“Time After Time” is one of my favorite songs of all time and on my short list of the best things to come out of the 80s. Yet, there are other artists who still have managed to bring something refreshing to this timeless tune.
Stolen Shack
I heard this on Pandora the other day. This indie band washes the song with a nice, rustic—almost medieval—feel. From their website: “Cyndi Lauper started out as a dulcimer player, which makes it seem natural that Gabe plays harpsichord on this one – an instrument very similar in timbre to the dulcimer.”
Eva Cassidy
This singer—from Washington, DC—mostly spent her career in small venues. But, like another posthumously-celebrated artist Iz (mentioned earlier in this blog), her sparse arrangements and piercing vocals seemed to imbue the songs she touched with an extra layer of meaning. She gives Cyndi a run for her money with this rendition.
The original: The video is a campy mess, and still can’t ruin this gem.
Monday, March 22, 2010
Monday, March 15, 2010
Covers by Amy Winehouse
Disclaimer: Amy Winehouse is a crack head and a drunk.
Now that that’s out of the way, when her voice landed in the US in 2007, I was blown away. I could wax poetry about her innate ability to take even middling songs to greatness, but…I’d just sound weird. I can show you better than I can tell you.
“Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow:” This entry was written by songwriting legends Gerry Goffin and Carole King. It was first performed by the Shirelles in 1960, and has since been recorded by many different artists (including Dusty Springfield) and was ranked among Rolling Stone's list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time at #125. It is a classic because it is simple, beautiful, universal and flawless. Songs don’t come around like that every day. So for Amy to tackle it and still bring something fresh—and heart wrenching—to it was a true feat.
“Valerie:” This song was first done, to little acclaim in the US, by a British band called The Zutons in 2006. However, the famous DJ, Mark Ronson, got the idea to hand it to Amy for his 2007 remix album Version. Even though this song is clearly a man singing to a woman, she still inhabits the song and makes it work. Awesome. The live, acoustic version she recorded for AOL is even better.
Now that that’s out of the way, when her voice landed in the US in 2007, I was blown away. I could wax poetry about her innate ability to take even middling songs to greatness, but…I’d just sound weird. I can show you better than I can tell you.
“Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow:” This entry was written by songwriting legends Gerry Goffin and Carole King. It was first performed by the Shirelles in 1960, and has since been recorded by many different artists (including Dusty Springfield) and was ranked among Rolling Stone's list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time at #125. It is a classic because it is simple, beautiful, universal and flawless. Songs don’t come around like that every day. So for Amy to tackle it and still bring something fresh—and heart wrenching—to it was a true feat.
“Valerie:” This song was first done, to little acclaim in the US, by a British band called The Zutons in 2006. However, the famous DJ, Mark Ronson, got the idea to hand it to Amy for his 2007 remix album Version. Even though this song is clearly a man singing to a woman, she still inhabits the song and makes it work. Awesome. The live, acoustic version she recorded for AOL is even better.
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Covers by Adele
Adele slays me every time she opens her mouth. I adore that girl. And she’s impossibly young to carry so much weight in her music—just very talented.
“To Make You Feel My Love”: Another Bob Dylan classic, he recorded and released this song on his 1997 album Time Out of Mind, however the definitive version is probably Garth Brooks’ excellent cover from just one year later in 1998. It is Adele’s 2008 version, however, that makes me weak in the knees.
“Steady as She Goes”: You’ve probably picked up on the fact that I’m a huge Jack White fan no matter what band he is in (he has musical ADHD). So, I am also a fan of the Raconteurs. I quickly devoured their first single ever, from 2006, “Steady as She Goes.” When I heard that Adele covered it on the fly at a UK festival, I was excited…and completely at a loss as to how it would sound. She did not disappoint. This girl is so bad she sang the lyrics off of the screen of a cell phone.
“To Make You Feel My Love”: Another Bob Dylan classic, he recorded and released this song on his 1997 album Time Out of Mind, however the definitive version is probably Garth Brooks’ excellent cover from just one year later in 1998. It is Adele’s 2008 version, however, that makes me weak in the knees.
“Steady as She Goes”: You’ve probably picked up on the fact that I’m a huge Jack White fan no matter what band he is in (he has musical ADHD). So, I am also a fan of the Raconteurs. I quickly devoured their first single ever, from 2006, “Steady as She Goes.” When I heard that Adele covered it on the fly at a UK festival, I was excited…and completely at a loss as to how it would sound. She did not disappoint. This girl is so bad she sang the lyrics off of the screen of a cell phone.
Friday, March 5, 2010
Covers by Joss Stone
I have a weird thing with Joss Stone. That is not to say that I do not like her work—because I do—but I’ve heard people wax poetry on her abilities like she was the second coming of Billie Holiday. I’ve sometimes felt she is overrated. However, I have gotten my money’s worth out of her renditions of these two songs:
“The Son of a Preacher Man”: This song was first performed by another British, blue-eyed soul singer—Dusty Springfield, who released this song in 1968. I love this song and I love what Joss did with it here at a UK Hall of Fame tribute to Dusty. Watching her perform it proved to me that she does have soul, and she had me believing every word coming out of her mouth. By the end, I had goose bumps.
The White Stripes are one of my favorite bands and I was extremely skeptical when I heard Joss Stone had taken a stab at their 2002 breakout hit “Fell in Love with a Girl.” She re-styled it as a funk number called “Fell in Love with a Boy.” There will always be a special place in my heart for the original, but she definitely did the song proud.
It gets even better guys. Stay tuned for Adele.
“The Son of a Preacher Man”: This song was first performed by another British, blue-eyed soul singer—Dusty Springfield, who released this song in 1968. I love this song and I love what Joss did with it here at a UK Hall of Fame tribute to Dusty. Watching her perform it proved to me that she does have soul, and she had me believing every word coming out of her mouth. By the end, I had goose bumps.
The White Stripes are one of my favorite bands and I was extremely skeptical when I heard Joss Stone had taken a stab at their 2002 breakout hit “Fell in Love with a Girl.” She re-styled it as a funk number called “Fell in Love with a Boy.” There will always be a special place in my heart for the original, but she definitely did the song proud.
It gets even better guys. Stay tuned for Adele.
Monday, March 1, 2010
Covers by Duffy
I am the least familiar with her work, and generally like her original stuff better. But, check out what she’s done with these two tunes:
“Wonderwall” – Oasis: Admittedly this is not spectacular, and a little percussion wouldn’t have hurt anybody. But I still think the performance was not bad, which is saying a lot for a song that is so iconic.
“Borderline” – Madonna: Again a little rough, but I applaud Duffy because this was an off-the-cuff request, and still her voice was just kind of ready for game time.
Next up…Josh Stone.
“Wonderwall” – Oasis: Admittedly this is not spectacular, and a little percussion wouldn’t have hurt anybody. But I still think the performance was not bad, which is saying a lot for a song that is so iconic.
“Borderline” – Madonna: Again a little rough, but I applaud Duffy because this was an off-the-cuff request, and still her voice was just kind of ready for game time.
Next up…Josh Stone.
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