Beck: Song Reader

Various Artists
Beck Song Reader
(Capitol)
2 1/2 out of 5 stars

Love him or not, it’s difficult not to applaud Beck for thinking outside the box, both musically and conceptually. He pushed the envelope again last year with the release of an intricately illustrated book of sheet music for original songs he never recorded. He then left it up to others to interpret them, resulting in a batch of YouTube covers by anyone with a basic understanding of how to read music.

Beck could have left the project there but then let music supervisor Randall Poster, best known for his work with movie directors such as Wes Anderson and Martin Scorsese, delegate some on but mostly off-the-radar musicians to deliver a more professional reading of the 20 selections. The results are as varied and eclectic as the artists who range from the always classy Norah Jones, to the creatively restless Jack White, Sparks, Tom Waits’ guitarist Marc Ribot, twisted soul veteran Swamp Dogg and even Beck himself.

Without knowing what was in the songwriter’s mind when he wrote these pieces, many with lyrics that could conservatively be considered experimental it’s impossible to tell how close these versions are to whatever he envisioned. But between Juane’s Spanish-sung acoustic folk “Don’t Act Like Your Heart Isn’t Hard” to Ribot’s instrumental retro, gypsy-ish, clarinet driven “The Last Polka” and Jason Isbell’s grimy, southern rocking “Now That Your Dollar Bills Have Sprouted Wings,” the overused adjective “diverse” doesn’t even start to describe this wildly disparate 20 track set.

But for all the eccentric performances and approaches, it’s hard to warm up to these songs. Beck’s best albums are cohesive even with distinct individual tracks.  This just seems all over the place, trying the patience of the most dedicated Beck fan. There are highlights such as Moses Sumney’s opening twisted pop “Title of this Song,” Jack White’s country/blues freak-out “I’m Down,” and Beck’s own psychedelic pop “Heaven’s Ladder.” But too many others are obtuse and often impenetrable with melodies that wander and readings that are spirited yet aimless.

A seemingly arbitrary sponsorship association with frame makers Warby Parker (last we checked, Beck doesn’t wear glasses) whose name is plastered all over this also leaves a bit of a bad taste, even if the proceeds benefit the 826 National Organization, a creative writing outfit that helps students ages 6-18. But it’s worth giving the pioneering Beck the benefit of the doubt and hope that he records these songs one day so we can better understand how he intended them before these well-meaning and talented if random artists did that for him.