Jun 282013
 

Under the Radar shines a light on lesser-known cover artists. If you’re not listening to these folks, you should. Catch up on past installments here.

Back in 2010, Cover Me posted a Live Collection of the Drive-By Truckers, the Athens, GA band led by Patterson Hood. It featured “every DBT concert cover we could get our hands on,” adding that “Hood’s vast solo repertoire will wait for a later date.” That’s an undertaking for another day, but today we can at least scratch the surface and share a few of Hood’s covers.
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Jun 282013
 

Paul Hammer and Deidre Muro made sure that the 90s are alive and well in Chicago when they stopped in the AV Club. The duo, collectively known as the Brooklyn-based pop-rock act Savoir Adore, shared their late 90s nostalgia with an endearing cover of one hit wonder New Radicals “You Get What You Give.” Continue reading »

Jun 272013
 

John Mayer is no stranger to covers, having performed a variety of songs from Tom Petty’s “Free Fallin’” to Radiohead’s “Kid A” (yes, that exists), but it’s not very often that we see other artists covering him. Former All Get Out member Mel Washington recently stripped down the title track from John Mayer’s 2012 album “Born and Raised,” giving Mayer’s Laurel Canyon sound a bittersweet and soulful treatment. Continue reading »

Jun 262013
 

Five Good Covers presents five cross-genre reinterpretations of an oft-covered song.

Hard to believe, but almost ten years have passed since Kelis released her biggest hit, “Milkshake.” Harder still to believe, it didn’t peak on the charts until December of 2003 – it seems like the quintessential summer song, full of the life and braggadocio of youth who’ve got it and know how to flaunt it.

Memorable as the music and Kelis’s vocal are, it’s that opening line that drives its hook the deepest into your brain. Odds are quite good that nobody had ever spoken the words “My milkshake brings all the boys to the yard” in that order before, and the sheer strangeness of that boast made a distinct impression on all who heard it. It’s the sort of line that can be adapted by any musician into any genre and still make an impact. Some may choose to mock (we’re looking at you, Richard Cheese), but more are inclined to turn the song toward their own means, and the results tend to turn out to be just as head-swerving as Kelis’s. See for yourself…
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Jun 212013
 

In the Spotlight showcases a cross-section of an artist’s cover work. View past installments, then post suggestions for future picks in the comments!

Early this year 10,000 Maniacs released Music From The Motion Picture, their first new release in 14 years, garnering some of the best reviews of their career; their lead singer, Mary Ramsey, is celebrating her 20th anniversary with the band this year. You can be excused for not knowing this, as many think the band (who hereinafter we’ll call 10KM) began and ended with the membership of Natalie Merchant, the vocalist and primary lyricist during their most commercially successful period. Indeed, Merchant is one of the key figures of 10KM’s legacy, and easily the best known, but it takes strong will, talent, and no small genius to maintain that legacy, and all credit to Ramsey for doing so.
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Jun 212013
 

With the release of Yeezus, the too-easy-to-quote interview with The New York Times, and the recent birth of his daughter with Kim Kardashian, Kanye West is someone – whether you like it or not – you have heard come up in conversation as of late. Although it is too early for covers off of the rapper’s sixth solo album to start popping up, singer Fabienne takes us back to when we all started admiring (or hating) the rapper in pink polo shirts with her rendition of “Slow Jamz.” Continue reading »