Travels with Brindle, the ukulele power pop project from Chelsea Spear, might not be the obvious choice to release a cover album of Sparks' 1979 disco album No. 1 in Heaven, but that might be why it works so well. Today sees the release of Spear's version of "The Number One Song in Heaven," which is both faithful to and a complete reworking of the original. Obviously a song featuring only vocals and ukulele is going to sound completely different from a full on disco track, but Travels with Brindle keep the spirit of the original alive even if it's a totally different tempo and mood. Plus, the backstory of the Sparks covers album is fun as it was funded by a Kickstarter and recorded at the Boston Public Library.
Chelsea Spear says of her decision to record a Sparks covers album after seeing the band perform live:
“Watching the joy in their performance reconnected me with why I made music. A few days later, I was listening to No. 1 in Heaven while making dinner and the melodic and rhythmic similarities between the songs on the album and the music of early 20th century vaudeville and music hall struck me. I also wanted to work on something that would make me happy, and the original No. 1 in Heaven is one of my favorite albums.”
You can listen to Travels with Brindle's version of "The Number One Song in Heaven" below. No. 1 in Heaven Starring Travels with Brindle is due out March 7. For more on Travels with Brindle, check out the artist's website. Travels with Brindle is playing a single release show tonight (February 7) at The Lilypad in Cambridge, MA.
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