The Persuasions - Sing The Beatles (2002)

It may be easy to get cynical toward a project like this, especially with so many Beatles cover albums floating around. But leave it to the Persuasions, a 40-year-old a cappella singing group, to make virtually every kind of Beatles song fit into their style. They turn "Come Together" into doo wop, "Oh! Darling" becomes a sweet soul ballad, even "Don't Let Me Down" becomes an impassioned R&B track. A few songs lose a little bit of steam from these renditions, especially "Love Me Do." But these aren't bad versions of these songs; they just take a different route from the original. What the album proves more than anything else is what incredible pop songs these are. For this to work at all is a miracle, let alone for it to be a solid, enjoyable album. Few bands have written material that translates to other genres as well as the Beatles, and in the hands of the wonderful Persuasions, these take on a whole new life of their own. Fans of a cappella soul, as well as fans of the band, should check this out. These are some unique and excellent readings of these classics.