Colin Meloy Sings Sam Cooke is a tour-only EP

Extended play

An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...

 by Colin Meloy

Colin Meloy

Colin Patrick Henry Meloy is the lead singer and songwriter for the Portland, Oregon, folk-rock band The Decemberists. In addition to vocals, he performs with an acoustic guitar, 12-string acoustic guitar, electric guitar, bouzouki, harmonica, percussion and interpretive hand gestures.-Early life...

, lead singer of The Decemberists

The Decemberists

The Decemberists are an indie folk rock band from Portland, Oregon, United States, fronted by singer/songwriter Colin Meloy. The other members of the band are Chris Funk , Jenny Conlee , Nate Query , and John Moen .The band's...

. It is the third in a series of EPs featuring covers of influential artists, which includes works of Morrissey

Morrissey

Steven Patrick Morrissey , known as Morrissey, is an English singer and lyricist. He rose to prominence in the 1980s as the lyricist and vocalist of the alternative rock band The Smiths. The band was highly successful in the United Kingdom but broke up in 1987, and Morrissey began a solo career,...

 (Colin Meloy Sings Morrissey

Colin Meloy Sings Morrissey

Colin Meloy Sings Morrissey was the first solo project released by Portland musician Colin Meloy of The Decemberists. The album was released in January, 2005 and was available exclusively on Meloy's first solo tour...

) and Shirley Collins

Shirley Collins

Shirley Elizabeth Collins MBE is a British folksinger who was a significant contributor to the English Folk Revival of the 1960s and 1970s...

 (Colin Meloy Sings Shirley Collins

Colin Meloy Sings Shirley Collins

Colin Meloy Sings Shirley Collins is the tour-only EP by Colin Meloy, lead singer of The Decemberists. Similar to his EP from 2005, where he covered six songs by Morrissey of The Smiths, Meloy covers six traditional arrangements from folk singer Shirley Collins.-Track listing:#"Dance to Your...

). The album was released to accompany his 2008 solo tour, and features five covers of songs previously performed by the American gospel

Gospel music

Gospel music is music that is written to express either personal, spiritual or a communal belief regarding Christian life, as well as to give a Christian alternative to mainstream secular music....

, R&B, soul

Soul music

Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...

, and pop

Pop music

Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...

 singer Sam Cooke

Sam Cooke

Samuel Cook, , better known under the stage name Sam Cooke, was an American gospel, R&B, soul, and pop singer, songwriter, and entrepreneur. He is considered to be one of the pioneers and founders of soul music. He is commonly known as the King of Soul for his distinctive vocal abilities and...

. Four songs were written or co-written by Cooke; one, "Summertime

Summertime (song)

"Summertime" is an aria composed by George Gershwin for the 1935 opera Porgy and Bess. The lyrics are by DuBose Heyward, the author of the novel Porgy on which the opera was based, although the song is also co-credited to Ira Gershwin by ASCAP....

," is a pop standard that Cooke had performed in 1957. The artwork of the album was designed by Carson Ellis

Carson Ellis

Carson Friedman Ellis is an artist living in Portland, Oregon. She is best known for her children's book illustrations and her album art.- Career :...

, who has done much of the artwork for The Decemberists, and all of Colin Meloy's solo work. The EP also includes vocals from Laura Gibson

Laura Gibson

Laura Gibson is a Portland-area folk singer and songwriter. She was raised in Coquille, Oregon.She currently records for the independent U.S. label Hush Records. In 2008, she toured the United States as the opening act for Colin Meloy. She also added vocal harmonies to his Colin Meloy Sings Sam...

.

Track listing

1. "Cupid
   Cupid (Sam Cooke song)
   "Cupid" is a 1961 hit single recorded and written by Sam Cooke. The song is ranked #452 on the Rolling Stone magazine's list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.-Cover versions:* In 1964, Johnny Rivers covered the song on his live album In Action....
   
   "
2. "Summertime
   Summertime (song)
   "Summertime" is an aria composed by George Gershwin for the 1935 opera Porgy and Bess. The lyrics are by DuBose Heyward, the author of the novel Porgy on which the opera was based, although the song is also co-credited to Ira Gershwin by ASCAP....
   
   "
3. "That's Where It's At"
4. "Good Times
   Good Times (Sam Cooke song)
   "Good Times" is a song written and recorded by Sam Cooke, released as single in 1964.Featured musicians are John Ewing , Edward Hall , John Pisano , Clifton White and The Soul Stirrers...
   
   "
5. "Bring It On Home To Me
   Bring It On Home to Me
   "Bring It On Home to Me" is a 1962 soul song written and recorded by R&B singer-songwriter Sam Cooke. The song, about infidelity, was a hit for Cooke and has become a pop standard covered by numerous artists of different genres. It is one of The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped...
   
   "