Mar 222016
 

81ZvLjrNBoL._SY355_

“Any time I take a cover and wear it on my sleeve, it’s because it had something good to do with my life and still marks a time in my life when I needed that song more than ever.” – Jeff Buckley

You and I is a posthumously released collection of ten songs (eight of which are covers) Jeff Buckley chose as a showcase for Columbia Records in 1993. They have lived in the vaults of Columbia Records for the past twenty-three years. Up until the point of these recordings, Buckley’s career was that of a cover artist, gradually working on his own material, performing often at venues in Lower Manhattan, such as Sin-é. Despite vast interest, Buckley was apprehensive about signing with a record label. Eventually he signed with Columbia and recorded what would be his only studio album, the otherworldly Grace, in 1994. An album David Bowie chose as a desert island album, an album whose release saw Bob Dylan knighting Buckley as  “one of the great song writers of this decade,” and an album that convinced Rolling Stone that Buckley was one of the greatest singers of all time.

Continue reading »

Mar 182016
 
TomWaits_wolynski

Back in 2006, Tom Waits released an outtakes and rarities compilation called Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers & Bastards. At 56 tracks, it had a lot – but not nearly everything. So fans dutifully compiled a companion collection of everything left on the cutting room floor, cleverly titled Forgotten Orphans. In addition to more outtakes and b-sides, this fan bootleg included something the main set lacked: live performances. Many of those were super-rare covers, none of which have ever been officially released. But they are worth hearing. Tom Waits is widely regarded as an excellent songwriter, but these covers showcase Tom Waits’ power as a song interpreter. He’s never gone the Bob Dylan route of periodic forays into cover albums, but if he ever did, these songs show how great such an album could be. Continue reading »

Mar 172016
 

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!

Dolly-Parton

 
Dolly Parton is one of the true legends of country & western music. Half a century after the release of her first true C&W album, 1966’s Hello, I’m Dolly, she’s announced a 60-city North American tour that will promote her upcoming 2-CD set Pure & Simple, containing both new material and greatest hits from throughout her career. For all her years in the musical industry, Dolly has never forgotten her roots, and she continues to perform at a high level at an age when most artists are tired of the road.

When looking back over her career, it’s clear that she’s an original, and her critical and commercial success as a songwriter reflects that. But like any true great, she knows the value of a good cover song. Millions and millions of dollars, in the case of Whitney Houston’s version of Dolly’s “I Will Always Love You,” but the cover songs that Dolly herself records have worth that goes beyond the bank. She’s had huge success with covers in each of the last several decades. Here are some of her best.
Continue reading »

Mar 172016
 
_bonnie-raitt-

It seemed like you couldn’t get away from Bonnie Raitt in the ’90s.  It all started with her Grammy Award-winning album, Nick of Time.  That led to a few more platinum albums, Top 40 hits on the Pop, Rock and Adult Contemporary charts, a few more Grammy Awards as well as an and an induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

And then she just kind of disappeared. Continue reading »

Mar 172016
 
Tracy-Chapman-Fast-Car-Feature

The New York Times this morning reported what they called “an exceedingly strange case of simultaneous musical inspiration”: two totally separate dance covers of Tracy Chapman’s “Fast Car,” released a week apart. And both are going viral in Europe. But are either of them any good? Continue reading »

Mar 162016
 
St-Vincent-Press-Photo

Indie rock sensation St. Vincent, contributes to the soundtrack of Luca Guadagnino’s forthcoming erotic-thriller A Bigger Splash, featuring Tilda Swinton, Ralph Fiennes, Mathias Schoenaerts and Dakota Johnson.

The Berkley College of Music graduate shares her cover of the Stones‘ “Emotional Rescue” featured on the highly acclaimed film’s soundtrack – which garnered the Soundtrack Stars Award at last year’s 72nd Venice Film Festival, where the movie made its premiere in September. Continue reading »