By Jesse Cataldo

In many ways, The Brave and the Bold, a collection of collaborative cover songs, functions as a textbook example of a good idea faulted by poor execution.

Combining Tortoise, an instrumental combo, and Bonnie “Prince” Billy (Will Oldham), The Minutemen and others seems like a promising prospect. But it just doesn’t work and the songs here are mostly listless and uninspired.

“Thunder Road” is Springsteen without the energy or youthful bravado; But the heat of the moment urgency that defines the original is gone, the characters already sound defeated and the result is deflated; eerie and interesting, but not especially listenable. A rare surprise, a cover of Elton John’s “Daniel” has the opposite effect. The quavering waves of feedback and skittering drums that surround Oldham’s voice create a murky atmosphere of submerged horror never imagined on John’s buoyant original, fitting for a song about a blinded Vietnam veteran.

The concepts of these songs are at least interesting, from the torn from a jukebox feel of the selections to the clean-slate way in which they’re interpreted, but for the most part they only work in theory. Sluggish and bored, the Brave and the Bold drags everywhere, from Oldham’s half-interested vocals to Tortoise’s blasé meanderings.