Oh, Manchester, So Much To Answer For

As he's wont to be, Paul is, it would appear, right again. Last month, he took issue with something I posted about teenpop, suggesting that Mandy Moore is clearly the most talented of the current female bunch, and has a very good shot at a long, artistically (if not always commercially) successful career. Well, wouldn't you know it: she's just completed her forthcoming covers album, Coverage, and if the clips she's posted on her website are anything to go by, WOW! The three songs featured? Would you fucking believe selections by Todd Rundgren ("Can We Still Be Friends"), Joan Armatrading ("Drop the Pilot"), and XTC ("Senses Working Overtime"). Oh! My! Gosh! They're all three very good, too. These excerpts show quite a bit of vocal maturity (she just sounds flat-out great), and if you're still skeptical, read this, which Ms. Moore herself said of the songs on her new record:

It is a compilation of some of the most incredible music I have ever heard in my life and the fact that I got to record these songs is still unimaginable to me.

Looks like Mandy just upped the ante considerably (not that Brit and XTina'll notice), and just moved to the head of the class, as well. Incredibly impressive. Please check out the clips; I think you'll agree. These are the sound of an artist advancing and growing, pushing herself and her listeners. Who can argue with that?