Tribute albums are usually failures.
The albums incur problems such as artists simply rehashing tunes that have already received their definitive recording or swerving too far off into experimental territory, destroying the basic DNA of the song.
It's the rare cover song that actually transforms an artist's original work and breaks new ground, with The Jimi Hendrix Experience's take on Bob Dylan's "All Along the Watchtower" and Cowboy Junkies' version of The Velvet Underground's "Sweet Jane" being two notable exceptions.
Luckily on Through the Wilderness: a tribute to Madonna, the artists recruited superbly deconstruct and re-create the Queen of Pop's songs - for the most part - while infusing the tunes with their own distinct personalities. Released by Manimal Vinyl Records, 25 percent of the album's profits will be donated to Raising Malawi, a humanitarian aid program for orphaned and at-risk children in Malawi.
Through the Wilderness' artists - mostly Los Angeles- or New York-based indie acts - are relatively unknown, the big names here are Giant Drag and Matador Records' Lavender Diamond. But the artists are exceptionally gifted at simulating Madonna's songs and the 15 chosen tracks are solid gold - mainly from the Material Girl's quartet of classic '80s albums: Madonna, Like a Virgin, True Blue and Like a Prayer.
As the curtain of a tabloid lifestyle slowly surrounds her, Through the Wilderness showcases just how great of a songwriter Madonna actually was ... and still is. "Hung Up" from 2005's Confessions on a Dance Floor might be her greatest song in 15 years, and, on Through the Wilderness, Los Angeles' folk psychedelics The Tyde strip the song of its swirling disco beats and pulsing groove, exposing the song as a lost '60s Southern California folk masterpiece. It's just one of several gems the album possesses.
Good: The album kicks off with "La Isla Bonita," originally a flamenco heavy, Latin pop number from 1986's True Blue. But in the hands of Los Angeles/North Carolina singer Jonathan Wilson, "La Isla Bonita" echoes Black Sabbath's "Sweet Leaf" before dropping into an angelic acoustic rhythm, powered by fuzz guitar. What follows are two more stunning reworkings - Jeremy Jay's shuffling, distorted guitar take on the '80s dance anthem "Into the Groove" and Golden Animals' recasting of "Beautiful Stranger" as "Beautiful Stranger Blues," a psychedelic blast of the desert.
Although the atmospheric retelling of "Live to Tell" by Winter Flowers and Alexandra Hope's acoustic "Lucky Star" both deserve mentioning, Through the Wilderness' best moments are The Chapin Sisters' "Borderline" and Lavender Diamond's "Like a Prayer."
The Chapin Sisters - a trio of actual sisters from Los Angeles - dismantle the synth-pop "Borderline" to its soul, redrafting it as a banjo-propelled, earthy lullaby where the sisters' harmonies are the song's heart. Lavender Diamond's acoustic guitar, piano and tribal drum arrangement of the controversial "Like a Prayer" returns the song to its gospel roots, a triumphant and gorgeous redrafting allowing lead singer Rebecca Stark's lush vocals to stake her claim to the song.
Bad: For all its good intentions, Through the Wilderness also is home to its share of clunkers, confused versions so twisted and over-thought that the simple pop blissfulness of the tunes are lost. The two main offenders are Mountain Party's cover of "Material Girl" and Ariel Pink's restyling of "Everybody," Madonna's debut single in 1982.
Mountain Party - a moniker for Los Angeles folky-experimental Erica Garcia - strips away the throwaway pop genius of the original Nile Rodgers' produced "Material Girl" and imparts a minimalist sound that wanders into Pink Floyd Ummagumma territory. The failure of "Everybody" does not lie with Ariel Pink's lo-fi disco revisement per se, but rather with the tune's songwriter, Madonna. With a repeated chorus of "Everybody, come on, dance and sing/Everybody, get up, do your thing," it's easy to see why the song did not chart in the first place.
The Bubonic Plague's murky cover of "Who's That Girl" and New York shoegazer's Apollo Heights take on "Dress You Up" also fail to hit the mark.
Of course, with any tribute or greatest hits collection, the complaint is always what is missing. For Through the Wilderness, the chief problem is where is "Holiday"?
Must haves: "La Isla Bonita," "Beautiful Stranger," "Live to Tell," "Hung Up," "Lucky Star," "Borderline," "Cherish," "Like A Prayer"
Rating (our of five): 3 1/2