Beck‘s been judicious enough in his output over the years that two song releases in a week comes as a surprise (they’re each featured on a different compilation). That they’re both covers of songs written before he was born adds intrigue. That they’re quite different sonically bolsters the appeal all the more, and the fact that they’re two of the best things he’s recorded in years seals the deal.
“I Only Have Eyes for You”, written by Harry Warren all the way back in the the thirties and made famous by The Flamingos in 1959 was always a very spacey tune. Beck adds even more reverb and his voice sounds like it’s coming from across a giant wind tunnel filled with flowers. Truly beautiful and unconventional the melodic turns taken by this tune, and Beck is extremely faithful to the original in that respect.
“Corrine, Corrina” (this version is named “Corrina, Corrina”) is a classic blues song first recorded in the late twenties. It’s since become a standard in various versions in many musical styles. Beck’s take is quite bare-boned. But in this, and in “I Only Have Eyes for You”, it’s the emotive power of his voice that carries the song away. Sometime around the release of Sea Change an ironic distance Beck had with his listeners began to shrink, and on “Corrina, Corrina” it sounds like he’s right here in the room with you.
Happy Music Sad Music 