“I’m A Believer” is far and away The Monkees‘ most popular song and, as a result, one of Neil Diamond‘s as well. No other Neil Diamond song has been covered as much as “I’m a Believer,” though “Sweet Caroline” is streamed significantly more nowadays than The Monkees’ biggest hit. Shrek helped with this too, of course. It’s one of those ubiquitous songs that can feel a little overplayed, in either of its most famous versions.

We last heard from mandolinist and singer AJ Lee when she joined The Brothers Comatose for “Harvest Moon.” She and her bluegrass band Blue Summit have been releasing music and touring for over half a decade. So I think the natural thing is to assume that this bluegrass cover of “I’m a Believer” is going to be high energy, as that’s often the case with bluegrass covers, especially those of pop songs that are already upbeat. But, instead, Blue Summit throw us a curveball, treating the song as a ballad. Continue reading »