Joy Oladokun — The Thrill Is Gone (B.B. King cover)
Tied to America’s 250th birthday, Salt Lick Sessions’ “Songs of U.S.” series features musicians covering “songs that have shaped the country’s cultural identity while exploring what belongs in the American songbook today.” Nashville singer-songwriter Joy Oladokun selected Roy Hawkins and Rick Darnell’s “The Thrill Is Gone,” best known for the B.B. King version. She says the song “feels really powerful without being so poetic that people could be left behind.” Unlike many of the King-inspired blues-rock covers that feature copious guitar solos, she strips it back to a beautiful folky ballad. She also covered “Ain’t No Sunshine.”
Kathleen Hanna ft. Ad-Rock, Money Mark, Fredo Ortiz, & Frank Figueroa — Let Me Love You (DJ Snake & Justin Bieber cover)
Who would have thought someone from Bikini Kill and someone from the Beastie Boys would cover—of all people—Justin Bieber? That’s what Kathleen Hanna and her husband Adam “Ad-Rock” Horowitz did for a new anti-ICE benefit album. Hanna wrote, “It’s not often you get to play music with your favorite people while working with a grassroots organization like Contra-ICE. They are passionately fighting against fascism and white supremacy, which is something none of us can afford to ignore. Mario Caldato Jr. (Beastie Boys) produced our song which was a dream come true for me. Thank you so much to Contra-ICE for making this happen and allowing me to represent what we collectively stand for.”
Lucy Dacus — Clay Pigeons (Blaze Foley cover)
This month, a new tribute album to cult hero Texas songwriter Blaze Foley came out. It features, among others, Phosphorescent, John Moreland, and Lucinda Williams, whose great song “Drunken Angel” was about Foley. Lucy Dacus tackled “Clay Pigeons,” writing in a statement:
My friend Max showed me “Clay Pigeons” about six years ago when we were getting to be friends, and it just made such a huge impression on me. On first listen I was like, “This is one of the best songs ever written.”
I have turned around and showed it to many people who said, “How have I not heard this yet?” So I feel like by word of mouth this song just has a life of its own, and continues to really make an impression on people. Something I like about it is you can’t tell if he’s giving up and running away from a life or if he’s trying really hard to find a new life. I guess a lot of traveling puts you in between those goals. It’s just wonderful. I hope anyone that hears my version will end up going back to the source material.
Marissa Nadler and Milky Burgess — Forever (The Little Dippers cover)
Nadler, one of the great cover artists working today, wrote about her latest: “This song was popularized by Pete Drake and his version is the version that I fell in love with. The song was written by Buddy Killen and was released by The Little Dippers and Billy Walker in January 1960. I’ve loved this song for so so so many years….So has Milky. We’d made the skeleton for this track long ago but decided to unearth it and revamp it.”
Nerve — SexyBack (Justin Timberlake cover)
Dressed like he’s in the Secret Service, Australian rapper Nerve took to the “Like a Version” stage to tackle one of JT’s biggest solo hits. Backed by an (almost) all-female band, it’s all swagger and attitude.
OLORUNNS — Iris (Goo Goo Dolls cover)
“Iris” was a big hit at the time, for sure, but most impressively it has outlasted many equally big hits. In the past year alone, it has racked up a billion streams on Spotify. That’s nearly unprecedented for a 30-year-old song. Those are like Fleetwood Mac “Dreams” numbers. A few months ago, Goo Goo Dolls released a new version with (of all people) electronic superstar Steve Aoki. And now OLORUNNS, a Yoruba artist, has dropped this beautiful folk cover.
Panamint — Wrapped Around Your Finger (Post Malone cover)
Earlier this summer, we shared a few great “Wrapped Around Your Finger” covers as part of our Police list. But wait! It turns out rapper-turned-country-star Post Malone has a totally different song of the same name. Panamint, the new project from Anna St. Louis and Jarvis Taveniere of Woods, launched with a cover of that “Wrapped Around Your Finger.” It sounds beautiful, a gentle folk-pop lilt that sounds nothing like Post Malone. Or, for that matter, The Police.
Spike — Werewolves of London (Warren Zevon cover)
A-wooo! Sing along on this fabulous downtempo electropop “Werewolves of London” by Spike, aka London-based singer-songwriter Hannah McLoughlin.
Ulysses Owens Jr. and Generation Y — Even Flow (Pearl Jam cover)
Kind of Grunge is the title of Ulysses Owens Jr.’s new album, and maybe you can guess the theme. Yes, it’s jazz covers of grunge-era classics. Highlights abound. If this came out a few years earlier, it would have made our Pearl Jam list for sure. The whole album is worth checking out, for jazz takes on “Spoonman,” “Disarm,” “Interstate Love Song,” and more 1990s classics.
The Best of the Rest
Between The Buried And Me — Jellybelly (Smashing Pumpkins cover)
Brendan Angelides ft. Serj Tankian — I’m Afraid of Americans (David Bowie cover)
Brockhoff — Paul (Big Thief cover)
Deloyd Elze — Drive Like I Never Been Hurt (Ry Cooder cover)
I Ya Toyah — Closer (Nine Inch Nails cover)
Julia Jacklin — Every Morning (Sugar Ray cover)
Lainey Wilson — Daisies x Man I Need (Justin Bieber & Olivia Dean covers)
Lowland Hum & Paul Zach — Midsummer Nights (Bee Gees cover)
Meshell Ndegeocello & Cat Power — Don’t You Want Me (The Human League cover)
Monty Vega & The Sittin’ Shivas — Poker Face (Lady Gaga cover)
Tracy Irve — Forever Young (Bob Dylan cover)
Wolf Alice — Hammond Song (The Roches cover)
Yung Lean — Robotboy (Robyn cover)
Check out previous months’ best covers lists.
