Closer To You: The Pop Side

When vocalist Cassandra Wilson covered the 1960’s hit, “Last Train to Clarksville,” on her 1996 release, *New Moon Daughter*, it turned a lot of people’s heads. Wilson and her band transformed the peppy pop song into something strange and mysterious. (Kevin Breit\'s electric guitar work was key in creating the track’s intriguing vibe.) That cover version is probably the best known example of something Wilson has done for years: putting her indelible mark on a popular rock song, and in the process, making it new again. 2009’s *Closer to You: The Pop Side* collects 11 of those tunes, including the Monkees hit. One of the compilation’s standouts, Neil Young\'s “Harvest Moon,” delights with its slow tempo and dreamy atmosphere. A pair of bass players appear on Bob Dylan\'s “Lay, Lady, Lay,” where Wilson effectively utilizes two singing registers that nicely play off of each other. The album wraps up with the Jimmy Webb-penned classic, “Wichita Lineman,” a perfect choice for the singer’s sense of drama. Two percussionists, Jeffrey Haynes and Cyro Baptista, lend the excellent cut just the edge it needs.