When Lisa Mitchell appeared on Australian Idol, she often seemed out of her element performing cover versions. She’s revelled in producing her own original music since her stint on reality TV. Her voice was always unique, her sound constantly evolving as she played with music and lyrics. So it’s interesting that with her latest EP, When They Play That Song, Lisa has turned her attention back to cover songs.
While this EP is something I never thought she’d do, Lisa is a very different artist to the teenager we met on Australian Idol. She’s had time to play with her sound and evolve as a musician, and that helps her approach these covers with a confidence rarely seen during her time on reality TV.
The five tracks she’s chosen are interesting. Placebo’s “Every Me and Every You” and Phantom Planet’s “California” already had a healthy dose of indie cred, while the Spice Girls’ “Stop” and The Cardigans’ “Lovefool” are as mainstream as you can get. “Cruel to Be Kind” by Nick Lowe comes from a very different time than the ‘90s anthems on this release, but it makes sense here. Lisa approaches all the songs with a delicate touch. She needs little more than an acoustic guitar and her sweet, whispery voice to bring them to life. I appreciate the minimalist approach which lets us hear the nuances in lyrics that might have been drowned out by production in the originals.
This is an exciting EP that helps us hear something different in the songs Lisa has recorded. Something tells me if we saw her on Idol now, playing the sort of covers she’s now capable of, she might have been able to win the whole thing.
When They Play That Song is released on September 15. Lisa will play some Parlour gigs around Victoria before heading to the United Kingdom and Europe for more shows.
Image used with permission from Parlophone