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Cover Magazine
by
Cover Magazine Image
Metascore
71

Generally favorable reviews - based on 8 Critic Reviews What's this?

User Score
7.6

Generally favorable reviews- based on 7 Ratings

  • Summary: As you may have guessed from the title, this is an album of covers by Howe Gelb, mainly recorded with Calexico's Joey Burns and John Convertino. The ten studio tracks and three live performances include versions of Sonny Bono's "The Beat Goes On," Grandaddy's "Blue Marble Girl," and BlackAs you may have guessed from the title, this is an album of covers by Howe Gelb, mainly recorded with Calexico's Joey Burns and John Convertino. The ten studio tracks and three live performances include versions of Sonny Bono's "The Beat Goes On," Grandaddy's "Blue Marble Girl," and Black Sabbath's "Iron Man."… Expand

Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 5 out of 8
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 8
  3. Negative: 0 out of 8
  1. PopMatters
    80
    Cover Magazine evokes both the campfire-spook ambiance of 1995's BBQ and the subtle beauty of their 2000 masterpiece, Chore of Enchantment.
  2. Splendid
    80
    This is a welcome addition to the Giant Sand corpus, and an impressive demonstration of the continuing relevance of the band, more than two decades into its existence.
  3. Pitchfork
    73
    There's invention and heart in these tunes, and the range is impressive.
  4. Billboard
    70
    In all, "Cover Magazine" may be one of the slightest of Giant Sand's albums, but after nearly 20 years of varying takes on moody, twilight hallucinations, it arrives like a sigh of relief, a much-deserved break from the norm.
  5. Q Magazine
    60
    He tackles unexpected covers to pleasing effect. [Mar 2002, p.120]
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  6. Uncut
    60
    Mind you, you're still left wondering why they made a covers album. [Mar 2002, p.96]
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  7. The Wire
    60
    Jocular and enjoyable to flip through, but the nagging feeling that leaks through is that this collection is little more than a respite for Giant Sand until Gelb returns from the bunker with enough fresh material to record a real new album. [#216, p.63]
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See all 8 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

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Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 2 out of 3
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 3
  3. Negative: 1 out of 3
  1. chrisb
    Sep 3, 2004
    8
    another one that people can't be bothered to listen to before rating...
  2. Ray
    Aug 10, 2004
    8
    Superb collection of covers, performed in a haphazard, easy style. Brings a smile to my face.
  4. KurtS
    Mar 25, 2004
    0
    I did not like it personally and thought that it was boring.