Up and coming British indie-rockers Dead Pony’s latest single is a rocked up version of Nelly Furtado’s mid 00s classic “Maneater.” Said the band: “Maneater was always one of those iconic songs and I remember thinking it was so cool and fun. At the time we recorded it we were listening to a lot of early 00’s music like N.E.R.D, Justin Timberlake & Limp Bizkit so we took a lot of influence from those sounds.” Continue reading »
The Country Music Hall of Fame recently presented a video series called Big Night at the Museum, getting modern country and Americana artists to cover Hall of Famers. Lucinda Williams did Johnny Cash, Miranda Lambert did John Prine, and a bunch more. Best by a blonde-streaked hair was Ashley McBryde, a performer who skirts the line between country, Americana, and brawny rock, proving her bona fides on Loretta Lynn’s “You’re Lookin’ at Country.” Continue reading »
In the Spotlight showcases a cross-section of an artist’s cover work. View past installments, then post suggestions for future picks in the comments!
Yesterday we heard covers of songs where Timbaland is front and center. Today we learn which of our favorite tunes were co-written and molded by Timbaland’s signature production style. Again, there are too many hits to enumerate all of the songs he was involved in here, but feel free to explore further and trace Timbaland’s fingerprint through songs from the ’90s to the present.
Timbaland has been recognized for his behind the scenes work including three years’ worth of Songwriter of the Year awards from the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers, a Producer of the Year award from the BET Hip Hop Awards, and nominations for two of the five spots for Album of the Year in 2004.
We’ll see that Timbaland was extremely influential in launching new artists onto the music scene and helping pre-established artists change course in their musical style. Tomorrow we’ll see how Pharrell Williams and Timbaland worked together to create the ultimate re-branding…
Check out the best covers of past months here.
The first of a couple Beatles covers this month, AURORA’s “Across the Universe” doesn’t reinvent the wheel, it just removes a few spokes. The Norwegian singer-songwriter strips everything away but keys and a bunch of voices (there’s a guitarist too, though barely audible). It’s all the song needs. Continue reading »
Nelly Furtado has fallen off the radar in the last few years. Her last album of new material in English, the platinum-selling Loose, came out in the year 2 B.G. (Before Gaga), known outside of pop circles as 2006. Since then she released a Spanish-language album and, that perennial favorite of the artist trying to fill time or fulfill a contract, a greatest-hits album. Continue reading »
Quickies rounds up new can’t-miss covers. Download ‘em below.
• The Submarines re-whet our appetite for The Jesus and Mary Chain covers last week, and Cali folk-rockers Dead Rock West continue the boy-girl duet theme with a threatening, much less romantic “God Help Me.”
MP3: Dead Rock West – God Help Me (The Jesus and Mary Chain cover) Continue reading »