Somebody That I Used to Know” and “Angeles”. The production of “Angeles” is also a bit rough on the ears, with digital reverb saturating the entire track. However elsewhere on the album the production is excellent, like the drums on “Baby Britain” which mirror the sound of Smith’s drums from the chorus of “King’s Crossing” almost exactly. Some of the more experimental efforts here fall a little short as well, the best example being the alt-rock tinged version of “Roman Candle”. I also disagree strongly with the decision to use a piano in place of the guitar on “Memory Lane”, causing the omission of one of Smith’s best guitar pieces.
Overall this is an excellent tribute to an artist so close to the hearts of so many. The song I keep returning to is “Fond Farewell”, a sparse and true rendition that Elliott would’ve been proud of. You can stream the album now for free on NPR’s First Listen but it goes on sale March 17th and is available for preorder on 180g vinyl at The Avett Brothers’ online store. All preorders for the LP include entry in a drawing to win a rare test pressing of the record.
preserved in wax 