It has to be said that there is a touch of trepidation that can fill a reviewers heart when some of your favourite people decide to take on what is generally accepted to be a definitive version of a song. For those who have missed the arrival of Six One Five Collective, it is the combined talents of Sarah Darling, Michael Logen and Nicole Witt, and their latest idea is to cover Don Henley's "The Boys Of Summer".
The Collective do have a track record of tackling seeming impossible tasks - their version of The Weeknd's "Blinding Lights" was exceptional - could they repeat the same winning formula? - well thankfully the answer is yes.
The temperature may be in the minus numbers at present. but this version is sure to get the mercury rising in the thermometer.
The opening brush percussion intro and fiddle lets us immediately know that we are getting a total reworking not some lazy facsimile.
Instead of Don's timbre we get the unmistakable tones of Sarah Darling, easing us into the opening verse
Oh no! you're not home"
Sarah somehow imbues that the lyrics with a greater sense of loss, the feeling of emptiness seems heartfelt. There's a slight change on the final line from "Though I know" to "Oh no" - which makes it seem all the more vivid.
Equally for the chorus you can almost see Sarah in flashback mode as the memories come flooding back. It also marks the arrival of additional vocals of Nicole making a heavenly duo. The prominent fiddle has to do all the heavy lifting that the keyboards and distinctive guitar lines do on the original and it does so to great effect.
The second verse also benefits from Sarah's approach and seems a lot sultrier than the original on the lines
The final chorus, the first few lines delivered to little more than an acoustic guitar is simply sublime.
Will it replace the original on hundreds of driving playlists? - probably not - does it deserve a place in your heart and in your record collection - most definitely yes.