Johnny Society Johnny Society Sings Cheap Trick
(Old Soul)
While it's impossible to overstate Cheap Trick's enduring brilliance, the jaw-dropping vocals of Robin Zander and wacky guitar theatrics of Rick Nielsen have often threatened to obscure the impressive quality of the band's songwriting. On Johnny Society Sings Cheap Trick, the Catskill-based band Johnny Society (led by musician Kenny Siegal) demonstrates the bulletproof brilliance of a dozen Cheap Trick classics from 1977 to 1990 by deconstructing them in often unpredictable yet still innately tuneful ways. "C'mon C'mon"—which, along with four other tracks here, features guest vocals from British new wave luminary and longtime Hudson Valley resident Wreckless Eric—comes across here like good-time 1960s sunshine pop, while a stomping "Dream Police" amps up the song's nightmarish subtext and "Surrender" becomes a twisted martial waltz. But the biggest surprise is "Walk Away," which gets a Neil Diamond circa "Cherry Cherry" makeover that improves considerably upon Cheap Trick's sleepily rendered 1990 original.
