Various Artists: Between the Covers : Music Reviews : Rolling Stone

Album Reviews

The good news: The proceeds from this compilation benefit the T.J. Martell Foundation, a music-industry charity that raises money for AIDS, cancer and leukemia research. The bad news: It's hard to get excited for an album of previously released cover songs that anybody could easily make for themselves on iTunes. An array of top stars (U2, Madonna, David Bowie, Alicia Keys) donated tracks of varying quality to this collection: Madge's misguided dance-pop version of "American Pie" rears its ugly head again, as does Lenny Kravitz's paint-by-numbers "American Woman." High points include U2's take on "Everlasting Love," Tori Amos' solo-piano "Smells Like Teen Spirit," and Bowie and Mick Jagger's so-cheesy-it's-fun "Dancing in the Street."