Ivan Drever – Covered
You could question why it has taken so long for Orcadian folk musician Ivan Drever to deliver an album of covers, especially as there's always a cover or three in his live solo sets.
But given Drever’s own singer-songwriter-storytelling skills, which tend to reflect, or nod to, traditional Scottish and Orkney music folklore, he’s not exactly short of a song or ten when a studio album comes calling.
But we should be grateful he has finally decided to deliver a covers album (inspired perhaps by including Carole King's 'You've Got a Friend' on previous solo album Dreev), not least because some of the song choices make Covered an endearing and charming addition to the Ivan Drever catalogue.
As you would expect, a number of the songs fit the folk profile or have been arranged to do just that – the simpler folk treatment given to the Oscar Brandamer penned 'Darlin'' (made famous by Scottish legend Frankie Miller) suits the lonesome lament and world weariness of Drever’s vocal perfectly; Tom Paxton’s 'Last Thing On My Mind' and Jimmy McCarthy’s 'As I leave Behind Neiden' are welcome, and indeed perhaps necessary, oft-covered inclusions.
And, frankly, there would be a Public Inquiry if Ivan Drever hadn’t covered the late and great John Prine’s 'Speed of the Sound of Loneliness,' especially as it’s been in his solo sets pretty much from day one.
It's also one of the finest country-folk songs ever written, with one of the most poetic and poignant of titles (Drever’s slower, folk-ballad interpretation fits his lived in baritone vocal perfectly).
You can also make an argument for the inclusion of songs such as John Fogerty’s Creedence classic 'Have You Ever Seen the Rain' (here acting as acoustic-led counterpoint to 'Darlin’') and Tom Waits' 'Hold On,' although 'I Don’t Want To Talk About It,' written by Danny Whitten, is so owned by Rod Stewart that any subsequent cover (outside of Everything But The Girl) is going to be a very hard act to follow.
But there are also a few surprising/ reinterpreted choices that make Covered all the more intriguing.
The Eagles owned 'Love Will Keep Us Alive' (also recorded/ performed separately by two of the co-writers, Paul Carrack and Jim Capaldi) sits here as a campfire country and western; U2’s guitar chiming, gospel influenced classic 'I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For' is reinterpreted as a forlorn folk tale (albeit one that retains the electric guitar chime background); an acoustic led, countrified take of 60s R&B classic '(I Don’t Know Why I Love You) But I Do,' made famous by Clarence "Frogman" Henry, closes out the album.
Recorded & engineered by Andy Harrison (who also adds backing vocals) with additional instrumentation from Stewart Shearer and Rich Young, Ivan Drever’s latest offering proves that even when he doesn’t bring his own songs to the studio table, he’s still got it covered.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Purchase Covered and other Ivan Drever releases at: https://ivandrever.bandcamp.com/
But given Drever’s own singer-songwriter-storytelling skills, which tend to reflect, or nod to, traditional Scottish and Orkney music folklore, he’s not exactly short of a song or ten when a studio album comes calling.
But we should be grateful he has finally decided to deliver a covers album (inspired perhaps by including Carole King's 'You've Got a Friend' on previous solo album Dreev), not least because some of the song choices make Covered an endearing and charming addition to the Ivan Drever catalogue.
As you would expect, a number of the songs fit the folk profile or have been arranged to do just that – the simpler folk treatment given to the Oscar Brandamer penned 'Darlin'' (made famous by Scottish legend Frankie Miller) suits the lonesome lament and world weariness of Drever’s vocal perfectly; Tom Paxton’s 'Last Thing On My Mind' and Jimmy McCarthy’s 'As I leave Behind Neiden' are welcome, and indeed perhaps necessary, oft-covered inclusions.
And, frankly, there would be a Public Inquiry if Ivan Drever hadn’t covered the late and great John Prine’s 'Speed of the Sound of Loneliness,' especially as it’s been in his solo sets pretty much from day one.
It's also one of the finest country-folk songs ever written, with one of the most poetic and poignant of titles (Drever’s slower, folk-ballad interpretation fits his lived in baritone vocal perfectly).
You can also make an argument for the inclusion of songs such as John Fogerty’s Creedence classic 'Have You Ever Seen the Rain' (here acting as acoustic-led counterpoint to 'Darlin’') and Tom Waits' 'Hold On,' although 'I Don’t Want To Talk About It,' written by Danny Whitten, is so owned by Rod Stewart that any subsequent cover (outside of Everything But The Girl) is going to be a very hard act to follow.
But there are also a few surprising/ reinterpreted choices that make Covered all the more intriguing.
The Eagles owned 'Love Will Keep Us Alive' (also recorded/ performed separately by two of the co-writers, Paul Carrack and Jim Capaldi) sits here as a campfire country and western; U2’s guitar chiming, gospel influenced classic 'I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For' is reinterpreted as a forlorn folk tale (albeit one that retains the electric guitar chime background); an acoustic led, countrified take of 60s R&B classic '(I Don’t Know Why I Love You) But I Do,' made famous by Clarence "Frogman" Henry, closes out the album.
Recorded & engineered by Andy Harrison (who also adds backing vocals) with additional instrumentation from Stewart Shearer and Rich Young, Ivan Drever’s latest offering proves that even when he doesn’t bring his own songs to the studio table, he’s still got it covered.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Purchase Covered and other Ivan Drever releases at: https://ivandrever.bandcamp.com/