Various
Poor Boy: Songs of Nick Drake
(Songlines)
Nick Drake’s music, riding a peak of popularity 25 years after his death, is long overdue for a tribute album. But this recording loses focus by its over- intellectualization of the music, losing sight of the true essence of his songs. Even without being verbatim cover versions, Veda Hille and Bill Horist with Aiko Shimada (“Cello Song”) don’t lose sight of the emotional impact of the material. But for the most part the jazz and ambient interpretations have little to do with Drake’s intentions.
—Dave Hayden
This article appears in Dec 6-12, 2007.