Apr 182025
 

You can’t get a more direct than Covers, Kathleen Edwards’ newest short LP/long EP. It lets you know exactly what you got, even before you press play. That is commendable, but then Edwards has never been much for one to conceal her thoughts or her situation. This Canadian singer supreme has had a rocky old trail over the past decade or two, since electing to step away from critical acclaim in 2014, after four well-received albums of polished country and roots-derived songmanship.

The Ottawa coffee shop Edwards subsequently opened and ran was called “Quitters.” That might have been a self-deprecating jibe in name, but it was only later she revealed her then battle with depression had led to her tactical withdrawal from the music business. She returned to music in 2020, we all know what then came along to wreak worldwide havoc. This is her second release since her return, and her first since COVID lockdown and her eventual sale of Quitters.

The eight songs on Covers are a good mix of the likely and the unexpected, broadly drawn from Edwards’ fellow ranks of singer-songwriters. Springsteen, Petty and Pride are among the former, but songs from The Flaming Lips and Supertramp get a turn also. With backing of electric guitars, keyboards, occasional strings and a rhythm section, Edwards sings and plays acoustic. Greg Leisz and Scott Thurston are two of the accompaniments dropping by, on guitars and bass, respectively, each a sign of her esteem amongst peers.
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Apr 172025
 
Dean Johnson

Lucinda Williams’ “Lake Charles” was first written in 1998. At its heart, it is melancholic and nostalgic. The song was originally written for her ex-boyfriend, who had passed, but still tugged at her emotionally.

In the hands of Dean Johnson, a Seattle-based singer-songwriter who has been charming audiences with his warm and honest rawness for some time now, the ballad takes on a more folk-ish sensibility. Whereas the original had more of a forward-moving rhythm (and a strong and obvious backbeat), this cover is decidedly pared down. But the most notable part of the performance is his voice, which ebbs and flows like the ocean. Even from the first note, which is more of an emotive vocal crack, down to the affecting harmonies at the end, this is one you’ll want to add to your next pensive playlist.

Surprisingly, the artist never planned for this cover to be released, posting on Instagram, “This was recorded in my bedroom around 2011. Sorry to anyone offended by my lyric alterations, I never intended you to hear this recording”

Apr 162025
 
weezer covers metallica

Weezer played Coachella this past weekend and, on top of playing a bevy of their hits, they also threw in one of their more popular covers, Metallica’s “Enter Sandman.”

The group has performed this live in the past and, recorded a version of the song on the 2021 tribute album, Blacklist, which featured covers of every song on Metallica’s “Black Album.” Their version hews pretty closely to the original, with most of the joy of the performance coming from seeing lead singer Rivers Cuomo try to ape James Hetfield’s vocals. Though they did toss in a “Buddy Holly” reference into the song, ending the song’s solo with the popular nine-note ending riff. (They then closed their set with the song.)

Cuomo has said Metallica was his favorite band when he was in high school.

Apr 162025
 
pissed jeans waves of fear cover

A harrowing, dingy, noisy song about the DTs, “Waves of Fear” from Lou Reed‘s eleventh album The Blue Mask is one of his more uncompromising songs (which is saying something). It’s just Reed’s description of what it’s like to detox, with no varnish and no protecting the listener from the misery, with Reed almost spitting the lyrics. It’s combined with an extremely grimy and relatively noisy rhythm guitar part, followed by just a bonkers solo from former Voidoid Robert Quine. It’s a deep cup fora  number of reasons. Continue reading »

Apr 162025
 
The Go-Go's Cover Chappell Roan

The Go-Go‘s filled their set on night one of Coachella with their brand of upbeat pop music, but in the performing of one of their best-loved songs, they also paid tribute to a performer of today. When the band played their classic “We Got the Beat,” as their final song of their set, the capped it off with a little bit of Chappell Roan‘s “Hot to Go.” Continue reading »