VOA标准英语2011--'Rubber Soulive' Pays Tribute to The Bea

Paying tribute to The Beatles is a time-honored tradition for many of today's pop and rock artists. But one recent tribute comes from a band which specializes in jazz and funk.
New York trio Soulive, featuring Neal Evans on Hammond B-3 organ, his brother Alan on drums, and Eric Krasno on guitar, powers through a tiny portion of The Beatles songbook on their album Rubber Soulive, adding its signature fusion¹ rhythms to such Lennon and McCartney classics as "Help!"
Soulive's "Rubber Soulive" CD
Soulive initially² set out to record an album of material from the 60's British Invasion, but decided³ instead to focus on The Beatles. After all, The Beatles produced some of the era's most enduring songs, including the George Harrison masterpiece, "Something."
Soulive has journeyed a long way since producing its first album in 1999. As the opening act for The Rolling Stones, Dave Matthews Band and John Mayer, the trio developed a strong following of its own. A major label contract soon followed, and, with the release of eight critically-acclaimed albums over the next 10 years, Soulive became one of the country's premier⁴ "jam" bands. Drummer Alan Evans admits that the group has never relied on a formula for success.
"We've always prided ourselves on doing something different every time we go into the studio," Evans says.
Soulive's tribute to the Fab Four was inspired by an impromptu⁵ concert of all-Beatles tunes⁶ they gave in 2009. According to guitarist Eric Krasno, the band then took it a step further and decided to record an entire album of Beatles songs, gleaned⁷ from a list of their personal favorites. He says, "We picked the ones that lent themselves well to our sound, and others where we could add the Soulive flavor."

1 fusion   

n.溶化；熔解；熔化状态，熔和；熔接

参考例句：

• Brass is formed by the fusion of copper and zinc. 黄铜是通过铜和锌的熔合而成的。
• This alloy is formed by the fusion of two types of metal.这种合金是用两种金属熔合而成的。

2 initially   

adv.最初，开始

参考例句：

• The ban was initially opposed by the US.这一禁令首先遭到美国的反对。
• Feathers initially developed from insect scales.羽毛最初由昆虫的翅瓣演化而来。

3 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

4 premier   

adj.首要的；n.总理，首相

参考例句：

• The Irish Premier is paying an official visit to Britain.爱尔兰总理正在对英国进行正式访问。
• He requested that the premier grant him an internview.他要求那位总理接见他一次。

5 impromptu   

adj.即席的，即兴的；adv.即兴的(地)，无准备的(地)

参考例句：

• The announcement was made in an impromptu press conference at the airport.这一宣布是在机场举行的临时新闻发布会上作出的。
• The children put on an impromptu concert for the visitors.孩子们为来访者即兴献上了一场音乐会。

6 tunes   

n.曲调，曲子( tune的名词复数 )v.调音( tune的第三人称单数 )；调整；（给收音机、电视等）调谐；使协调

参考例句：

• a potpourri of tunes 乐曲集锦
• When things get a bit too much, she simply tunes out temporarily. 碰到事情太棘手时，她干脆暂时撒手不管。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 gleaned   

v.一点点地收集（资料、事实）( glean的过去式和过去分词 )；（收割后）拾穗

参考例句：

• These figures have been gleaned from a number of studies. 这些数据是通过多次研究收集得来的。
• A valuable lesson may be gleaned from it by those who have eyes to see. 明眼人可从中记取宝贵的教训。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》