Smoking Popes - The Party's Over (2001)

The aptly named "The Party's Over" is made up exclusively of cover songs and most were done in sessions in 1998 with the late Phil Bonnet producing. The Popes always showed a strong sense of being influenced by artists outside of the rock world, and this collection demonstrates these tendencies abundantly. The artists who provided the inspiration for these songs are Patsy Cline ("Seven Lonely Days") , Willie Nelson ("Valentine"), Ella Fitzgerald (among many others who did "Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered" and "Stormy Weather"), Judy Garland (among others who did "The Party's Over" , "You'll Never Walk Alone" and "Zing! Went the Strings of my Heart"), The Byrds and/or the Flying Burrito Brothers ("Farther Along"), and Chuck Jackson (who had a hit with the Burt Bacharach/Hal David-penned "Wake Up Crying"). The final song is the Kris Kristopherson hymn "Why Me"-this is done solo by acoustic by Josh (with female backing vocal) and was recorded much later after the end of the Popes. It's also the title song on Josh's self-released five song EP of religious songs.