Gwen Stefani Archives

The Best Cover Songs of July 2023

Posted by Ray Padgett at 9:00 am No Responses »

Jul 312023

Bob Dylan — Bad Actor (Merle Haggard cover)

Bob Dylan has been on a covers roll this year. On tour, he has primarily covered a number of Dead (“Truckin’,” “Stella Blue,” “Brokedown Palace”) or Dead-associated (“Not Fade Away,” “Only a River”) songs. But he’s dipped into other classic catalogs occasionally too. He did Van Morrison’s “Into the Mystic” for the first time and then, not long after, maybe the deepest cut yet: Merle Haggard’s 2016 track “Bad Actor.” The tape took a while to surface. It was worth the wait. Continue reading »

Jem Cassar-Daley Strips Down Gwen Stefani’s “Great Escape”

Posted by Aleah Fitzwater at 9:00 am 1 Response »

Jul 122023

Jem Cassar-Daley is an indie-pop artist who recently recording an alluring and calming version of Gwen Stefani’s 2006 solo hit “Sweet Escape” for the Triple J radio show Like a Version. Her cover began with a surprise: a whisper-sung phrase “Sweet escape, sweet escape.” Whereas the original was boppy and pointed, this version is rounded, tranquil, and at moments, almost mournful. Continue reading »

Olivia Rodrigo Covers No Doubt’s “Just a Girl” Live

Posted by Aleah Fitzwater at 4:20 pm No Responses »

May 182022

Billboard’s woman of the year, Olivia Rodrigo, is a certified Gwen Stefani fan, and recently performed a banging cover of “Just a Girl” in her concert on May 6 on the Philadelphia Met Stage. Rodrigo met Stefani for the first time at the Met Gala. Before her performance, Olivia said “I got to talk to her (Gwen Stefani) for a while, and she’s just the coolest human in the world. I love her music so much and I wanted to play this song for you guys tonight.” Continue reading »

The Best Cover Songs of July

Posted by Ray Padgett at 9:00 am No Responses »

Jul 302021

Alex Cameron ft. Roan Yellowthorn – Islands in the Stream (Kenny Rogers / Dolly Parton cover)

<a href="https://alkcm.bandcamp.com/album/islands-in-the-stream-midsummer-nights">Islands In The Stream / Midsummer Nights by Alex Cameron</a>
For a new single, Australian singer Alex Cameron, who has worked with everyone from The Killers to Foxygen, decided to take on two Kenny Rogers tunes written by Barry Gibb. One, “Midsummer Nights,” is comparatively obscure. The other – the one above – is not. Playing the Dolly Parton role to Alex’s Kenny is Roan Yellowthorn aka Jackie McLean, daughter of “American Pie” singer Don McLean.

Annie – Just Like Honey (Jesus and Mary Chain cover)

Norwegian pop musician Annie doesn’t release much music – 2020 saw her first album in 11 years – but she’s got a new EP out in September, Neon Nights. It features some originals and covers. One is the Dirty Dancing song “She’s Like The Wind.” Another is this discofied, but still shoegazy in a more electronic way, take on the Jesus and Mary Chain’s most often-covered song. Continue reading »

Full Albums: Gwen Stefani’s ‘Love Angel Music Baby’

Posted by Sara Stoudt at 3:00 pm No Responses »

Dec 062019

Full Albums features covers of every track off a classic album. Got an idea for a future pick? Leave a note in the comments!

Last week Gwen Stefani’s first solo album, Love Angel Music Baby, turned fifteen. In celebration, the album was remastered and reissued. Gwen Stefani even performed a medley of the album’s greatest hits on The Voice, her latest venture, complete with an appearance from Eve for her iconic rap in “Rich Girl.”

The album has plenty of haters (Pitchfork’s review was especially brutal), and the Harajuku girl motif had cultural appropriation written all over it. However, I tend to agree with the take from Hazel Cills of Vice:

What keeps me going back to Love. Angel. Music. Baby. time and time again is how, in all of its racism and spliced-up electronica madness, Stefani inadvertently made a classic. You can call it silly, you can call it bad, but you can’t deny that Stefani aced her retro hodgepodge. It’s a “problematic fav,” but it’s difficult to not sing along to Stefani’s kitschy new wave homage.

Whether you unabashedly love these tunes or love to hate them, these covers will take you back to your early-aughts self.

The Best Cover Songs of July

Posted by Ray Padgett at 3:15 pm 3 Responses »

Jul 312019

Check out the best covers of past months here.

Anais Mitchell & The Staves – Strong Enough (Sheryl Crow cover)

For a few years now, long-running French video company La Blogothèque has been filming a series they call “One to One” at Bon Iver’s various European festivals. They blindfold one audience member and bring them into a private room for a concert for one. Bon Iver did one, and Damien Rice’s is a must-watch. Personally, that experience sounds more awkward than enjoyable – especially with all the cameras in your face – so I’d rather just watch someone else’s personal concert on video. This one is a gem, feature The Staves with Anais Mitchell delivering a gorgeously-harmonized Sheryl Crow cover. Continue reading »