The Best Cover Songs of September 2020

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Sep 302020
 
cover songs september 2020
Amigo the Devil – Before He Cheats (Carrie Underwood cover)

When we last heard Amigo the Devil, he was stripping down a Tom Jones song to create a haunting murder ballad. Now he does the same to another highly polished pop song – but a much more recent one. “[The original is] this very confidence-boosting, really good-feeling, power-infusing song,” Amigo’s Danny Kiranos told Rolling Stone. “I was curious what it would sound like if you took away the positive nature of it and kept the lyrics, essentially the emotions they are portraying.” Continue reading »

The Best Cover Songs of May

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May 312018
 
best cover songs may

The usual disclaimer: Our monthly “Best Cover Songs” aren’t ranked, and the “Honorable Mentions” aren’t necessarily worse than the others.

Update: Hear me discuss this list, along with our Best Pink Floyd Covers ranking, on SiriusXM Volume:
https://soundcloud.com/siriusxmentertainment/ray-padgett-of-covermesongscom-favorite-covers-in-may-covers-of-pink-floyd

Angus and Julia Stone – Passionfruit (Drake cover)


Three prominent indie artists covered Drake’s “Passionfruit” this month: Franz Ferdinand, Cornelius, and, the best of the bunch, Angus and Julia Stone. Covering a rap song is easier, I suppose, when there’s no actual rapping. Few political or racial minefields in the lyrics for artists to navigate help too (for a counterexample: this month’s worst cover). For Triple J’s great series “Like a Version,” Angus and Julia Stone brought their beautiful harmonies to a smooth soul bed. It floats like Gram and Emmylou singing a Marvin Gaye song. Continue reading »

Hot Chip Go Frantic on Arthur Russell Cover

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Sep 082014
 

Arthur Russell is one of those artists I keep promising myself I’ll make some time to listen to. I’ve heard and read lots of good things about him. But the only familiarity with his music I have is through covers of his songs. Joel Gibb’s version of ‘That’s Us/Wild Combination’ off the tribute EP ‘Four Songs By Arthur Russell’ is an absolute stunner of a song. Continue reading »

Beck Covers “I Only Have Eyes for You” for Art Exhibit

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Apr 202012
 

Artist Doug Aitken’s “Song 1,” a 360-degree video projection on the Hirshhorn Museum, features “I Only Have Eyes for You,” covered by several artists, which according to the Hirshhorn website is to “emphasize the universality of the song.” Contributions include covers by Devendra Banhart, LCD Soundsystem, No Age, and Beck. Continue reading »

Watch: Bridge School Benefit 25th Anniversary Covers Round-Up

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Oct 252011
 

It was early 1986 when Pegi Young told her husband Neil Young that they would need to build a school to suit the special needs of their son, Ben. She then suggested that in order to pay for it, that Neil call his friend Bruce Springsteen and put together a concert to fund it. 25 years later, the Bridge School Benefit concert has become an annual tradition where superstars from all genres of music come to share the gift of music to support this amazing school. The Bridge shows are all acoustic and offer a unique setting where artists can experiment with their material and get the chance to sit in and play with friends and heroes alike. Continue reading »

Pegi Young Covers Devendra Banhart (with a Little Help from Neil). Win the Album!

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Jul 212010
 

She may be best known as a famous wife, but anyone who has ever seen Pegi Young sing backup for hubby Neil knows the gal’s got country chops. She’s more “My My, Hey Hey” than “Hey Hey, My My” (get Rust Never Sleeps if that went over your head), her weathered vocals lending a moving weariness to whatever material they touch. Her latest album Foul Deeds features covers of old-timers like Lucinda Williams, but one younger songwriter gets the nod: Devendra Banhart.

Mrs. Young tackles “Body Breaks” from freak-folk Banhart’s 2004 album Rejoicing in the Hands. Neil’s band backs her up, and yes, that includes Mr. Young himself, who joins in on guitar. Stream and download the track below.

Following the success of last month’s Neil Young tribute contest, we’ve got a couple copies of Foul Deeds to give away. Enter your name, email address, and a song you’d like to hear Pegi and Neil cover into the comments section below. The contest ends at midnight on Wednesday, July 28th is closed. Continue reading »