The Best Cover Songs of July 2023

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Jul 312023
 
best cover songs
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 »

The Best Cover Songs of March 2022

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Mar 312022
 
best cover songs of march 2022
Avhath – Cool / Levitating / Don’t Start Now (Dua Lipa covers)

What’s better than one Indonesian black-metal Dua Lipa cover? Three Indonesian black-metal Dua Lipa covers! Not that you’d ever know these were Dua Lipa songs unless you were listening really closely to the lyrics (and could manage to make them out).

The Band of Heathens – El Paso City (Marty Robbins cover)

During lockdown, Band of Heathens hosted a regular livestream variety show called Good Time Supper Club. One segment, “Remote Transmissions,” featured them covering a new song every episode – over 50 in all. They’re collecting some of the best on a forthcoming album of the same name: Remote Transmissions. “Making records is always about cataloging any point in time. We wanted to celebrate the unique collaborative aspect of the show,” guitarist Ed Jurdi told American Songwriter. “What better way to document the last year than with these songs?” First up is this take on a Marty Robbins country classic. Continue reading »

The Dead South Find the Bluegrass in “Chop Suey”

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Mar 162022
 
dead south chop suey

Though it wasn’t their highest charting hit, “Chop Suey” is arguably System of a Down’s most iconic song, both because it was their most successful single in terms of total sales and because of its inimitable mix of metal and high melodrama. It sounds like nobody else, and it’s hard to imagine someone else doing the song. Especially this way…

The Dead South are, despite their name, a Canadian bluegrass band active since 2012. Like many 21st century bluegrass bands, they specialize in a style of bluegrass that is heavily influenced by rock music, even though they play acoustic instruments. And, given the acoustic elements in “Chop Suey,” it sort of makes sense that someone would eventually try a bluegrass cover. Continue reading »

The Best Cover Songs of July 2020

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Jul 312020
 

Check out the best covers of past months here.

best cover songs july 2020
The Band Of Heathens ft. Margo Price – Joy (Lucinda Williams cover)

Promoting her new album That’s How Rumors Get Started, Margo Price has been on a great covers kick. She recently tackled a political country classic at the Grand Ole Opry, Bob Dylan on CBS, and John Lennon from her house. Now she’s teamed up with Band of Heathens to cover a Lucinda Williams classic. To quote Lucinda on Instagram, “Get to Slidell, girl!!” Continue reading »

SASAMI Transforms System of a Down’s “Toxicity” Into a Peaceful Acoustic Lament

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Jul 092020
 
sasami toxicity

“Toxicity,” the second single from the album of the same name, was System of a Down’s biggest hit to date, helping to briefly establish them as one of the most commercially successful metal bands of their era. Since then it’s become a bit of a metal classic – please don’t call it nu metal – and a favorite cover for YouTubers. The song perfectly captures the band’s legendary dynamics of accessible, melodic verses with manic, pummeling choruses. Continue reading »

The Best Cover Songs of May 2020

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May 292020
 

Check out the best covers of past months here.

best cover songs may 2020
Daniel Romano’s Outfit – Sweetheart Like You (Bob Dylan cover)


This one’s for all the Dylan superfans. In 1984, Bob Dylan played three songs on Letterman with L.A. punk band The Plugz. They were gritty and garagey and raw. It boded well for his new sound. And then he never played with them again. The album he was ostensibly promoting, Infidels, was much smoother, helmed by Mark Knopfler. For those who still wonder what could have been, Daniel Romano covered the entire album as if he’d recorded it with The Plugz. Continue reading »

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