When you imagine the ideal ensemble for a Junior Kimbrough tribute album, a collection of earnest indie rockers covering blues staples is not what comes to mind. But thatÕs what Fat Possum gives us with Sunday Nights: The Songs of Junior Kimbrough, a tribute to the blues legend, featuring performances by some of the indie worldÕs brightest and most enduring stars. While the lineup is hopeful---contributors include Spiritualized, Iggy Pop, and The Black Keys---the album itself is overall disappointing despite a few outstanding tracks.
The biggest let-down on the album is the Heartless Bastards' attempt at "Done Got Old" which may be KimbroughÕs most well known song. It comes out dry, limp, and devoid of the emotion that makes the song so powerful in the first place. Iggy and the Stooges, who open and close the album with two different lukewarm versions of "You Better Run", would have been better suited for the track "Done Got Old" as an answer to why Pop seems to have lost his lust for life---or at least thatÕs what his lackluster performances on this album indicate. The rest of the tracks are rather mediocre and barely worth mention.
"We have a bunch of groovy songs that are just gonna knock your socks off," promises Leithauser. "I hope it’s very different from the last one, but we’ll have to wait and see."
The album isnÕt completely worthless, however, as there are a few notable performances. Dan Auerbach seems to channel Kimbrough through his guitar on The Black KeysÕ rendition of "My Mind Is RamblinÕ", but nothing less should be expected from the blues-rock mavens paying homage to one of their greatest influences. Spiritualized transforms "Sad Days and Lonely Nights" from traditional blues into their signature space rock style, nearly erasing any trace of the songÕs original form, but it works well. However, the unexpected highlight of the album is pop singer/songwriter Pete YornÕs energy-charged blues rock version of "I Feel Good Again," which stands out as the strongest track and certainly the greatest tribute to KimbroughÕs spirit and style.
Overall, as a cohesive tribute to one of the most revered blues artists in music history, the album fails.