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Jul 20, 2015 Web Exclusive By Zach Hollwedel

In early April 2015, long-time friends Sam Beam (aka Iron & Wine) and Ben Bridwell (of Band of Horses) announced a collaborative album. The much awaited result is Sing Into My Mouth, in which the duo covers 12 songs from artists as varied as Bonnie Raitt and JJ Cale. (The album’s title should tip Talking Heads fans off to the fact that it’s a collection of covers—it’s a lyric taken from “This Must Be the Place (Naive Melody),” which is the first track.)

The diverse selection crosses genres, featuring—in addition to the aforementioned song and artists—Sade’s “Bulletproof Soul,” “The Straight and Narrow” from Spiritualized, and “Am I a Good Man?” by Them Two. Solid as these tracks are, there’s something about their version of John Cale’s “You Know Me More Than I Know” that’s hard to shake. Their take on El Perro del Mar’s “God Knows (You Gotta Give to Get)” is also instantly memorable, a song stuck between the ears long after it stops playing. Other tracks include “Done This One Before” originally by Ronnie Lane, “Ab’s Song” from Marshall Tucker Band, Pete Seeger’s “Coyote, My Little Brother,” and “There’s No Way Out of Here,” written by English rock group Unicorn but popularized by David Gilmour.

It’s great to hear Beam and Bridwell on the same album. Their distinctive voices complement one another’s perfectly, and the dozen songs they choose to sing together offer a rare glimpse into the music that influenced and inspired these two great artists. (Granted, one can’t help but wonder what an album of original material from the two might have been, but that’s a moot curiosity.) The diverse collection isn’t what one normally associates with either musician—a bit country, a bit classic—but it succeeds, not in spite of how different it is from their usual output, but because of it. (www.bandofhorses.com/iron-wine-and-ben-bridwell-sing-into-my-mouth)

Author rating: 7/10