Eva Cassidy- Walkin' After Midnight (Original by Patsy Cline)Arguably, Leonard Cohen's most well known song is "Hallelujah". It is one of the most covered songs, as well as one of the most used songs in television and movies. Although Cohen's version may be the original, for my money the most powerful version is Jeff Buckley's. Rufus Wainwright also does a very good rendition of it, and his version was slated to be used in the movie Shrek, but ultimately John Cale's version was used in the film, although Wainwright's was used on the official soundtrack.
Leonard Cohen- Hallelujah
Jeff Buckley- Hallelujah
Rufus Wainwright- Hallelujah
I've been a Nick Drake fan for quite a while now, and over the years I've heard some really pitiful attempts to cover his songs. In all reality, I should know better than to expect anything close to Drake because he had such a unique approach and style to his music, but I've always kept an ear open for any covers that could do him justice. Well, Beck covered a few songs from Drake's last album Pink Moon that gave me chills up and down my spine the first time I heard them. Beck doesn't try to copy Drake's versions, but instead gives them a feel all his own while still keeping the mood of the songs. They are after all, somber songs, but yet somehow beautiful at the same time. Beck's tribute confirms the feelings that Drake's legacy will never be forgotten, no matter how short his career was.
Don't Fear The Reaper (Blue Oyster Cult)
I Me Mine (The Beatles)
Thirteen (Big Star)
Give Me Love (Give Me Peace On Earth) (George Harrison)
I've run across some pretty interesting covers the last few weeks, and thought I'd post them. Some sounds close to the originals, and some sound vastly different. Either way, each artist gives the song a little of themselves and makes for a nice & interesting listen.
JoJo- Beautiful Girls (Sean Kingston)
Robyn- Since U Been Gone (Kelly Clarkson)
Elvis Costello- Ring Of Fire (Johnny Cash)
Paolo Nutini- Rehab (Amy Winehouse)
Mandy Moore- Umbrella (Rihanna)
Beck.com has his version of the late Lee Hazlewood's Forget Marie streaming this week, in memory of Lee's passing. I think the original is amazing, but when I heard Beck's version, I was really blown away with how great his voice sounded with this song. Beck has also done some great covers of one of my favorite singers, Nick Drake. I'll try to post those later next week, because they are equally as good as this song. Here are the two versions of Forget Marie, Lee's original and Beck's cover.
Tori Amos has one of the most beautiful voices I've ever heard. Very haunting at some points, and very touching at others. I enjoy her original music of course, but I'm always interested to hear an artist take another persons song and make it his or her own. The following songs are some of my favorite Tori covers. The sound quality on a couple recordings leaves a lot to be desired, but is still very enjoyable in my opinion.
Ain't No Sunshine (Bill Withers)
Penny Lane (The Beatles)
Smells Like Teen Spirit (Nirvana)
With A Little Help From My Friends (The Beatles)
