Petra Haden Sings: The Who Sell Out
No one would have seen this coming, but it's as natural as loving a great album can be. Petra Haden renders the classic album,The Who Sell Out, in its entirety -- fake commercials and all -- and she does it a capella. She has a voice and sensibilities to make this work as she performs both the lyrics and components from the Who's instrumental tracks. It is the latter which is particularly affecting, her choices addressing how many fans of the original album would also identify a song's key characteristics. Townshend's guitar parts in particular are sung with virtuosity and unmistakable glee. Far from being a mere stunt, this set works on its own as well as giving one pause, reconsidering the original work in a new light.--David Greenberger