Still one of Britain's best!
Chris Voisey | London, England | 11/10/2000
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Julie Covington has one of the most distinctive voices in British pop music and is probably best-known internationally as the original Eva on the 1976 EVITA concept album (her version of 'Don't Cry For Me Argentina' still shows that the original is usually the best). This album, JULIE COVINGTON, was released in 1978 and completed a 3-year run of recordings which all had chart success: the afore-mentioned Lloyd Webber/Rice score, the soundtracks for the award-winning tv series' ROCK FOLLIES and ROCK FOLLIES OF '77 in which she co-starred with Charlotte Cornwall and Rula Lenska and a cover version of Alice Cooper's 'Only Women Bleed' (included on this CD reissue with the b-side 'Easy To Slip'). Produced by Joe Boyd, who had such an influence on the late '60s British folk scene with artists such as The Incredible String Band and Nick Drake, and featuring respected musicians as John Cale, Richard Thompson, Chris Spedding, Andy Fairweather-Low, Ray Cooper and Steve Winwood it is surprising that this album - although much loved by critics and fans - was not as successful in the charts as had been expected. 22 years on and it still sounds as good as ever. Kicking off with a punchy cover of Richard Thompson's '(I Want To See The) Bright Lights' the tempo slows with Sandy Denny's wonderful ballad 'By The Time It Gets Dark'. Covington's warm and loving vocal on this song sends shivers down the spine. The CD also includes covers of John Lennon's 'How' and Kate Bush's 'The Kick Inside' (and when was the last time you heard a Kate Bush cover??) sung with clarity and strength. There is acknowledgement of Covington's stage experience with a particularly fine version of Brecht/Weill's 'Barbara Song' from "The Threepenny Opera" as well as some 1970s 'rocking' numbers ('I Can't Dance', 'Dead Weight') which now sound charmingly quaint. For such a well-respected and commercially successful artist, Julie Covington has a frustratingly small recording output. Hopefully the recent CD reissues of her BEAUTIFUL CHANGES album from the early 1970s (also on See For Miles Records) and both ROCK FOLLIES soundtracks will re-awaken interest and get her back in the recording studio. This CD is highly recommended."
Track Listings (13) - Disc #1
