David Kitt has always liked to include a few cover versions in his live shows, so it was only a matter of time before he got around to releasing a whole album of them. The strange thing is, however, that he's managed to record songs by some world-famous artists (REM, the Beatles, Sonic Youth) and made them all sound like Kittser originals. How you feel about this depends very much on your reaction to the laid-back Dubliner's trademark lo-fi sound - hushed vocals, acoustic guitars and gently meandering beats. It works just fine on a low-key composition such as JJ Cale's 'Magnolia', but when applied to the Fab Four's upbeat 'And Your Bird Can Sing', it just sounds odd and unconvincing. So, the Black and Red Notebook is an interesting curio for Kitt devotees - but everyone else will probably wait for his next regular album instead.

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