Dean Haitani – Book of Covers Volume 1

CD REVIEW – by Chris Spencer
Dean Haitani – Book of Covers Vol. 1

I am loathe to describe Haitani as a young blues and rock guitarist, in case some of our readers may be a similar age.
He has already recorded two or three albums, depending on which website one believes.
As well as playing blues and roots music, he has also been a member of Tanya Kernaghan’s touring band.
I am very supportive of artists performing covers.

As well as indicating where their roots and influences lay, sometimes a listener is introduced to a new performer to look out for. There’s also the interest in how an artist interprets a song – do they do a straight cover or do they inject their own personality or change the arrangement.

On this album, Haitani has recorded 10 covers, of artists ranging from Bob Marley (“No Woman No Cry”), Jimi Hendrix (“Little Wing”), Muddy Waters (“Mean Old Frisco”), Elvis Presley (“Blue Suede Shoes”) and Bobby McFerrin (“Don’t Worry be Happy”).
Surprisingly Dean has covered “Razor’s Edge”, originally recorded by Goanna.
I am unfamiliar – and perhaps showing my age – with his covers of Edie Brickel (“What I Am”) and Jon Cleary (“So Damn Good”): I hadn’t heard any of Cleary’s music until he performed on my favourite TV show the other Saturday night – RocKwiz!

On the “Maria Maria” track, another that I am not familiar, Haitani gives the track a Spanish guitar picking treatment. (I suspect that Haitani has based his version on the Santana recording).
On “Little Wing”, Dean performs it as an acoustic performance, rather than an electric.
Instead of collecting a bevy of session musicians or friends to help out, Dean has recorded all the songs himself, playing all guitars, keyboards, harmonica and vocals himself.

In most cases, he plays restrained acoustic and quiet electric guitar, so that the overall mood of the album is laid back and relaxing, rather than a heavy guitar fest.

Recommended for those of you who like your acoustic blues and reggae; I’m not sure how far removed the music on this CD is from his earlier albums.