Album: The Bird And The Bee, Interpreting the Masters Volume 1: a Tribute to Daryl Hall and John Oates (Blue Note Records)

nara George and Greg Kurstin's third album together offers cover-version homage to Hall & Oates, interpreting their hits in cute electropop livery.

It's a conceit that works well for the most part: "Private Eyes" and "I Can't Go for That" could have been designed for this mode, while the bubbly synths attached to the strutting bassline of "Maneater" fit the song perfectly. Vocally, George does a decent job of both men's parts on a sleek "Sara Smile"; but "She's Gone" suffers through the loss of its sumptuous Arif Mardin arrangement. However, the Bird and the Bee's own H&O-inspired tribute to these airwave staples of their adolescence, "Heard It on the Radio", merely demonstrates how hard it is to write melodies as unforgettable as "Rich Girl" and "I Can't Go for That".

DOWNLOAD THIS I Can't Go for That; Rich Girl; Maneater