Pat Green & Cory Morrow - Songs We Wish We'd Written (2001)

Pat Green and fellow Texan (they were also buddies in college) Cory Morrow, both of whom are known more as songwriters than as song interpreters, joined forces in 2001 for an unassuming album of covers, Songs We Wish We'd Written, that featured some of their favorite songwriters and songs, which ranged from Waylon Jennings' "Are You Sure Hank Done It This Way?" to Steve Winwood's Blind Faith-era "Can't Find My Way Home," John Prine's "Paradise," Townes Van Zandt's "Ain't Leavin' Your Love," and Joe Egan and Gerry Rafferty's "Stuck in the Middle with You," among others. There's nothing fancy or flashy about this set, but it is full of charm and good intention, and in the end, it works wonderfully because the songs Green and Morrow selected to cover are all first-rate, whatever genre they initially appeared under, and neither singer tries to do too much with them. It's been said that a good song sings itself. That might not be exactly true, but here, at least, Green and Morrow let the song at hand go where it seems to want to go. That warm trust and faith in the songs are what gives this quiet little album its charm and strength.