On September 5th, Zach Meadows released his own take on Usher’s “Burn”. The original song was released in 2004 on the album Confessions. As the song unfolded, the ambience of gentle whooshing R&B had turned into romantic violins, melancholic synths, and spoken word. Then, the statement comes “See, it’s burnin’ me to hold onto this”. So what does an Americana artist do to reinvent the classic early 2000s tune about love and letting go?
Slow it down, chill it out, make it go full-on country lane. Out with the electro-snares, and in with the steel slide, and even-keeled acoustic guitars. The instrumentation, vocal delivery, and ambience of the song have changed completely, but somehow, something remains the same. It is as if the molecules were entirely rearranged. The feeling of pain, loss, and longing—the emotional essence being the only element that remains unchanged.
There’s this rich, toffee-like depth to the singer’s voice, which can effortlessly swoop up to a falsetto, or camouflage into the harmony of a 5th. His pronunciation is light-footed and crisp. And by the time the chorus hits, the synergy of the bass, rhythm, and layers and layers of midnight-blue sound coalesce into something honest, raw, vivid.
Zach Meadows has taken Usher’s outline, amplified it, and made it his own. If one didn’t already know the original song, they would not even recognize it.
For more great Usher covers, check out this link! https://www.covermesongs.com/tag/usher
