As we enter the dog days of summer, here’s a sultry Lana Del Rey cover of Sublime’s 1997 track ‘Doin’ Time.’ That song was, in turn, a reimagining of the George Gershwin song ‘Summertime’ from Porgy and Bess.
Del Rey recorded this song for a documentary on the California ska band that was released earlier this year. I’m not sure what Sublime has done that warrants a documentary. I’m not a fan of the whole ska thing, generally.
Here’s a beautiful song from Rufus Wainwright’s 2010 collecton All Days Are Nights: Songs for Lulu, an album of piano ballads written in the months leading up to his mother’s death.
This very personal and classically-influenced album followed five baroque pop albums and hinted at Wainwright’s future direction. Though he did release another pop album, Out of the Game, in 2012, he then shifted his focus to recording and releasing an opera, 2015’s Prima Donna.
1970’s Tea For the Tillerman was the first of two back-to-back albums that made Cat Stevens a worldwide star. Its follow-up, Teaser and the Firecat, joined this album in going triple platinum in the U.S. while also charting in Europe and beyond.
Those are also the only two Cat Stevens albums I own, and for a minor fan, probably the only two you need.
Meet Me In Montauk 