aaamusic | On 18, Feb 2013

American indie and alternative rock singer songwriter Mike Doughty is now a solo artist. He fronted the band Soul Coughing in the 1990s and his past albums have received much critical acclaim.

The Flip Is Another Honey, a covers album, is released on February 25th, 2013 on the Snack Bar label. The title is taken from a 1956 Variety review of a Jerry Lee Lewis single and means “the b-side is also fantastic.” It was produced and mixed by Kevin Salem.

In warm and pleasant Sunshine Mike raps over John Denver samples where he’s helped by a gentle acoustic guitar. The strident and powerful ‘cover-of-a-cover’ Jimmy Bell is based on 15 60 75, the Numbers Band’s interpretation of a Cat Iron’s original. His version of John Denver’s Take Me Home, Country Roads remains faithful to the original, performed alongside vocalist Rosanne Cash.

A sensitive cover of Sondheim’s Send In the Clowns was recorded live in the studio with Dan Chen (keyboards) and Andrew Livingston (cello). Reach Out, a Cheap Trick song from the soundtrack to the 80s film Heavy Metal, merges into Josh Wink’s anthem Higher State of Consciousness. Mike’s upbeat and catchy vocals in Camille’s Ta Douleur are sung in the original French, a language he cannot actually speak.
Traditionally Mike’s quirky music is hip hop influenced folk and Americana blues with funky grooves. He’s rhythmically intense and plays cult classic songs with a deeper meaning. Some of his covers are more recognizable than others but the album feels comfortable with its variety of styles. As an accomplished artist Mike still has a rare clarity and energy. He may be erratic but he’s inventive and adventurous in an enjoyable way.

★★★★★

Anthony Weightman