Counting Crows, Underwater Sunshine (Or What We Did On Our Summer Vacation) (Cooking Vinyl) *** (From York Press)

Counting Crows, Underwater Sunshine (Or What We Did On Our Summer Vacation) (Cooking Vinyl) ***

10:07am Friday 13th April 2012 in CD reviews By Julie Hayes, Business editor

FOUR years since the last album, the familiar sound of San Francisco Bay accordion and guitar is like the laugh of a long-lost friend. Plenty of songs remain in your head, but there is nothing really outstanding that Counting Crows haven’t done before.

This set of cover versions honours icons such as Bob Dylan and Gram Parsons and indie-poppers Travis and Teenage Fanclub. With the exception of Dylan’s You Ain’t Going Nowhere, none is very well known and the best track remains old favourite, 4 White Stallions by Tender Mercies, a pre-Crows project involving some members of the band, which they have re-released previously.

Ultimately, an album of other people’s B-sides lacks the exquisite anguish and imagination we’re used to from Adam Duritz.