You might best know Jeremih from that one time a year you play his chart-topping “Birthday Sex,” but evidently there’s more to this smooth R&B artist. For instance, did you know he plays the drums? And the keyboard? At the same time? While singing? Well, after watching his cover of Adele‘s “Rumour Has It,” you will.
His vocal performance alone, smoldering rather than the cooing from “Birthday Sex” or the auto-tune from his most recent single with 50 Cent, is worth the price of admission on this performance. His voice hits that ambiguous range between male and female, smokey but high-pitched. But what really makes this cover shine is the minimalist drum and guitar accompaniment. If you’ve wondered how the White Stripes would sound combined with Adele, this might give you an idea. The drums are crisp and leading, the guitar focusing heavily on those bass lines, adding up to a sound that compels you to stomp your feet. He playfully mixes in a little “Ice Ice Baby,” “Under Pressure,” and his own single, “Down on Me,” at the end. Normally, a little flair like that would be great to spice up a cover, but in this case the parlor tricks are only a distraction from what is already an excellent rereading.
Check out more from Jeremih at his website.
