Album stream: Billie Joe Armstrong and Norah Jones: Foreverly

What intriguing confection have we here? Two leading figures of 21st-century entertainment revisit in full an almost forgotten album by an almost forgotten duo from an almost forgotten world.

When Phil and Don Everly released Songs Our Father Taught Us in 1958, they were a happening act in the rapidly emerging rock'n'roll world. Although raised in the country music tradition, they were riding high in the pop charts with their signature harmonies on classic crossover songs such as Wake Up Little Susie and Bye Bye Love. Yet the album harked back to a different time, with its dark mix of traditional murder ballads and lachrymose country standards.

Seen from this juncture, these age-old songs of poverty and pain, murder and deceit, songs with mystery and meaning such as Barbara Allen and Down in the Willow Garden, could be a reaction to what US president Dwight Eisenhower called "an age of danger". The Cold War was a source of anger and anxiety, and Mad Men's modern world was undermining traditional values.

Now, in 2013, the US is again mired in anger and anxiety. The decision of Green Day leader Billie Joe Armstrong and angel-voiced Norah Jones to faithfully re-enact this time-stamped document can be seen in this context. While the likes of Bruce Springsteen have returned to America’s vernacular music, this is, I think, the first time a full album has been remade.

Armstrong’s American punk ethos has thrived on noisier protest, but his singing here is a simple joy. Jones has been accused of blandness in the past, but here her voice is a thing of whispered beauty. The surprise is that together their voices blend so well; they read the songs with understated craft, often creating beguiling, timeless duets. The duo are supported by backing that is subdued but expressive.

Foreverly may be a worthy tribute to the Everly brothers, but in reality it is much more. billiejoeandnorah.com
Download: Lightning Express, Down in the Willow Grove