New Music: Feist: "Somewhere Down the Road"
Joining the likes of Bright Eyes and Cat Power, Leslie Feist took a break from being everywhere to cover a song by singer/songwriter Jesse Harris for the soundtrack to upcoming film The Hottest State. Harris penned the hit "Don't Know Why" and other songs for Norah Jones, who shares Feist's jazzy, low-key approach to pop. Unfortunately, Feist's version of "Somewhere Down the Road", from Harris' 2006 Mineral LP, illustrates how different even Feist's quietest moments usually are from the music of Ravi Shankar's Grammy-winning daughter. It's still hard not to get drawn in by Feist's eloquent, understated vocals: "You free me, but I'll never be free of memories," she sings. But inflated with sleepy electric guitar, hackneyed rock-ballad organ, and smooth-jazz horns, the tune floats away forgettably.
[from The Hottest State OST; due 8/7/07 on Hickory Records]