MIKE MASSE - "Covers (Mostly Live)"

Artist:  Mike Masse
Album: Covers (Mostly Live)
Year:  2012
Genre:  Acoustic

Am I reviewing an album that is comprised of almost exclusively cover songs?  Yep.  Admittedly, I have always been a slappy for this kind of stuff.  The cover song is an industry standard and has been both hailed as genius, and censured as lazy, depending whom you ask.  The craft of playing someone else’s composition is actually a bit more complex than it appears.  Do you play it note-for-note like Joan Jett did to “I Love Rock And Roll” by The Arrows?  Do you throw your own spin on it like Gary Jules did to “Mad World” by Tear For Fears?  Do you take apart and rebuild the song like Earth Crisis did to “Earth AD” by The Misfits?  Do you personify it so comprehensively that it exceeds the original like Johnny Cash did with “Hurt” by Nine Inch Nails?  The pairing of the original song and an artist to replicate the song isn’t always a positive result.  There are plenty of cover song efforts out there that are just horrid. Does anyone really want to listen to Limp Bizkit do “Faith” by George Michael?  Then there’s the ones that skyrocket artists to stardom that audiences couldn't wait to sing along to, like, “I’m A Believer,” “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun,” and “I Will Always Love You."  Love or hate them, cover songs won’t be going away any time soon.

Mike Masse is a Youtube sensation straight outta Salt Lake City, Utah.  A Salt Lake City pizzeria, that is.  If you have not witnessed any of his videos, do yourself a favor and give him a search.  I guarantee you’ve never heard a live voice like his in a place where people are trying to decide between a square or round pie.  When I first caught wind of him, I easily spent the next hour watching him perform acoustic cover songs in the corner of that poorly lit restaurant.  I even found myself clicking on his performances of songs and bands I don’t enjoy, just to hear what he does with them. A song done acoustically always adds a new dimension, yet, he and his musical partners, who vary in number depending on the song or night, stay very true to the original compositions.

Mr. Masse, who is an attorney by day, is obviously an accomplished guitar player and his vocal prowess is very special.  His tone and pitch control are excellent; and he uses both to convey the feeling and emotion in every song he tackles.  Now, because I’m a fickle jerk, I’m not going to say I like everything he covers.  Not really his fault, but I’m just not going to listen to Radiohead, Coldplay, Grateful Dead, Jet, Don Henley, Dan Fogelberg or Phish in any form.  Yet, he is good enough to make me like that song by Blind Melon (you know…the one with the bumblebee girl in the video), and I HATE the original version with the passion of 1000 burning suns.  Other highlights are “Paint It Black," "Comfortably Numb," "S.O.S.," "Lola," the very surprising Britney Spears "Baby One More Time" and the astounding rendition of "Africa" by Toto.

Mike Masse is a talent.  My brutal assumption is that "it's better to be fashionable and beautiful rather than talented" nature of the music business caused him to be overlooked.  I'm glad he struck out on his own in a unique way because I truly enjoy what he's doing.  Instead of posting a song like I usually do at the end of each review, I figured the video that made me love what this guy does was more appropriate.