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Y’all probably know by now how much I like covers played on unusual instruments. Typically it’s ukuleles or banjos, but this week it’s a cello. And it’s played expertly by Ben Solle. He’s joined by a somewhat creepy quartet of dancers. Just try to ignore them and focus on Ben playing Fiona Apple’s “Extraordinary Machine”:
via Launtromatinee
If this wasn’t such a great cover I wouldn’t be posting it here. Why’s that? Because I’ve spent the better part of an hour trying to track down any info about the artist. Her name is Hawa, and from what I can gather she’s a soul singer from Lyon, France. She released this cover of Justice’s “D.A.N.C.E” on Favorite Recordings. It was produced by Patchwork. That’s all I’ve got.
No matter though, the cover itself kicks ass. It’s a soulful, jazzy spin on the original. In fact, despite the fact that I like the original a lot, I think this is my favorite version. Check it out and let me know what you think:
Remember Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings? They popped up in Sunday Music Spotlight a couple of years ago and made old-school soul cool again. Here they are again, bringing their unique spin to a song made famous by Kenny Rogers, before he was the rotisserie chicken guy:
“Just Dropped In to See What Condition My Condition Was In”
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Kenny sang this as a part of The First Edition, before his solo career took off, but they weren’t the first to record it. Jerry Lee Lewis actually recorded it a year before The First Edition, but he wasn’t happy with it, so it never got released. It’s probably most famous for its use in this iconic scene from the massively overrated The Big Lebowski (NSFW):
photo via Rosa’s Photo Corner
It seems like forever since we’ve had a cover of Britney Spears’ “Toxic” on here. Let’s fix that. This one is a little different than the previous ones though; it’s an instrumental. And a semi-avant-garde jazz one at that. Here’s Yaron Herman desconstructing “Toxic” and building it back as something completely different:
It’s been a while since we’ve talked about them, so in case you’ve forgotten let me remind you just how awesome Those Darlins are. I was fortunate enough to see them in person Monday night, and they absolutely rocked the house down. They look sweet and demure, but once they crank up their guitars and get their punkabilly music flowing, these chicks are badass. They may get their attitude from 70s punk bands, but they know that their roots lie in country music. One of the cuts on their eponymous debut album is a cover of The Carter Family’s “Cannonball Blues”, an homage to the first family of country music. Here they are performing it live:
And, just in case you’re not familiar with it, here’s the original:
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Regular readers know well my appreciation of Josh Ritter. He’s a great songwriter, but sometimes his covers can be even better. This segment has already featured him covering Tom Petty, Bruce Springsteen, and Gene Austin. This week he takes on Modest Mouse with a relatively faithful cover of “Blame it on the Tetons”. Faithful it may be, but Ritter is a better singer than Isaac Brock, so there’s an instant upgrade. Check it out, along with the original:
Josh Ritter
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Modest Mouse
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via Cover Lay Down
Most of the time I try to pick obscure, odd, or off-the-wall covers for this feature, but tonight I’m feeling like a classic. It’s a cover that matches the tone of the song so much better than the original that the original artist now plays it the imitator’s way. Ladies and gentlemen, Jimi Hendrix:
Who doesn’t love a good 80s rock song? I know I do. But it’s gotta come with the big hair the ripped acid washed jeans. The New Pornographers deliver the goods with this cover of Toronto’s “Your Daddy Don’t Know”, from the soundtrack for Fubar. Neko’s crimped hair is AWESOME in a kitschy sort of way. Check it out:
I saw It Might Get Loud this weekend. It’s a documentary about Jimmy Page, The Edge, and Jack White. It covers their relationship with the guitar; how they discovered it, what inspires them, and how they channel their creativity into it. In it Jack White talks at length about his fascination with old Delta blues, with how the masters of the genre were able to reveal raw emotion through the simplest of forms. That fascination has profoundly influenced the sound of The White Stripes. He and Meg strip songs down to their basics and play music that is imperfect and raw, but incredibly powerful.
Here are Jack and Meg paying homage to legendary bluesman Son House with a cover of “Death Letter Blues”:
And just in case you’re not familiar with the original, here’s Son himself:
Merry Christmas everyone.
