That’s a Cover? “Whatta Man” (Salt ‘n’ Pepa / Linda Lyndell)

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May 192020
 

That’s A Cover? explores cover songs that you may have thought were originals.

Salt N Pepa

Salt ‘n’ Pepa were change-makers from the beginning. Can you believe their very first track on their very first album was the immortal “Push It”? The group paved the way for female rappers, picking up the first Grammy for a female rap act in 1995 for the song “None of Your Business.” That award-winning song was part of a powerhouse record, Very Necessary, the group’s fourth album that included other gems such as “Shoop” and “Whatta Man.” The latter was a team effort between Salt ‘n’ Pepa and En Vogue, another up-and-coming female trio who had just come off of hit singles like “My Lovin’ (You’re Never Gonna Get It)” and “Free Your Mind.”

The music video for the song won the trifecta of MTV Video Music Awards in 1994: Best Dance Video, Best R&B Video, and Best Choreography in a Video (see why the video was such a hit below). However, you may not know that Salt ‘n’ Pepa reimagined this tune after it stirred up some drama for its original artist.

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Moptop Madness: Coope, Boyes & Simpson vs. En Vogue, Ruby Suns ft. Esau Mwamwaya vs. The Damned

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Mar 062011
 

This March, we pit 64 Beatles covers against each other in what we call Moptop Madness.

Yesterday’s winners: Aretha Franklin, “Eleanor Rigby” & Al Green, “I Want to Hold Your Hand”

It’s all over the map today. In the first match, folk meets disco when Coope, Boyle & Simpson’s “Think for Yourself” clashes with En Vogue’s “Yesterday.” In the second, the world music-minded Ruby Suns ft. Esau Mwamwaya fights tooth and nail with British punks The Damned as “Birthday” battles “Help!”

Listen to each pairing below, then vote for your favorite. For added sway, try to convince others to vote your way in the comments. Voting closes in 24 hours. Continue reading »

Glee Half-Season Roundup (Incl. the Five Best Performances)

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Dec 102010
 

When Glee opened its second season with “Audition” back in September, an in-show speech from choir director Will Schuester promised that our favorite kids would embrace more musical variety. Looking back through its offerings in the past few months, I’m not sure it’s succeeded in that mission (with one key exception). Then again, Glee‘s first season did a pretty good job of covering a lot of musical bases anyway. If we believe Will’s speech in “Audition,” Glee really wants to focus on more modern music. I suppose they’ve done that (check out “Furt,” half of which is given over to the songs of Bruno Mars), but then last season had its share of contemporary hits too; consider, for instance, the Lady Gaga episode. Overall I think Glee‘s basically maintained the fair variety it had already established for itself. Continue reading »

Glee Covers Roundup 11/9/10: Never Been Kissed

 Posted by at 11:30 am  2 Responses »
Nov 102010
 

Every Wednesday, our resident Gleek Eric Garneau gives his take on last night’s Glee covers.


Before Glee begins its parade of guest stars and themed episodes that will lead us into the half-season break, it takes a breather to give us a pretty standard episode in “Never Been Kissed.” In a year full of novelty shows, an episode where nothing too out-of-the-ordinary happens almost feels like a stunt itself. Alas, no crazy casting pops up to distract from the major drama that populates this week’s installment. Instead, we focus on another round of boys vs. girls mash-ups (a callback to last year’s “Vitamin D” competition) as the Glee gang deals with a lot of sexual tension or, more accurately, tension that results from one character’s sexual orientation. Continue reading »