Damian Kulash, lead singer of OK Go, does a magnificent job of re-interpreting the vocal line for "Rock 'n' Roll Suicide." His inflections are such that he is reminiscent of Bowie without really sounding like him. He is able bring the proper emotional weight to the material while avoiding sliding over the edge into the melodrama. Of course Bonerama, a brass band, are right at home with the song and have expanded upon the original's use of horns. It always continues to amaze me how sultry a trombone can be made to sound in the proper hands.

I was pleasantly surprised by the three original songs from OK Go's most recent release Oh No that have been adapted for this release with "Lately It's So Quiet" standing out in particular. While both "A Million Ways" and "It's A Disaster" are good songs, well performed and interestingly arranged, there was something about the emotional quality of "Lately It's So Quiet" that held my attention more than the others. Kulash has an impressive voice, not so much in terms of power but in its expressiveness.

What served him so well in "Rock 'n' Roll Suicide," the ability to pull emotion from a lyric without having to "emote" all over the place, is on display in each track. It's very impressive for a young singer to learn the less is more rule so effectively and so quickly. Someone with less self assurance might have been tempted to belt out lines instead of trusting in the power of the lyric and his ability to communicate to make the song work.

The fifth song the bands do is a cover of Bob Dylan's "I Shall Be Released," and Al Johnson joins them, singing the lead vocals. I've heard quite a few versions of this song performed and I must say that this is one of the best. First of all there 's something about the song which lends itself to  a horn section, and that is complimented by Bonerama's arrangement which is eerily reminiscent of the funeral marches traditionally played by New Orleans' Brass Bands.

Combined with the mournful, and extremely soulful, rendering of the lyrics by the man whom the benefit is for, you question just what release Dylan was actually talking about. Maybe it's the final release we all have to look forward to at the end of all our struggles and tribulations. Now those are pretty heavy thoughts to be putting into a disc to raise money and awareness of the situation still facing people in New Orleans, but maybe that's the point. People need to be made aware of just how serious the situation remains.
Here it is the third Mardi Gras after Katrina and thousands of people are still living in refugee camps with no sign of there ever being homes for them to return to. While there is an effort to try and find housing for displaced musicians, what about all the other people whose lives were uprooted? What release do they have from their misery?