I Am Sam: Music From and Inspired by the Motion Picture\n[V2]\nThe Beatles will probably always be the most influential band in music history. But despite their incredible legacy and the industry's ever-willingness to capitalize on a sure thing, cover albums of the Beatles have been almost nonexistent. Some have said it's too hard to remake something that's already perfect; the songs couldn't possibly be improved upon and mixing one's own voice with such recognizable staples might be akin to paraphrasing the Constitution. Nevertheless, I Am Sam collects some of the biggest and most interesting figures in music today in tribute to the greatest band of all time.\nIndulge me a moment to run through the line-up of this collection: Aimee Mann and Michael Penn, Sarah McLachlan, Rufus Wainwright, The Wallflowers, Eddie Vedder, Ben Harper, Sheryl Crow, Ben Folds, The Vines, Stereophonics, The Black Crowes, Chocolate Genius, Heather Nova, Howie Day, Paul Westerberg, Grandaddy and Nick Cave. It's a veritable who's who of musical talent and each one of these artists proves so dedicated to preserving the subject matter that there's hardly a bad move on the album. \nAimee Mann and Michael Penn begin the album with a terrifically harmonic duet of "Two of Us," which segues into the stripped-down beauty of McLachlan's "Blackbird." Rufus Wainwright injects a healthy dose of operatic charisma into "Across the Universe" and Eddie Vedder croons "You've Got To Hide Your Love Away" like it should have been on Vs. As the music continues, Ben Folds shows why he's the new Elton John in a tearfully open "Golden Slumbers," Paul Westerberg's somber "Nowhere Man" proves what a misbehaved and depressed Beatle-maniac he's always been and The Black Crowes lend their chicken-fried Southern soul to the trippy "Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds," leaving the listener with only the question 'Weren't these guys into the other, more mellow mind-expansion?"\nSure, these songs are so deeply ingrained in our music consciousness that it seems almost silly to have them sung by anyone else, but to hear artists of this caliber lend their voices to some of the best songs ever written is thrilling. It's nothing new or inventive, but it sure is entertaining.\n
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