Smoking Popes

The Party’s Over (Double Zero)
by Scott Hefflon

Recorded in ’98 but never released, here’s the final Smoking Popes record, their cover album. Ten non-ironic covers of Judy Garland, Patsy Cline, Willie Nelson, The Byrds, and more. The playing styles range from sad country to countrified pop to powerpop, and Josh Caterer’s voice is in top form. Before he shifted from the secular to the spiritual, he sang of love and loss and wondering what went wrong, and these covers showcase the band’s feelings and abilities nicely.
(PO Box 7122 Algonquin, IL 60102)