A BOX OF BIRDS

Sure, it's a covers album, and some will be inclined to mark it down solely on that basis, but I actually think this is damn good. The secret to a good covers album is to select material which either already suits the style of the performers in question, or lends itself to a suitable adaptation. Here, the selections are on point, with a take on the Beatles' It's All Too Much which perhaps also takes note of what Steve Hillage did with the track, an Iggy Pop selection (The Endless Sea) which is far from his most celebrated track but is probably the song most suited to a Church take in his body of work, and other picks which allow the Church to do what they do best. On the whole, a fine example of the form.