First of all, dang! It has been more than a year since I have posted. I guess life is really preoccupied with other things, and there isn’t much time for the introspective blogger to pour out nonsensical musings on the daily anymore… at least not for this one. That being said, I have been thinking about this for a bit, and I wanted to sound off about it; cover songs.
Sometimes, a cover song is golden. Sometimes, it is the one you recognize, and it is the one that many people think of when you think of a particular song. Is it better than the original? Maybe! Is the cover more popular? Probably! Some notable examples include Whitney Houston’s cover of Dolly Parton’s I Will Always Love You, Aretha Franklin’s cover of Otis Redding’s Respect, and how could you forget Tina Turner’s cover of Creedence Clearwater Revival’s Proud Mary? I could go on and on, and some of these songs have become the “standard” version that you think of when you think of a particular song. Other notable contemporary examples, include Natalie Imbruliga’s cover of Ednaswap’s Torn and Mark Ronson and Amy Winehouse’s cover of Zuton’s Valerie; I honestly can’t say as I really “knew” the original, but instantly recognize the cover. Is that to say that the cover is better? Maybe (I have listed some GREAT covers)! That leads to my point in bringing this up… sometimes, it’s best NOT to cover a song.
As an artist, I feel like you need to ask yourself; can I do the song justice? Can I do it as good as or better than the original? Is my version just a fun little love song to the original, and will people really love it as much as I do? I feel like sometimes, the cover is probably just a fun little, “I love this song, and I can sing, so why not?”, and it really shows. Enter the “bad” cover song. Some times, you shouldn’t cover a song, just because you could, because to the listener, you really didn’t do it any justice, and nothing new or wonderful was brought to the table. Sometimes, the result is cringe-worthy. If you are a cover band, and it is fun show, then have at it; but if it is going on a record, or being released a single, I wonder what the motivation is to do (what I think is) a poor cover of a song.
I have a few examples:
Colbie Caillat’s cover of Roberta Flack’s Killing Me Softly With His Song. Now this is actually a cover of a cover, as far as I’m concerned, because most people think of the Fugees version when they think of this song. Not to pick on Colbie too much, but there is literally zero soul in this cover. It isn’t necessary, and I hear it more often than I should. This is a great example of how not to do a good cover.
Another prime example is Paris Hilton’s cover of Rod Stewart’s Do You Think I’m Sexy. The answer is a firm no on that one. There is nothing sexy about this cover, at all. One final of my least favorites, that was/is played TO DEATH on the radio not that long ago, is Ritt Momney’s cover of Corinne Bailey Rae’s Put Your Records On, which shows that sometimes, covering a song does nothing but take a good song, and make it really bad. This is a record that I do NOT want you to put on. It’s almost like they tried to do a half-assed, out-of-tune cover to make fun of the song, but I don’t know if there truly is irony or sarcasm here, or an attempt at something good; it’s difficult to tell. Either way, it is definitely one to skip.
Now, I know I am saying a lot as someone who cannot sing for themselves, so this is all a matter of opinion. There are tons of great songs out there, and cover them all you want; just do it justice! Add a little something, make it yours, give it life (think John Mayer’s live cover of Tom Petty’s Free Fallin’; THAT is a phenomenal cover)! Don’t just go through the motions, or make something that is just a filler track for your record. Again, just my two cents, but these bad covers made me think; what other covers are there that you can’t stand to hear? Sound off in the comments!
Continuing with the acoustic folk-rock, in at number 25 on my countdown this year, is the amazing sophomore disc by Joshua Radin, 
I first fell in instant love with Joshua after hearing his amazing song Today, from his first album, and I knew that I had to hear more. With this most recent release, Joshua has solidly put himself amongst the artists that I will always follow, and anxiously wait in anticipation for new material from them. This album is a soft, almost whisper-driven folk/pop album, which showcases song after song rooted in the same style as work from other acoustic guitar-picking style artists like Bright Eyes, Nick Drake, and especially Simon and Garfunkel. 
I first heard Horse Feathers on the indie channel of XM, and I thought they were mellow and delightful. I downloaded their most recent release, and after hearing this song once, I freaking loved it. The vocals remind me of the smoky/raspy vocals of artists like Ray LaMontagne, which are coupled with a backing female vocal that take something beautiful and make it gorgeous. The delicate nature of this song just makes me want to close my eyes and absorb it all. The violins are achingly beautiful, and the tenderness and composition of the instrumentation is fantastic. The rest of the record is quite good, and being that this song was such an instant favorite, I am happy that I could share it this week. I love discovering stuff like this.
Now, I was originally a skeptic of PCD, but they wouldn’t go away, and eventually, I was lured into their pop web, and ended up becoming somewhat of a fan. Given that I loved the first single off of Doll Domination (When I Grow Up) so much, I had to give the rest of the record a chance, and in my time with it, I have found several great songs on the record. However, my favorite BY FAR, is this amazingly beautiful ballad that pretty much proves what we knew all along; not only is Nicole Scherzinger the voice behind the Pussycat Dolls, but she pretty much NEEDS a solo career. Seriously. Watch the video for this song. She’s definitely carrying this group, and that doesn’t bother me; so as long as they make fantastic songs like this one. I just hope that Nicole is happy, and keeps bringing the goods like she is doing here. Damn she sings the shit out of this song; just listen at about 3:10 in… wow.
As I mentioned earlier this week, I was excited to snag P!nk’s newest album, which came out on Tuesday, and I will say that this record is definitely a grower. With the first listen, I liked it, but with each subsequent listen, many of these songs are really sticking with me in a great way. This song in particular is beautiful, heartbreaking, and perfect for her smoky voice. I have liked P!nk for a long time now, and with this record, she has just further solidified her fan base; it is a great album, and is already among my favorites of this year. I hate that she had to endure a break up, but at least she was able to channel some of that energy into making Funhouse such a great record.
I was originally skeptical of the Saturdays (lots of skepticism this week!); mainly because I felt like they were a bit of a Girls Aloud wannabe. However, their first single, If This Is Love, found it’s way onto my ipod, and I found myself really liking it, and even featured it on a previous five song Friday. My buddy Stu (thanks Stu!!!!!) insisted that I check out the rest of their record, Chasing Lights, and I am VERY glad that I did. There are some very well produced pop songs on that record, and Work, by far, is my favorite. That chorus is just fierce. Girls Aloud have definitely got some competition from these beauties; but I am willing to bet that the world has room for more than a few studio-produced girl pop super groups, right!? With songs like this, I know that I definitely have room for them on my ipod!
Okay, it is no secret that I love Lady GaGa. I gushed yesterday about her amazing performance on Wednesday night, as well as her CD’s release earlier this week (FINALLY!), and since it was such a GaGa week, I felt compelled to bring at least one more track from her amazing record to the table. This song was the song that she closed with the other night, and she fucking tore it up! In fact, since the show, I have been playing this banger on repeat. This song is a new song for fellow GaGa fans; it was one of the two new songs that she put on her already impressive record for release here in the states. I have to say, that she definitely has my vote for best new talent of 2008, and if she keeps churning out impressive pop like this, she is going to be bigger than huge. I am so glad that I got to see her live in such an intimate setting, and I was (and still am) starstruck by the amazing Lady GaGa. Also, make sure you go and check out the video for Poker Face, the second AMAZING single from The Fame… it is FIERCE!
I am going to start this one off with one word: Amazing. Seriously, Beyonce has captured my attention with several hits in the past, like Crazy in Love, and Baby Boy, but it wasn’t until her belting the SHIT out of Listen in Dreamgirls that I really fell in love with her. After that, I knew that Bey was the real deal, and ever since, I have been paying closer attention to this diva. With the buzz around the interwebs talking about Bey releasing a new record soon, my newfound dedication clearly sparked my interest, and after one listen of If I Were A Boy, I have to say that I was very impressed. This song is beautiful, powerful, and very well written. The accompanying 
While we were on the cruise, there were two channels that were dedicated to music on the TV in the room, and I found myself watching them from time to time when we were relaxing at night. Well, the video for this song came on, and I was about to change it, when I decided to let it go through to the chorus (seeing as I had never heard the song before). Well, cut to me being pretty impressed. Here, JoJo has a bona fide pop anthem on her hands, and I have had this CD all this time, and didn’t even know this gem existed!!! Needless to say, I quickly put this one back on my ipod, and I have been enjoying it since we returned home. Sometimes I ignore stuff for a while, but it is nice if it eventually comes back onto my radar screen; especially when it is great like this song!! Luck be a lady named JoJo in this case! Be sure to check out the 
Last week, I blogged about how I was extremely surprised and excited by the quiet release of a new Aqualung record. However, after a couple of lessons, I feel that the record sounds a bit incomplete and rushed; it is no where near as polished as Memory Man is. Now, I hadn’t written it off forever, but I was having trouble finding anything that could be considered redeeming in this release; it is kind of a disappointment. Cut to my blog-buddy 
I had kind of a love/hate relationship with Antony when I first heard their material. I didn’t care for Antony’s voice, and there was no consoling me… at first. I decided that maybe I was being hasty, so I listened, I mean really listened, and I felt and heard the ache and tenderness that is so powerful and unique about Antony. I quickly turned on my heal, and became a HUGE fan of Antony and the Johnsons, especially their previous record, I Am A Bird Now, which is pretty much a flawless record. Well, when I saw that they had released an EP of new songs last week, I HAD to have it. I am glad that I snagged it too, because in the same vein as I Am A Bird Now, Another World is full of amazing songs; my favorite being the title track, which I am glad to present to you this week. The part where they make it sound like a whale call with the distortion is an amazing touch. If you haven’t heard Antony’s stuff, do yourself a favor and check out this truly amazing artist.
I know what you are thinking… is it something like, “Hey!! I have heard that before! In a commercial, right?!”? Well you would be right!! It is the song from the Saturn commercial, and it is fantastically catchy and fun song. I tried to resist this little gem for a while, but I have heard it again and again, and this song is such a damn ear worm that it wouldn’t give up until I went ahead and downloaded it. Well, I am glad I did, because I do quite like it, and I like how it really is like what a smile would probably sound like, if it were transformed into a song. Good stuff, eh? Be sure to check out the