If you happen to be a female singer-songwriter who thinks it's about time to release that covers record you've been sitting on, stick it back in the vault for another six months 'cause we seem to be experiencing a windfall (or glut) of such albums these days. Allison Moorer's Mockingbird comes hot on the heels of covers material from Cat Power and Shelby Lynne - both of whom actually get covered on Moorer's record - and it could suffer by comparison against those two excellent ladies.
As it turns out, however, Mockingbird stands its ground admirably against all comers, and while it might not quite be a an album on par with her best work (The Hardest Part and The Duel, two of my all-time favorite records), it is packed with powerful performances and hints at future directions. Enlisting Buddy Miller as producer is one of several wise decisions (husband Steve Earle couldn't quite corral her last album Getting Somewhere), and focusing on the work of female songwriters lends the project a common perspective. Moorer, as always, shows off her stylistic diversity, which runs the gamut from sultry (Nina Simone's "I Want A Little Sugar In My Bowl") to blistering (Gillian Welch's "Revelator"). Her voice, one of the single greatest voices currently recording today, is almost uniformly wonderful throughout ("almost" because Moorer inexplicably chooses too high a key for Joni Mitchell's sappy "Both Sides Now", the lone clunker). Some of the mournful numbers - though mostly excellent - tend not to stand out against the more challenging material (though Shelby's "She Knows Where She Goes" is fairly stunning). For my part, I really want to hear a whole album that slinks and sways like "I Want A Little Sugar In My Bowl". I'd say the same for "Revelator" except that recording sounds like an outtake from the scorching The Duel. "Ring Of Fire" would seem unnecessary but for the fact that she seems to be reclaiming it for June Carter from its iconic Johnny Cash mantle. Ma Rainey's "Daddy Goodbye Blues" is given a grimy workout, and Julie Miller's "Orphan Train" is turned into a gothic lullaby. Though Moorer has by now proven herself capable of mining territory far from her country origins, she still sounds most authentic dueting with Buddy Miller on Jessi Colter's "I'm Looking For Blue Eyes". Not to be outdone, Moorer does offer up the title track as the single original tune, and it more than holds its own as one of the record's standout tracks.
All of this adds up to a solidly great Allison Moorer release. It's essential listening for longtime fans, but there's plenty here for the casual listener. In fact, the sonic diversity gives this album an interesting niche compared to the aforementioned Cat Power and Shelby records. Hopefully, Allison will consider re-teaming with Miller for her next album, which could capitalize on his deep country-soul influences. But only she knows where she goes.
(Mockingbird will be available Tuesday, Feb. 19 from New Line Records. Looks like Allison will continue to reign as the Queen of The Wailing Women in the Kennedy house. And for the record, "Both Sides Now" isn't sappy, but the version on Mockingbird sure is.)
UPDATE: AllMusic's Thom Jurek concurs, probably loves Mockingbird even more than me.