Review: The Mavericks Celebrate 30 Years By Covering Their Favorites on 'Play the Hits'

Rating: 7.5/10

It's always fascinated me when well-established bands release covers albums. Not as much for the covers themselves, which are rarely as good as the original, but because it offers a glimpse into the minds of the artists. Were these songs that influenced them? That they heard a lot as kids? Or just songs that they felt they could put a new twist on to make their own. So when I received my press copy of The Mavericks' aptly named Play the Hits, I had those same questions. After 30 years at the cutting edge of roots music innovation, what artists would The Mavericks choose to honor with covers?

The surprises began from the very first track, “Swingin”. John Anderson's 1983 original is one of the more heinous crimes against humanity perpetrated by '80s country music, a vapid ode to lawn furniture that managed to say nothing and do so in the most boring way possible. Surprisingly, The Mavericks arrangement of the song turned it into something that is, if not exactly good (those corny lyrics about garden hoses and fried chicken can't be fixed), at least something worth listening to. Abandoning Anderson's exaggerated twang and adding a signature Mavericks horn-laden drive instrumentally, their version of “Swingin” is still at its core a song about courting a girl, but the boogie beat and vocalist Raul Malo's suggestive delivery of the lyrics offer a couple of more alternative suggestions for the title, both in the dancing and loving department.

From there, the album casts a wide net of influences. From Elvis (“Don't Be Cruel”) to Patsy Cline (a gender-flipped “Why Can't She Be You?”) to Patty Loveless (a rocked up rendition of “Blame It On Your Heart”), The Mavericks play in the country, rock, blues, and Tejano worlds successfully. Not surprising since that’s been what they’ve done for 30 years.

In this cavalcade of star power, a few songs do stand out as highlights. The first is the band's cover of Freddy Fender's “Before the Next Teardrop Falls.” Featuring Tejano legend Flaco Jimenez, the song is stripped down to its most basic roots, featuring just an acoustic guitar and Flaco's accordion. It's no surprise The Mavericks chose to honor Fender here. One of country music's first Latino stars, Fender paved the way for numerous artists including The Mavericks. The gentle touch they put on Fender's biggest hit is as fitting a love letter as could be written.

On “Hungry Heart”, The Mavericks pivot away from Bruce Springsteen's blue-collar blues rock delivery, giving the song a two decade rewind into a '50s or early '60s boogie woogie rocker, complete with clean guitar licks, horn solos, and Malo channeling Fats Domino with his “whoa-oh-oh-oh” choruses. It sounds less like a song written by The Boss and more like a tune that he and his friends might have picked up on 45 at his local record store as a teen.

Another highlight is Waylon Jennings' “Are Your Sure Hank Done It This Way?” The song will likely get a boost from its recent prominent feature in Ken Burns' Country Music documentary series. Arguably the original mission statement for what would become the country-rock, newgrass, and eventually Americana movement, Jennings' satire on the “purity test” questions he got when he came to Music City are posed again as the outlaw country song is transformed into a glitzy show tune, with Malo finding an interesting mix between the booming delivery of Jennings and the over the top showmanship of a ‘68 Comeback-era Elvis Presley. You can be assured listening to this song that Hank did not do it this way, and you'll come out perfectly ok with that.

30 years in, The Mavericks have nothing left to prove to anyone. Yet they continue to find ways to surprise and delight their old fans and win over new ones. With Play the Hits, they've once again found another way to reinvent themselves, by reinventing the legends who preceded them. It's a great “drive with the windows down and the radio turned up” feel good album.

Play the Hits releases on Nov. 1 and you can get it digitally via all the major sites and in physical form at your local indie record shop. If you'd like to see The Mavericks “play the hits”, both the covers from this album and their own, they have a full slate of Fall and Winter dates planned. You can see them all here.