Due March 27th from 429 Records (a unit of SLG), the record runs the gamut from pop to indie, metal to rap. Gray even touches on ’80s new wave with the first single, a version of the Eurythmics’ “Here Comes the Rain Again”. She goes indie with Arcade Fire’s “Wake Up” and “Maps” from Yeah Yeah Yeahs, hard with “Nothing Else Matters” by Metallica and My Chemical Romance’s “Teenagers”, and shows love to Kanye with “Love Lockdown”. Hell, she’s even got “Two Joints” from Sublime (without Rome) on there. Yeah, it’s gonna be something, all right.

Of course, Ms. Gray will be putting her own soulful spin on the numbers, so don’t expect  to be moshing about, even with the Metallica track. In fact, she’s been playing a few of the songs live for a few years now. Below, you can watch her cover Radiohead’s classic “Creep” – which will be on Covered – at the 2010 North Sea Jazz Festival in the Netherlands. The full tracklist follows. An extensive tour is expected to support the release, so stay tuned for more.

“Creep”:

Covered Tracklist:
01. Maps (Yeah Yeah Yeahs)
02. Wake Up (Arcade Fire)
03. Nothing Else Matters (Metallica)
04. Teenagers (My Chemical Romance)
05. Here Comes the Rain Again (Eurythmics)
06. Creep (Radiohead)
07. Bubbly (Colbie Caillat)
08. Love Lockdown (Kanye West)
09. Two Joints (Sublime)
10. Sleep to Dream (Fiona Apple)
11. Sail (AWOLNATION)

Given his reputation as somewhat of an alcoholic, Strokes frontman Julian Casablancas was an appropriate choice to sing “Rave On” for the title alone. High-pitched and grungy guitars bolster his tragic falsetto for layers of texture, and the minor chords in the chorus tug at the listener’s heartstrings. Similarly, Cee Lo Green of “F-ck You” fame was an apt pick to sing the backhanded compliments on “(You’re So Square) Baby I Don’t Care”. He brings out the song’s sweetness with a calypso beat, but his clear tenor elucidates how, frankly, insulting the lyrics can be: “I wonder why I love you, baby/I guess that’s just because you’re so square”. Karen Elson’s ensuing version of “Crying, Waiting, Hoping” conveys the original song’s insane optimism and desperation with galloping fiddles. Even though she ostensibly recorded this song before her celebrated divorce from Jack White, that fact adds irony that probably never crossed Holly’s aching heart.

His songs almost always address a girl he wants but can’t have; so whenever female vocalists sing Buddy Holly, their versions respond to him. Jenny O. challenges Holly’s futile quest for affection with her sugary “I’m Gonna Love You Too”. By changing the gender in the song—“After all, another girl took you up” instead of “guy”—she wonders if he truly, madly, deeply wants to be with her or if she’s just another song title. Florence and the Machine twists that same sentiment on “Not Fade Away”: Her sexy, borderline sinister voice coaxes, “I’m gonna tell you how it’s gonna be/You’re going to give your love to me.” Backed by tubas and mechanical drum taps, Florence’s version is meaty and compelling (I’m more inclined to listen to her telling me what to do than Buddy Holly). On the more innocent “Everyday”, Jon Brion and Fiona Apple sing the only duet on the album. Their complementary voices mitigate the longing behind the album’s boys versus girls theme. The xylophone and handclaps in the background give one of Holly’s most popular songs a new, almost nursery-rhyme quality.

And let’s not leave the male vocalists out. Kid Rock’s soulful vocals on “Well All Right”, backed by Motown-worthy horns and bass, reminds the listener why Buddy Holly’s music famously won over an all-black audience at the Apollo Theater in the 1950′s. My Morning Jacket’s Jim James trades his full-throated yowl for a sweet warble on “True Love Ways” and Graham Nash takes depression to new heights on “Raining In My Heart”. Both artists eschew contemporary instrumental arrangements for, respectively, romantic 1940’s violins and piano chords that belong in a Nora Ephron montage. All the musicians on Rave On Buddy Holly run such a gamut that it’s hard to dispute Buddy Holly’s continuously far-reaching influence in music. At the same time, if these songs weren’t on a covers album, it would be easy to mistake them for a Lou Reed original or an old Modest Mouse track. Whether that speaks more for Holly’s talent as a lasting songwriter or these artists’ ability to contemporize classic pop will remain unknown. Until the Lou Reed covers album, of course.

Fiona Apple‘s cover of Buddy Holly’s 1957 classic “Everyday” is the latest offering from the forthcoming Rave on Buddy Holly tribute album. It’s also the most anticipated of the 19 tracks included. We are, after all, six years removed from her last LP, Extraordinary Machine, and with the exception of a track on a children’s album and a collabo with Margaret Cho, the 33-year old singer-songwriter has remained out of the spotlight in recent years. So, at least for right now, consider this Jon Brion-featuring cover a rarity.

The track was premiered on the latest episode of 107.7 The End’s “What’s Next”. Just click here and scroll to the :50 second mark (via 24B).

Rave On Buddy Holly hits stores June 28th via Fantasy Records/Concord Music Group.

Rave On Buddy Holly Tracklist:
01. The Black Keys – “Dearest”
02. Fiona Apple and Jon Brion – “Every Day”
03. Paul McCartney – “It’s So Easy”
04. Florence and the Machine – “Not Fade Away”
05. Cee-Lo – “(You’re So Square) Baby, I Don’t Care”
06. Karen Elson – “Crying, Waiting, Hoping”
07. Julian Casablancas – “Rave On”
08. Jenny O. – “I’m Gonna Love You Too”
09. Justin Townes Earle – “Maybe Baby”
10. She & Him – “Oh Boy”
11. Nick Lowe – “Changing All Those Changes”
12. Patti Smith – “Words of Love”
13. My Morning Jacket – “True Love Ways”
14. Modest Mouse – “That’ll Be the Day”
15. Kid Rock – “Well… All Right”
16. Detroit Cobras – “Heartbeat”
17. Lou Reed – “Peggy Sue”
18. John Doe – “Peggy Sue Got Married”
19. Graham Nash – “Raining in My Heart”

Don’t think these artists emailed in recordings of a few Cho lines either. Every artist cowrote his or her track(s). Yes, that means Ani DiFranco played an active role in creating “Captain Cameltoe”. If you don’t find this vaguely distressing, you should.

Several of these songs have seen the light of day, including “Eat Shit and Die” with Grant Lee Phillips and “My Puss”, which became a music video that’s about as classy as you would expect. Listen to those songs at your own risk and check out the full track list below.

Meanwhile, Cho is expected to appear at Bonnaroo this weekend with The Raconteurs Brendan Benson, where they’ll film a music video for their co-written tune, ” Baby I’m With the Band”.

Cho Dependent Tracklist:
01. Intervention (w/ Tegan & Sara)
02. Calling in Stoned (w/ Ben Lee & Tommy Chong)
03. Your Dick (w/ A.C. Newman and Ben Lee)
04. Baby I’m With The Band (w/ Brendan Benson)
05. Hey Big Dog (w/ Patty Griffin, Ben Lee, and Fiona Apple)
06. I’m Sorry (w/ Andrew Bird)
07. Lice (w/ Ben Lee)
08. Enemies (w/ Jon Brion)
09. Asian Adjacent (w/ Grant Lee Phillips)
10. Gimme Your Seed (w/ Garrison Starr)
11. Eat Shit and Die (w/ Grant Lee Phillips)
12. Captain Cameltoe  (w/ Ani DiFranco)
13. My Puss (w/ Diana Yanez & Kurt Hall)
14. Hidden Track: Lesbian Escalation (w/ Rachael Yamagata)

The track, so effervescent and joyous, will certainly fill your need for new Fiona Apple material and as 24B postulates, perhaps will lead to a true Jon Brion/Fiona Apple collaboration, you know, one we could buy this time.

The song will be featured on the compilation Chickens In Love, which again features lyrics written by the kids at 826 LA and features Los Angeles recording artists She & Him, Fiona Apple, Cold War Kids, Tim and Eric, The Submarines, Summer Darling, The Happy Hollows, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, Dum Dum Girls, The Growlers, Crystal Antlers, and The Pity Party. I know, right? You can stream all of the tracks over at 826 LA’s Facebook page, and can purchase the album here. All album and merch proceeds go directly back into “The 826 Writing and Tutoring Centers”.

Sure, it does. After all, we are talking about a Grammy winner here. It just that, well, the 31-year-old has kind of been out of the public spotlight for quite a while now – it’s been five year’s since the release of Extraordinary Machine and almost three since Ms. Apple was touting around the east coast with Nickel Creek.

However, now it seems that the New York native is ready to begin the next trek of her career. Either that, or for some odd reason is super into covering Cy Coleman. As part of the upcoming That Was Then And This Is Now: A Tribute To Cy Coleman EP, Apple has offered her offered up a rendition of “Why Try To Change Me Now?”

No word on if a new album is on the way, but then again, it’s only been four years since Extraordinary Machine. Based on history, she’s still got plenty of time.

Check Out: (via Perez Hilton)
“Why Try To Change Me Now?”

Tip of the hat to Jenny Julien!