When I first encountered Boston’s Cold Chocolate back in the day, they were exploring a traditional bluegrass sound. Well time passes and artists evolve. Today their music is best described as garage folk, intelligent singer-songwriter fare that is scruffy in the best possible way.
Like many an artist, they found themselves with some time on their hands. But when life gives you lemons, make lemonade. In their case, it came in the form of a covers album celebrating some of their favorite songs from the late 21st century. And what an album it is.
Now That’s What I Call Cold Chocolate, Volume 1 – a nod to the long-running pop compilation album series Now That’s What I Call Music – is as fun as it is eclectic in its musical selections. The duo takes on songs ranging from Aerosmith’s “Walk This Way” to Hall & Oates “You Make My Dreams Come True” to Radiohead’s “High and Dry”. The beauty of it all is their ability to stay true to both the songs and themselves – infusing these classic melodies with their own gritty character.
Their performance of Prince’s “Kiss” for example, retains the original’s funkiness but add their own gruff urgency. Their version of Paul Simon’s “Late In the Evening” plays into the percussiveness and adds plenty of raw and feisty guitar. Beck’s slacker anthem “Loser” gets the garage rock treatment while their approach to Radiohead’s “High and Dry” goes in a different direction, transforming it into more of a restrained piano ballad.
Says singer-guitarist Ethan Robbins, one half of the duo with drummer-vocalist Ariel Bernstein, about the album:
In the middle of 2020, while we were all still locked down and isolated in our homes, unable to see each other, Ariel and I began to conceptualize this covers album. The theme at the time was “nostalgia”—songs that evoked happy memories for us. Whether we listened to them as new songs on the radio when we were kids, or songs our parents played for us—they’re chicken soup for the soul, but in music form. This 12-song album spans the decades of the 70’s, 80’s, and 90’s—arguably the three all-time best decades of recorded music.
Twangville is honored to premiere the full album stream of Now That’s What I Call Cold Chocolate, Volume 1. Settle yourself in for a glorious dose of musical nostalgia and goodness.
About the author: Mild-mannered corporate executive by day, excitable Twangville denizen by night.