Mourning Woody

There's just something so awesomely asinine about a hicked-out country cover of Depeche Mode's "Personal Jesus," which is the leadoff track on this EP of eclectic, acoustic remakes. Mourning Woody turns the dark techno-pop hit into a jangly, upbeat hoedown of a song, and in the process accomplishes something almost...

By Niki D'Andrea

December 7, 2006

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There's just something so awesomely asinine about a hicked-out country cover of Depeche Mode's "Personal Jesus," which is the leadoff track on this EP of eclectic, acoustic remakes. Mourning Woody turns the dark techno-pop hit into a jangly, upbeat hoedown of a song, and in the process accomplishes something almost impossible: They make a cover sound like their own, original song. But things go downhill from there, as the band follows with a blasé cover of David Bowie's "The Man Who Sold the World," which Nirvana already covered — quite incomparably — on MTV Unplugged. That's followed by toe-the-line renderings of Vince Gill's "Whenever You Come Around" and The Beatles' "She's a Woman." The last song is a cover of 3 Doors Down's "Kryptonite," which sounds like, well, a bland lounge cover with drum cymbals tuned way too high. Overall, Mourning Woody is a decent, middle-of-the-road cover band that would be inconspicuous playing behind your pitchers of beer in a smoky bar, but the EP is worth hearing just for the kick-ass, quirky cover of "Personal Jesus."

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Niki D'Andrea has covered subjects including drug culture, women's basketball, pirate radio stations, Scottsdale staycations, and fine wine. She has worked at both New Times and Phoenix Magazine, and is now a freelancer.

Contact: Niki D'Andrea