Grey DeLisle is a singer/songwriter and autoharp player who first appeared about 22 years ago and had some massive success with her album ‘Homewrecker’ in 2002. She dropped off the radar in around 2005 after deciding to “make babies instead of music”. “It’s so strange but ever since I got became pregnant with my first child, the songs just went away”. When the pandemic sent everyone scurrying for the shelters she found that she was home for an extended period and started playing covers of her and her brother’s favourite songs, and this album is the result. Quite excellent it is too.
Now it has to be said that Grey DeLisle doesn’t do ordinary covers. The album opens with a version of Pink Floyd’s ‘Another Brick In The Wall’ with her high pitch and gentle vocal style really changing the tone of the song – no longer demanding but rather pleading for change. That is followed by a sweet and utterly charming version of Billy Rose & Lee David’s 1926 song ‘Tonight You Belong To Me’ and a strictly country version of the standard ‘Georgia On my Mind’. The other tracks include versions of ‘You Only Live Twice’, T Rex’s ‘Girl’ and Murray Hammond’s ‘Valentine’.
Not your normal covers but then, Grey DeLisle isn’t any ordinary musician – she is also the most prolific voice actor in history, having voiced over 2000 cartoons since 1996, including The Simpsons and Scooby Doo, and performs stand-up comedy as Grey Griffin.
An album of covers, yes, but very well worth getting your ears around as she really is a one-off and none of these sound as you will have heard them elsewhere.
