Paul Anka Verve/2005
You may not know much about Paul Anka, but your parents certainly do. In fact, they probably swooned over him in the fifties during his teen idol years, singing songs like “Lonely Boy” and “Put Your Head On My Shoulder.” The latter's title probably rang of blasphemy to your grandparents, and these days, there aren’t too many hipsters who approve of the guy either. Unless you’ve thumbed through stacks of flea market record bins and took a liking to his dusty 33s, it’s a good assumption that many chalked Anka up as done in the public eye. But he’s back…and he wants to swing!
There aren’t too many artists out there who’d combine big band sound with the likes of Bon Jovi, Soundgarden, and Billy Idol tunes. But Anka’s got the guts, and he pulls off fourteen tracks of wonderful covers from the past few decades of music. The first standout track of this album is his spin on Oasis’s “Wonderwall." A quick, bouncy pace, sharp horns in the chorus, and Anka’s casual voice bring this tune to a new level of swinging energy. He also throws in convincing renditions of Lionel Richie’s “Hello” and Van Halen’s “Jump,” and it’s hard to not be amused at his take on the epic “Teen Spirit.”
I admit some of the song choices are rather puzzling. Spandau Ballet’s “True” and the Pet Shop Boys’ “It’s a Sin” come to mind in particular, as well as the chuckle-inducing lines from “Eye of the Tiger” and “Black Hole Sun.” But hey, there must’ve been something in these ballads that deeply affected Anka for them to be included. Maybe he really liked the Rocky movie, or perhaps he was a Spandau Fan Club member, it could be anything. Regardless, the presentation of these covers effectively disguises each song’s original sound so that you feel you’re just listening to a contemporary artist’s new lounge album.
Don’t be put off by the latest offering from a teen-turned-senior idol, for Paul Anka’s Rock Swings is full of foxtrots and martini olives.
-- Evan Mauser 6/24/05
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