Album Review: Just Tell Me That You Want Me

If imitation is indeed the sincerest form of flattery, this tribute isn't an ego stroke as much as it is a respectful homage to Fleetwood Mac.

Fleetwood Mac's brilliantly diverse musical catalogue (which includes 17 studio albums and spans more than 45 years) provides an ample variety of material that calls to be reinvented and not simply duplicated. If imitation is indeed the sincerest form of flattery, this tribute isn't an ego stroke as much as it is a respectful homage. It honours the band's timeless influence and legacy with fresh reworkings of their well-loved songs. Highlights on the album include the Swedish singer-songwriter Lykke Li's cover of Silver Springs, the supermodel Karen Elson's Beck-produced rendition of Gold Dust Woman, The Kills's angsty drum-heavy version of Dreams and the psychedelic-rock band MGMT's experimental dance odyssey rework of Future Games. The album's low point is Best Coast's cover of Rhiannon, an elementary effort which pales in comparison to the original and simply doesn't do it justice. Most tribute albums tend to venture into cheese territory, never to be remembered, but not this one; the 17-song tracklist reads like a who's-who of today's indie scene, and the band's mainstream hits are outnumbered by underrated album gems and fan favourites.

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