IMPOSTER from DAVE GAHAN & SOULSAVERS brims with heartfelt covers

DAVE GAHAN & SOULSAVERS

Imposter (Columbia)

Dave Gahan & Rich ‘Soulsavers’ Machin (better known as just Dave Gahan & Soulsavers) recorded Imposter in 2019 at producer Rick Rubin’s paradisal Malibu recording studio Shangri-La. Afflicted by burnout after a long tour with Depeche Mode, making a covers album was a way for Gahan to dip a toe back in the water. The duo has chosen 12 songs to cover, the selections not always obvious: Bob Dylan’s Not Dark Yet from Time Out Of Mind, or PJ Harvey’s The Desperate Kingdom Of Love from Uh Huh Her.

Conversely, an astonishing cover of Always On My Mind is far more tender and emotionally charged than previous interpretations of the same track and quite possibly the best yet. As a whole, Dave Gahan & Soulsavers‘ Imposter works incredibly well as a complete piece of work, taking the listener on a journey from sin to guilt to redemption with each track brimming with heart and soul.

words DAVID NOBAKHT