Let me state, for the record, that I am a Billy Joel fanatic. I have seen “The Piano Man” in concert more times than I have fingers to count. I have purchased every song that he has ever recorded – including his stuff with The Echoes and The Hassles. Heck, I almost named my first daughter “Alexa”, because that’s Joel’s daughter’s name (my wife put a stop to that however).
Needless to say, I am very protective and picky when it comes to Joel covers. So when I heard that some hip-hop artist from Pittsburgh – Mac Miller – covered my second favorite Joel song, “Vienna”, I immediately assumed I would hate it. And I was right.
But then I listened to it again. And again. And again.
It is nothing like the original, and yet, that is what caused me to listen to it multiple times. I’m not sure I am ready to say I like it better than Joel’s, but I do appreciate Mac’s take on it. As for Mr. Miller, he is a self-taught drummer, guitarist, bassist and pianist. Oh yeah, and he started all of that by the age of six.
His most recent album, GO:OD AM, debuted at #4 on the Billboard 200 and features some cameos from Ab-Soul, Lil B, Miguel, Chief Keef and Little Dragon.
Find out more about Mac Miller on his Facebook page and his website.
Mac Miller never fails to impress me. He is amazing.