Pitchfork

Meloy photo by Nilina Mason-Campbell

Well, at least he's not doing "A Change Is Gonna Come". We all know how that turned out the last time someone tried it.

But Decemberists frontman Colin Meloy is indeed covering five Sam Cooke numbers on his forthcoming tour-only EP Colin Meloy Sings Sam Cooke. And now we know what they are: "Cupid", "That's Where It's At", "Summertime", "Good Times", and "Bring It on Home to Me". (The latter was also recently tackled by M. Ward and Zooey Deschanel, aka She and Him, apparently.)

As reported yesterday, the EP will be available at Meloy's spring solo shows. Joining the Decemberist on backing vocals is Laura Gibson, who will also open the trek.

To hear Meloy take on the Smiths, R.E.M., Pink Floyd, Fleetwood Mac, and Shirley Collins, get your hands on Meloy's live solo album, Colin Meloy Sings Live!, due April 8 on Kill Rock Stars on CD and Jealous Butcher on vinyl.

Colin Meloy Sings Sam Cooke:

01 Cupid
02 That's Where It's At
03 Summertime
04 Good Times
05 Bring It on Home to Me

Colin Meloy (all dates with Laura Gibson):

04-07 Austin, TX - La Zona Rosa
04-08 Dallas, TX - Granada Theater
04-10 Atlanta, GA - Variety Playhouse
04-11 Asheville, NC - Orange Peel
04-12 Charlottesville, VA - The Satellite Ballroom
04-13 Washington, DC - 9:30 Club
04-15 Somerville, MA - Somerville Theatre
04-16 Brooklyn, NY - Music Hall Of Williamsburg
04-17 Brooklyn, NY - Music Hall Of Williamsburg
04-21 Chicago, IL - Park West
04-22 Milwaukee, WI - The Pabst Theater
04-23 Madison, WI - Barrymore Theater
04-25 Lawrence, KS - Liberty Hall
04-26 Boulder, CO - Fox Theatre
04-28 Los Angeles, CA - Henry Fonda Theatre
04-29 Santa Cruz, CA - The Rio Theatre
04-30 San Francisco, CA - The Fillmore
05-02 Seattle, WA - Showbox
05-03 Portland, OR - Wonder Ballroom