The Bird and The Bee show no guilt and/or shame in their Hall & Oates love

Why? Who knows. But after a busy and fruitful year as a (Grammy-nominated!) producer for Lily Allen and Little Boots (not to mention the not-yet-released work for Kylie), Greg Kurstin has re-teamed with his bandmate in The Bird and The Bee, Inara George, to record a tribute album to Hall & Oates. Yup. Maybe there’s an affinity between duos? Either way, K&G give H&O a mostly affectionate tribute on Guiltless Pleasures Volume 1: A Tribute to Daryl Hall and John Oates. Only “mostly” affectionate because there’s something kind of smug about a cover songs ostensibly in “tribute” to an act that’s widely used as a punch line. There are also the implications of “guiltless pleasures;” sincerity doesn’t need a guilt-o-meter.  Musically, the B&B softronic touch is nice, notably on “Private Eyes,” and it takes musicians of a certain calibre to handle those Daryl and John harmonies. One can only imagine that there will be future volumes, so who’s next? Please not Journey.