Well, I guess your subject line is referring to me, Suzanne! :~) <<Christine Albert and Chris Gage of Austin (who are married) now have a Christmas CD that covers "River." Interestingly, it's Chris who sings the lead. Have other men covered the song? I find that rather fresh and daring.>>
Thanks for the tip...I've added this one to the JMDL covers database. As for men performing the song, plenty have done so. Some of the more notable include: Robert Downey Jr. on the Ally MacBeal Christmas CD. This has proven to be a very popular version. He does a fantastic job with it. Marti Pellow, lead vocalist for Wet Wet Wet, did it on air during a BBC radio show. Gorgeous! Billy Squier (he of 'stroke me, stroke me fame) does a bizarre version where he begins with the proper lyric and then really takes the words into left field, seemingly making them up as he went along. What was he thinking? Kenny Lattimore does a Stevie Wonderish reading on Peter White's CD. A little over-sanitized maybe, but very soulful. Dave van Ronk gravel-voices his way through it; James Taylor turns in a very emotional performance of the song with Joni watching on during the TNT tribute. He sings "I wish I had a river so wide" instead of long, but that was no major foul in my book. The song, one of the saddest and prettiest of Joni's, works for either gender as is the case for almost her catalogue. "Woman of Heart & Mind" notwithstanding! ;~) Bob NP: Kate Bennett, "Full Moon Ride"
