The Bird and the Bee - Interpreting the Masters Vol. I: A Tribute to Daryl Hall and John Oates

With their self-titled debut album three years ago, singer/songwriter Inara George and multi-instrumentalist/producer Greg Kurstin -- aka The Bird and the Bee -- forged a tantalizing hybrid of fizzy electronica and smart, tongue-in-cheek art-pop. The sound was sleek, the attitude playful, the songs rich with lyrical wit and hummable hooks. But is this in the neverland of "too pop for the indie intelligentsia" and "too eclectic for the masses"? We certainly hope not -- and the beguiling new project Interpreting the Masters Volume 1: A Tribute to Daryl Hall and John Oates, arriving March 23 via Blue Note, just might be the ticket. If anyone knows the challenge of straddling critical credibility and pop success, isn't it Hall and Oates?

The spark for the project came after the duo began including the H+O standard "I Can't Go For That" into their live show. Why not a album's worth of classics? Interpreting the Masters kicks off with one lone, perfectly nuanced original -- "Heard It On the Radio" -- before George and Kurstin delve into the H+O catalog with glee, bringing a glossy, bubbly kick to eight indelible songs such as "I Can't Go For That", "Rich Girl", "Sara Smile" and "She's Gone". Sure we see a tongue-in-cheek wink here and there in the performances but this is obviously a labor of love. "There’s definitely no irony," says Kurstin matter of factly. "They’re great songwriters and these are great songs." Recommended.

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The Bird and the Bee - "She's Gone" (from the album Guiltless Pleasures Vol. 1: A Tribute to Daryl Hall and John Oates)

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Photos: Autumn De Wilde