Foreverly

On 2013’s Foreverly, Green Day’s Billie Joe Armstrong and solo star Norah Jones cover The Everly Brothers’ 1958 album Songs Our Daddy Taught Us. The original album showed the Everlys foregoing their rock ’n’ roll moves for the traditional folk and country tunes they’d been taught by their father, Ike Everly. Billie Joe and Norah take a freer interpretation of these songs, shuffling up the original order and adding early rock ’n’ roll elements where they see fit. The harmonies are largely copied from the Everlys’ blueprint, with Jones obviously adding a feminine touch. Jones has already been over this terrain with her country outfit The Little Willies, but Armstrong’s never previously ventured beyond garage rock in search of his roots. Gene Autry’s “Silver Haired Daddy of Mine” features a tinkling piano and light early-rock groove. The Appalachian murder ballad “Down in the Willow Garden” is enhanced with a stalking lead guitar and pedal steel. Yet at the heart of these songs are, no surprise, stirring melodies and close-knit harmonies that convey an intimacy worth pursuing.