Mar 282019
 

‘The Best Ever’ series counts down our favorite covers of great artists.

best radiohead cover songs

All week we’ve been running features on every artist inducted in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s unusually strong 2019 class. But the biggest tribute goes to the band least excited about the honor. And that’s maybe as it should be.

Their unenthusiastic reaction – as I write this, it’s not even clear if any of them will show up – reminds me of when Bob Dylan first played Obama’s White House. Bob didn’t come to his own rehearsal, or to the customary photo op with the president. He turned up at the last minute, played his songs, shook the President’s hand, and immediately left the building. And as Obama told Rolling Stone: “That’s how you want Bob Dylan, right? You don’t want him to be all cheesin’ and grinnin’ with you. You want him to be a little skeptical about the whole enterprise.” Continue reading »

Feb 072012
 

Best (So Far) finds the finest first-round covers of the latest pop hits.

Gotye’s über-ctachy breakup jam “Somebody That I Used to Know” first hit the web last summer, but it’s only taken off stateside in the past few months. A small part of that popularity comes from Walk Off the Earth’s stunning viral cover. Lots of other artists have covered the song too, many delivering takes at least almost as memorable. Continue reading »

Jan 252012
 

A relic of the early ’80s, alternative rock band R.E.M. powered through the rough and tumble of more than three decades before finally disbanding in September of last year. While many of the band’s songs are memorable, none evoke as strong a feeling of nostalgia as “Nightswimming” does. The song recalls earlier, simpler times and serves as the perfect tribute for this much-accomplished, long-time-running rock band. Indie-pop singer Ingrid Michaelson did the honors by performing a quiet a cappella version of the well-known track on SiriusXM radio. Continue reading »

Jun 072011
 

YouTube is filled with amateur cover “artists.” Most stink. On the ‘Tube extracts the exceptions.

On NBC’s The Voice, Blake Shelton picked Dia Frampton after she had been singing for four seconds. Four seconds. It’s no wonder. The 23 year old singer songwriter from Utah has a talent and versatility that somehow manages to coexist with her quietly powerful style.

The Voice may end up being Frampton’s big break, but she’s been a star of the internet music scene for years in the acoustic-duo-turned-full-band she started with her sister, Meg. Fittingly, they go by Meg & Dia. Recently, though, Dia has been blowing up the band’s YouTube channel with her own solo covers and we’re all lucky for it. Continue reading »