Various - Say Yes!: A Tribute to Elliott Smith FLAC

I've seen this at Optimal in Munich for 32€ or s/t. No European release yet?

I'm a big fan of Elliott Smith, I guess he struck a chord with my emotionally turbulent late teens as he seems to with many others. I am also a big fan of covers albums, I like to hear my favourite (or even non-favourite) tracks reimagined by bands and singers that I also love. So I had a lot of hope and high expectations coming into listening to this album, which sadly has not met my expectations. The good part, its varied - very varied with many different styles and genres present on this record.Some tracks keep that classic Elliott Smith sound alive, and some bring their own style to the tracks. However some hit the spot well for me such as Easy Way Out (Wild Sun), Say Yes (William Fitzsimmons), Needle in the Hay (Juliana Hatfield) and Ballad of Big Nothing (Julien Baker). However efforts by one of my personal favourites, Waxahatchee, on a the first ever Smith track I heard, Angeles, falls short of the mark - disappointing. The electro styled Condor Ave by Jesu, Sun Kil Moon is another stand-out track which simply doesn't work for me.I feel that maybe it is because these tracks have such a personal meaning I struggle to accept such contrasting versions of the original, breaking part of the emotion the original tracks bring. I'm unsure I will return to this record with haste, and will likely continue with the originals - maybe mixing in some of the covers I enjoy into some playlists.

I agree to some extent. I find that the songs that are very much in the style of Elliott Smith don't do as much for me. It's hard to do elliott as well Elliott. I love the renditions of Needle in the Hay, as well as Condor Ave. I personally love what Jesu/Sun Kil Moon did with it.