Listen to Me: Buddy Holly

Buddy Holly would have turned 75 on September 7, 2011 and in celebration of this fact, several tribute albums were released. Listen to Me features an unexpected collection of performers. One doesn’t often think of Stevie Nicks when Buddy Holly’s name comes up, but she does a fine version of “Not Fade Away” to her credit. Brian Wilson is one of the names you would expect and he doesn’t disappoint with a sympathetic rendition of “Listen to Me.” Ringo Starr’s “Think It Over” is likable Ringo. Pop traditionalist Jeff Lynne works up “Words of Love,” a Holly tune often recollected by its Beatles cover. Lyle Lovett brings his Texas roots to bear on “Well All Right.” Natalie Merchant slows “Learning the Game” to a precious crawl. Actress-singer Zooey Deschanel takes a straightforward approach to “It’s So Easy,” a Holly number often known by its Linda Ronstadt cover. Ronstadt herself does a rockabilly-blues cover of “That’ll Be the Day.” Holly’s tunes are so much a part of rock’s foundation that they hold up perfectly after all these years.