Album Review: Billie Joe & Norah - Foreverly

After his breakdown and stint in rehab, Green Day's Billie Joe Armstrong needed a way to redeem himself. The clean-cut, smooth sounds of Foreverly seem almost like the work of a PR team in damage control. The timing, choice of album and theme seem so out of the blue that everyone has been anticipating the release of this record – even those who don't know who Don and Phil Everly are.

Armstrong choosing to bring Norah Jones aboard was the best thing he could have done. The unmistakable and iconic vocal dynamics of The Everly Brothers have been challenged on this release, and introducing a female voice into the mix opens the songs up to a completely different interpretation.

There's an interesting chemistry between the pair – probably to do with how separate their chosen genres sit from one another – so it would have been nice to see them collaborate on something a little more upbeat and original.

In 1958 The Everly Brothers released a collection of covers titled Songs Our Daddy Taught Us, which gave the songs a new edge. When it comes down to it, Foreverly is a remake of a cover album, and Armstrong and Jones haven't done enough legwork in their own interpretations to justify the final product. Fans of Norah Jones and The Everly Brothers will no doubt find this a good listen, and while this won't really appeal to Green Day fans, it's the first redeeming thing Armstrong has done in years.