The Jamie Hoover Web Site - Reviews: Jamie Hoo-ever

Reviews: Jamie Hoo-ever

Jamie Hoover - Jamie Hoo-ever Jamie Hoover
Jamie Hoo-ever
Loaded Goat

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from Vintage Guitar Magazine

Jamie's a bit of an alt-rock hero who was identified in Billboard several years ago as Jamie Hooever. Thinking it had to be used for something, he made it the title of this best-of collection. One listen will identify him as a lover of great pop songs and jangly guitars. There are covers here of the Traveling Wilburys ("Handle With Care"), the Beatles ("It's Only a Northern Song"), Bobby Fuller ("It's Love, Come What May"),andalot of other great pop tunes. His lovingly precise cover of Bob Lind's "Elusive Butterfly" made me run out and buy Lind's version. His "Sukiyaki-Rokusuke Ei" is an unexpected delight. As with many cuts here, it let's you in on how good he is at playing guitar, and his level of studio genius. The Beatles' "Goodnight" is the perfect wrap. Beautifully produced as a folk tune, it layers vocals and guitars in such a marvelous way that it's essentially a tribute to Hoover and his talents. He's been flying under the radar for many years, but Jamie Hoover is as talented as plenty of folks who get to make hits. - JH

By Kevin Matthews from nighttimes.com

The explosion of tribute albums in the last couple of years has meant that the likes of Jamie (Spongetones) Hoover has enough cover versions to fill an album and that is the inspiration behind Jamie Hoo-ever. But far from a cynical exercise, this is a labour of love as Hoover pays homage to the songs that have touched his life. So songs from Beatles, Todd Rundgren, Klaatu, the Everly Brothers find pride of place here. Not to mention that old chestnut “Sukiyaki”! Spine-tingling!

By John M. Borack/Ira Robbins from TrouserPress.com

A decade later, Hoover assembled a batch of covers he'd done for various tribute albums, recorded some new ones to fill out a baker's dozen and released it as Jamie Hoo- ever. Proof of his adaptability and diverse skills, Hoover comfortably handles songs by the Traveling Wilburys ("Handle With Care"), Let's Active ("Horizon"), the Everly Brothers ("Cathy's Clown"), Todd Rundgren ("Izzat Love?") and, of course, the Beatles ("It's Only a Northern Song"). But he stretches far afield from the obvious for such ancient AM radio hits as "You Were on My Mind," "Theme From a Summer Place," "Elusive Butterfly" and "Sukiyaki." Hoover approaches each number with respect and originality, making this a strange but exceedingly pleasant jukebox.

By Will Harris from popmatters.com

This Hoover doesn't suck. But obvious jokes involving a famous brand of vacuum cleaner do.

Jamie Hoover's probably best known as the frontman for Charlotte, North Carolina's favorite power pop sons, the Spongetones, but to simply refer to him by that position is to do his career a disservice.

Hoover has toured and recorded with Don Dixon and Marti Jones, served as bassist for the Smithereens when Mike Mesaros was unavailable, done road stints with both Graham Parker and Hootie & The Blowfish, played bass with the Orange Humble Band, and engineered albums by artists as diverse as the New Life Community Choir and the Frankenstein Drag Queens from the Planet 13. He and Bryan Shumate teamed up and released two albums as the Van de Lecki's, and, most recently, he and Bill Lloyd, (very) late of Foster and Lloyd, produced a full-length collaboration, Paparazzi.

Hell, Jamie Hoo-ever isn't even his first solo album; that honor belongs to 1990's Coupons, Questions, and Comments.

What we have here, however, isn't really a proper follow-up. It's really more of an odds-and-sods collection of covers that Hoover has contributed to various tribute albums over the years, with a few additional covers -- some old, some new -- thrown in to fill out the rest of the disc.

The album title comes from a misspelling of Hoover's name that appeared on a gospel album he engineered for John P. Kee, and he's been chuckling about it ever since. In the liner notes of this disc, Hoover says of tribute albums, "the only thing you really ever get out of it is the pleasure of doing your own version of a song you really dig". The width and breadth of the artists Hoover tackles are a testimony to the diversity of his musical tastes. To open with a Traveling Wilburys track ("Handle with Care") and close with a Beatles cover ("Goodnight"), okay, that really doesn't show much in the way of stylistic diversity. But in between those selections, one can find the Everly Brothers, Let's Active, Bobby Fuller, covers of "Sukiyaki" and "A Summer Place," and even "Elusive Butterfly", by the elusive Bob Lind.

Some of the best performances on the album come via the more obscure songs, like Klaatu's psychedelic "Silly Boys", which blends acoustic jangle with a reggae shuffle, and Let's Active's moody "Horizon", performed with Don Dixon. Hoover also changes the arrangements of "Handle with Care" and the Beatles' "Only A Northern Song" enough to avoid instant comparison to the originals. The cover of "Goodnight" is the perfect ending, and, with Hoover's voice being decidedly smoother than Ringo's, it breathes new life into the song.

Hoover makes no apologies for those tracks on the collection that might otherwise be written off as schmaltz or elevator music by some. To him, they're "brilliant pieces of songwriting that have never been equalled. These songs affect me physically. They can bring tears and pain, which is my highest compliment for a song". Unfortunately, with "A Summer Place" and "Cathy's Clown", Hoover puts in solid performances but seems almost too in awe of the songs to do anything with them that hadn't already been done in their original renditions.

Jamie Hoo-ever is a nice collection that saves his fans from spending the bucks to hunt down all of the tribute albums on which these covers appear, and, perhaps more importantly, it'll keep 'em happy until Hoover's next release of original material.

From La Musik (Sweden)

Jamie Hoover is one of those American guys, that besides having his own band called The Spongetones!?!, has done a lot of various things in music without really getting noticed. Guitar player, producer, drummer, soundman... yes Jamie has jumped in where he's been needed. He's been hired by names like Hootie & The Blowfish, Don Dixon & Graham Parker. Jamie Hoover is also often doing versions of songs on tribute discs of various kinds. On Jamie Hoo-ever he has compiled a bunch of covers he's contributed over the years. Tribute records are, with a few exceptions, not a lot fun to listen to. What one gets out of doing a tribute cover has, ironically, been said in a good way by Jamie Hoover himself. "The only thing you really get is the pleasure of doing your own version of a song you really like", he says. Tribute records are most often a big egotrip for the artists that record the new versions and very seldom work as the tributes they are said to be. And so Jamie Hoover has gone and done a compilation of his covers. That could seem to be pretty stupid. But really, Jamie handles this pretty good. His versions doesn't make me jump out of my pants from exaltation, but they are of a very lovingly American basic rock kind and compiled together on an album like this, Jamie shows that he's not far behind for example Paul Carrack and Rod Stewart when it comes to putting your own, and importantly, lasting mark on someone else's song. He does a nice version of The Travelling Wilbury's "Handle With Care". He manages Todd Rundgren's "Izzat Love" and also Beatles "Goodnight" and George Harrison's "It's Only A Northern Song" with honor. With the classic Japanese hit "Sukiyaki-Rokusuke Ei", Jamie even manages to take it to new heights. Honorable.

By Stu Olds from Musicworkz ezine

Where Jamie 'Spongetones' Hoover actually found the time to dig up the tapes for this collection of pop tune covers is anyones guess.

Hot on the heels of his recent 'Paparazzi' album (with Bill LLoyd), Hoover compiled this encyclopaedic look at his tribute and reworkings efforts over the years. Sticking to his trademark melodic pop formula, he fills the 40 minutes with imaginative adaptions of well known gems such "Handle With Care" (Traveling Wilburys), "Izzat Love?" (Todd Rundgren), "Cathy's Clown" (Everly Brothers) and "Goodnight" and "Only A Northern Song" (The Beatles).

The more captious music fan might point out (amongst other nit-picking) that an album of covers is hardly likely to break any sales records, nor perhaps appeal to Joe Average on the lookout for an impulse purchase during a lunch break foray in their nearest record store. The ever-industrious Hoover is probably less concerned with this than he is with his pre-occupation of keeping his little army of fans supplied with an endless stream music. Sure, he wants to make a buck or two, but I bet he'd knock out harmonic treasures like 'It's Love, Come What May' (Booby Fuller tribute album) and, tapping into his seemingly bottomless well of previously unreleased material, 'Sukiyaki' whether he coverd production costs or not.

Anyone who can fill a sunkisssed beach 'n' baroque pop covers album like this with irresistable hooks, impeccably harmonised choruses and faultless instrumentation all on his own, without falling into the 'too modular' trap, is far from giving up on trying to reach the masses either.

Whilst some of his power pop peers are tussling with affections of middle age and lack of inspirational material, Hoover makes these cover songs his own and he sounds as fresh as ever. Already in the pipeline, a new Spongetones album. (You can almost hear Hoover indignantly retorting: "Take a break? Waddaya mean, take a break?"

By Beverly Patterson from The Lance Monthly

“A stellar selection of tracks, ‘Hoo-ever’ ranges anywhere from the electrifying instrumental flourishes of ‘Theme from a Summer Place’ to the crisp and poignant folk-formatted furnishings of Bob Lind's ‘Elusive Butterfly.’"

Jamie Hoover is a jack of all trades and master of all. He first rose to prominence in the early eighties as singer and guitarist for The Spongetones, who revisited the British Invasion sounds of the sixties with unbelievable style and grace. The band was deservedly lauded by critics from here to the Moon and became darlings of the underground pop rock scene. Jamie has also scored points as a solo performer and record producer, while collaborations with artists such as Bill Lloyd has elevated his profile to even greater heights.

The most recent project from this man of multiple gifts is "Hoo-ever," which can easily be thought of as a reply to David Bowie's "Pin Ups" or Paul McCartney's "Run Devil Run." As Jamie reveals in the sleeve notes of the disc, "These songs affect me physically. They can bring tears and pain, which is my highest compliment for a song." A stellar selection of tracks, "Hoo-ever" ranges anywhere from the electrifying instrumental flourishes of "Theme from a Summer Place" to the crisp and poignant folk-formatted furnishings of Bob Lind's "Elusive Butterfly." And there's no debate George Harrison would approve of Jamie's vibrant versions of "Only a Northern Song" and "Handle With Care." Let's Active's "Horizon" and The We Five's "You Were on My Mind" are other top of the line treasures included on the collection.

Posting his own indelible stamp onto the proceedings, Jamie is fully attuned to the material he's chosen to recycle. His singing is warm, friendly and direct, and his playing shimmers with spirit. Not only does "Hoo-ever" salute Jamie's personal influences, but it weighs in as a terrific sampling of tunes as well.

By Ed Bumgardner from RelishNow

Jamie Hoover, Jamie Hoo-ever
Label: Loaded Boat Records
If you like: Pop history and studio wizardry
Song to download: “It’s Only a Northern Song”

Jamie Hoover was probably one of those kids who took things apart - for Hoover it was songs - to see how they worked. In any case, Hoover - a producer and member of the aptly named Spongetones - is a walking encyclopedia on the inner workings of 1960s British Invasion pop. His ability to replicate the sound of various bands is what drives Hoo-ever, his new solo disc that combines tracks he recorded for tribute discs with re-worked oldies done for family and friends.

What the disc lacks in wholesale originality, it makes up in Hoover’s skills as a singer, musician, arranger and producer. Most songs are by known acts, and all are savvily re-created. Nothing’s precious or sterile, and Hoover actually improves The Traveling Wilburys’ “Handle with Care,” adding soaring Byrds-like harmonies. His “It’s Only a Northern Song”- a Beatles song written by George Harrison - is so dead-on that it’s almost impossible to tell Hoover from Harrison.

Hoover may be paying tribute to favorite bands, but the skill and enthusiasm he brings to Hoo-ever pays equal tribute to Hoover’s talents.

- Ed Bumgardner
relish staff writer