Album Review: Dermot O’Leary – Presents The Saturday Sessions 2010
3 min read
Dermot O’Leary has always had his hand in the musical pot from his early beginnings. Having fronted his own BBC Radio 2 show for a number of years now as well as playing host to the juggernaut that is the X Factor.
Here, O’Leary brings us The Saturday Sessions, taken from his Saturday afternoon BBC Radio residency. In the same style as the Live Lounge, this impeccable collection features some rejuvenated covers of today’s chart hits, obscure recordings and yesteryear classics as well as live original performances from some of the biggest names on the scene today.
The lads of UK indie really shine on this new collection. Both Biffy Clyro and Fyfe Dangerfield give us their take on Girls Aloud goodness with a fresh outcome.
Biffy Clyro do a better version of Fight For This Love than Cheryl Cole mustered up and the popular rock heroes bring some rough and accented vocals to a raw, semi acoustic rendition of one of the years biggest singles.
Further down the record Fyfe Dangerfield gives us an acoustically epic and wonderful, string arranged version of the Girls Aloud favorite, Call The Shots. A popular track from the girl group which has been covered by many high profile acts in the past including The Smashing Pumpkins, Fyfe Dangerfield do a great job with this one.
The Ting Tings contribute a superb, harmonized version of The Beats International classic, Dub Be Good To Me. Skipping through the track, passing lead vocals between the twosome, this one stands out as one of the highlights of the compilation.
If anyone got to see Lily Allen’s last tour they will have heard the version of Britney Spears’ Womanizer that features here. Basically the track is an exact copy, vocally, of the original but where the original was a large scale pop affair, the glossy production that accompanied Spears have been replaced by a driving (yet slightly irritating and unbalanced) piano and the guitar structure.
Alesha Dixon’s cover of the classic Dusty Springfield number Son of a Preacher Man is poor in its delivery and her voice at most times throughout the track sounds screechy and untamed leaving quite a bitter taste in your mouth by the end of the song. Unfortunately Dixon’s attempt mimicking and iconic diva sounds more like a karaoke number than anything else.
The incredible Turin Brakes, a band that O’Leary has supported throughout the bands ten year career, feature on the record however instead of supplying a cover to the record, the duo contribute the perfect live version of Sea Change, an amazing track that has been taken from the bands latest record, Outbursts.
One of the unfortunate and very surprising let downs on this new collection is the track Nothing Else Matters, a song originally performed by heavy metal supergroup Metallica but this time covered by newbie folk songstress Lissie. Being quite a fan of America’s latest folk goddess I found myself bored and unimpressed with the singers subdued and often boring vocal slurring in this cover of a classic.
The Saturday Sessions is a fantastic collection and its highs certainly out do its lows. With such a variety of acts covering some unexpected records swimming amongst a wide range of genre blending live versions, this collection is definitely a must have for fans of diversity.
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