Strange Gathering

Personnel: Tina Root (vocals).
Recording information: Enterprise Studios; Hell Pony Studios; Studio 209.
Tina Root (of Switchblade Symphony fame) is not a jazz singer, but if Strange Gathering is any indication, the goth-influenced alternative pop/rock/darkwave vocalist clearly understands the interpretation concept that jazz artists hold so dear. Any serious jazz singer will tell you that if someone is going to record a famous, well-known song, the artist needs to put his/her own spin on the song instead of trying to offer a carbon copy of the original version; thankfully, there are no carbon copies on this 53-minute CD, which is an album of covers and is Root's first solo project. Although she bills herself as Tre Lux, Strange Gathering is most definitely her solo baby -- and she sees to it that every song she rearranges reflects her alternative pop/rock/darkwave personality. Root picked an interesting variety of songs, which range from Duran Duran's "The Chauffeur" and Ministry's "Every Day Is Halloween" to Radiohead's "Karma Police." But whatever song she embraces -- whether a its origin is industrial, Brit-pop, new wave, adult contemporary or Top 40 -- Strange Gathering is always relevant to the darkwave aesthetic. Root's darkwave credentials are as strong on Soundgarden's "Black Hole Sun" as they are on Coldplay's "Yellow," the Rolling Stones' "Wild Horses" and Norah Jones' "Come Away with Me." Very rarely does one hear Norah Jones' name and the word darkwave used in the same sentence, but when one describes the unlikely but successful makeover that Root gives "Come Away with Me," the term darkwave becomes unavoidable. Root's interpretive abilities are never in question on this enjoyable and consistently intriguing solo effort. ~ Alex Henderson