Dec 132019
 
best cover songs of 2019

In 2019, Cover Me wrote about more new covers than in any year in our 12-year history. I know; I checked the numbers. Our News team wrote amazing stand-alone stories on sometimes tight deadlines, adding context and research beyond “here’s a new cover” quickie. Plus, we rounded the best of the best into monthly 30+ lists, and added even more for supporters of our new Patreon. Even our Features team, who ostensibly couldn’t care less whether a cover came out last month or last century, seemed to be constantly finding new things to slip into their deep dives.

The point here is not to toot our own horn… well, that’s not entirely the point. What I want to do is emphasize just how high the bar to appear on this list has been set. Calling these covers great almost does them a disservice. There were way more than 50 great covers in 2019. In fact, we’ve already got 150 more bonus tracks lined up for Patreon supporters (which, I know I mention it a lot, but it’s how we keep this site afloat, so please consider supporting us if you like what we do). Honestly, we could throw all of the above in the trash and still come up with a pretty impressive batch of 2019 covers. But these 50 below – these are the cream of the crop, the belles of the ball, the toppermost of the poppermost.

You won’t agree. I guarantee it. As you go through this list, there will be at least one cover you hate. Maybe more than one. And if you followed cover news yourself this year, you’ll probably be outraged when a personal favorite placed too low, or didn’t make it at all. Great! That’s the beauty of these lists: It’s all opinion. Extremely educated opinions in our cases – I can pretty much guarantee that we collectively listened to more 2019 covers than any other site out there – but opinions nevertheless. So dive in and discover something new. Then help us discover something new by adding your own favorites in the comments.

– Ray Padgett, Editor-in-Chief

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May 012019
 
carl broemel gillian welch

There’s a great new interview on Joe Pug’s The Working Songwriter podcast with My Morning Jacket guitar god Carl Broemel. Among many other subjects, he talks about falling in love with David Rawlings’ guitar playing, and how what initially sounded like wrong notes at the beginning of “Time the Revelator” turned magical once his ears adjusted. Continue reading »

Apr 302019
 
best cover songs of april
Beyoncé – Before I Let Go (Maze cover)

Last week, Beyoncé surprised-dropped her live album Homecoming. It accompanied the Netflix film of the same name, which immortalized her lionized 2018 Coachella performance. The biggest surprise of all was the bonus track: a cover of Maze’s 1981 “Before I Let Go.” The original song wasn’t a huge hit when it first came out, but has grown to be referred to sometimes as the “black national anthem.” Beyoncé brings it right up to the present with a big production including marching band, new rap verse, and a sample of New Orleans bounce artist DJ Jubilee. Continue reading »

Sep 302010
 

The Dead Weather are great and all, but the chances to listen to Jack White rip on guitar have gotten rarer and rarer. Well, here’s one. His partners-in-awesome are the Secret Sisters, a duo he produces on his Third Man Records label. For their latest 7”, the two covered Johnny Cash’s “Big River.” Jack White lends some furious Stripes-style axe, soloing his brains out.

White may be the big story here, but don’t discount the Sisters. Laura and Lydia Rogers more than hold their own with powerful gospel-tinged vocals that blast as loud as White. As if those three weren’t enough, My Morning Jacket’s Carl Broemel joins in on steel guitar (thanks to Pitchfork for the heads up).

Listen to the track below. Also, download an older White-Cash combo: the White Stripes playing “Get Rhythm” in 2005. Or, more accurately, Jack singing the lyrics to “Get Rhythm” while playing the Stripes’ own “Cannon.” Continue reading »