Hey Ya!
Hello! And welcome to my brand new corner of the internet.
I’ve long been what I call a ‘cover whore’ and fan of blogs such as Copy, Right? and Cover Freak. I’ve given thought to my own cover-oriented blog before but didn’t want to be a copy cat. Plus, at the time I was sharing my covers via an internet radio show. Now that I don’t have the show, I’ve decided that my need to share the love that are cover songs overrides my fear of being an imitator. Besides, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery and all that jazz.
I figure the best way to start this off is by sharing my favorite covers. I tried at first to arrange them in some sort of order but decided it was like choosing a favorite child since I love each for it’s own merits.
Melissa Rebronja - Wonderwall (Oasis cover) One of my best friends sent this to me a couple years ago when the artist was labeled as ‘unknown’. She’d gotten it off of a compilation CD one of her friends had made for her and neither of them had any idea who the artist might be. I put some research into it and was starting to doubt my Google Fu when I finally managed to pin down that it was Canadian songstress Melissa Rebronja. This is by far my favorite version of this over-covered tune.
Lemar - I Believe in a Thing Called Love (The Darkness cover) One of my favorite things about cover songs is my fascination with how someone can hear a song and yet hear another totally different song within it. So my favorite types of covers are ones which manage to give the song an entirely new sound and that is definitely the case here. I loved the original from the start thanks to it’s throwback sound but this R&B rendition gives the song true soul.
Donnie Osmond & Dweezil Zappa - Stayin’ Alive (BeeGees cover) Each kin to two very different musical families, they come together to make one hell of a cover of a disco classic. The cover itself is not terribly different from the original, though definitely updated. However, the idea of the two of them together makes me glee.
Deee-Lite - You Sexy Thing (Hot Chocolate cover) The break-up of Deee-Lite hit me pretty hard, even though I didn’t know about it until recently. But at least they left behind this gem which never fails to lift my spirits.
Emiliana Torrini - If You Go Away (comp. Rod McKuen) This heartwrenching standard is made even moreso by the stream of pure emotion that is Icelandic crooner Emiliana Torrini’s voice. She’s best known for Gollum’s Song from Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers but I love her for her fabulous covers which I’m sure you will see more of here.
Alex Perdue - Owner of a Lonely Heart/Smooth Criminal (Yes/Michael Jackson cover) A live solo violin medley of two fantastic ’80s songs by a talented musician. It doesn’t get much better!
Joss Stone - Chokin’ Kind (Waylon Jennings cover) How could I not adore a girl who puts out a cover album as her debut? It was hard to choose one favorite off Soul Sessions but I decided on one which really showcases the soul this little British girl puts into her music.
Mat Weddle of Obadiah Parker - Hey Ya (Outkast cover) This is another song which is covered far too often but none can compare to this acoustic version which has been a smash hit on YouTube. It doesn’t happen often, but occasionally I will hear a voice which elicits this strange reaction from me which has me wanting to scream, cry and throw panties. Mat’s voice is one of those.
Gretchen Wilson & Alice in Chains - Barracuda (Heart cover) When I heard that Fergie was covering Barracuda for Shrek the Third, I was thoroughly excited since it’s a favorite song. And I was even happier when I heard it and she hadn’t butchered it. However, as soon as I saw Gretchen’s performance on the 2007 VH1 Rock Honors, I realized that I’d been prematurely elated and that this was the version which deserved my enthusiasm.
Nina Gordon - 18 and Life (Skid Row cover) As the co-founder of one of my favorite ’90s bands, Veruca Salt, I already loved Nina. Then when she came out with a series of fabulous covers, it was pure infatuation.
Frou Frou - Holding Out For A Hero (Bonnie Tyler cover) The two halves of Frou Frou, Imogen Heap and Guy Sigsworth, had already disbanded by the time the producers of Shrek 2 had come to them to ask they take a crack at the ’80s classic but they reunited to cover the track and produce one of the best covers of all time, in my opinion.
