Joseph Wright

Joe is an avid music lover raised in Baltimore “Charm City” Maryland. Aside from the obligatory hometown enjoyment he takes in Frank Zappa, he enjoys a little bit of everything from Kid Cudi to Cher….not to mention the covers of them. While he might wear a white collar he has been known to rock out at an Iron Maiden concert with his lovely wife. At the end of the day though, there is nothing quite like a solid cover.

Jul 302015
 

In Defense takes a second look at a much maligned cover artist or album and asks, “Was it really as bad as all that?”

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It is easy to understand how someone could find a pre-school appropriate cover of “Big Pimpin” musically lacking. By stripping all lyrical content from hip-hop and infusing a heavy dose of xylophone, artistic value becomes shaky. While this style of cover might fit well in a high school talent show, superficially they offer little more than a tight chuckle and warrant slightly more than a participatory prize.

So, why are these covers being defended?
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Jul 152015
 

Five Good Covers presents five cross-genre reinterpretations of an oft-covered song.

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Rosemary Clooney’s lengthy career, though it felt a tumultuous ebb and flow, was anchored by a voice so smooth Bing Crosby called her “the best in the business.” She used that tender yet powerful voice to breathe life into an unexpected, and hastily written, Italian-American hit. Allegedly, Bob Merrill wrote “Mambo Italiano” while at an Italian restaurant in New York City. He phoned in the song (humming melody and all) to meet his deadline. This ode to the essence of a culinary experience brings with it a force majeure that seems to keep the song from ever being laid to rest.
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Jul 072015
 

Cover Classics takes a closer look at all-cover albums of the past, their genesis, and their legacy.

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Bob Dylan has been referred to as “the most important figure in pop-culture history,” and as such his songs hold a special place. It’s become de rigueur for artists to cover Dylan tunes, even full albums, and they’ve done so with varying degrees of success. Pop culture writer Kelsey McKinney once explained that “a good cover takes a song and transforms it to fit the new artist”; if that’s the case, then 2014’s Off the Grid – Doin’ It Dylan by the Charlie Daniels Band is one of the greatest Bob Dylan cover albums out there.
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