To mark the ten-year anniversary of their 2007 breakthrough album
The Con
, Canadian sister duo
Tegan and Sara
conceived a companion set in which they would ask various artists to record cover versions of songs from the album. Beyond acting as a celebration of a career-defining release,
The Con X: Covers
arrives with an altruistic intent befitting the original LP's themes of emotional strife and self-discovery. A fundraiser for their own Tegan and Sara Foundation, the album's proceeds will benefit women and girls in the LGBTQ community for which the sisters have long been outspoken advocates. Additionally, it was their intent that each contribution come from another artist who either publicly supports or identifies as LGBTQ. The result is essentially a self-prescribed tribute album with admirable motives that plays with the usual bumpy sequencing of multi-artist/multi-genre compilations. Some interpretations work better than others, though the spirit of the original release seems to be honored throughout.
Paramore
's
Hayley Williams
turns rocker "Nineteen" on its head with a pleasantly subdued dream pop version, while
Ryan Adams
heaps extra layers of rock intensity to "Back in Your Head," coming off like a manic
Lindsey Buckingham
. Overall, it's an intriguing listen with some star power and enough high points to please fans of
's original LP. ~ Timothy Monger