Little Roy - Battle For Seattle
As we near the 20th Anniversary of Nirvana's Nevermind, releasing a Nirvana covers album is an ambitious move.
Thankfully, Little Roy is a truly accomplished musician, and Battle For Seattle provides an exciting, unique look at some of Nirvana's back catalogue.
Avoiding a predictable track-listing (songs like 'Smells Like Teen Spirit' aren't re-imagined for the record), the album feels like a fitting tribute, whilst being exciting in its own right.
It's probably fair to say that this is an album for reggae fans, rather than Nirvana die-hards.
The tracks are still well-done and interesting, but it's hard to imagine grunge fans being pulled in by these versions of the songs.
For a casual fan of both reggae (and Little Roy) or Nirvana, there probably won't be a lot on here, but the quality is superb.
The most accessible cover, perhaps not surprisingly, is a great version of 'Come As You Are'.
All these songs work surprisingly well as reggae tunes, with Little Roy's soothing voice carrying the record.
It's important to note that Battle For Seattle is a re-imagination of these tracks, rather than a straight-up tribute album.
It gets a bit repetitive at times, but is enganging enough to remain interesting.
The pace of the album never really picks up, but with tracks like 'About A Girl' working so well, Little Roy has created a brilliantly chilled-out reggae record.
Female First - Alistair McGeorge
Tagged in Nirvana