Hello all, and welcome to another edition of What I'm Listening To! I love when artists make original songs. Most of the time. However, I also really love cover songs. Sometimes the covers are actually better. So, I thought it would be a good idea to roll with it for this month's theme. Without further ado, here are 5 cover songs that I really enjoy. Definitely more than this, but y'all know how this blog works.
"I Will Always Love You" - Whitney Houston (Whitney, the Greatest Hits)
Yeah, I know right? I didn't realize this was a cover until writing this blog either. I consider myself of having an eclectic mix of genres I listen to, but I can't believe I didn't know this. Whitney obviously is one of the best voices ever, and she killed this song. However, this is a cover of Dolly Parton's song of the same name. One of the most popular Whitney Houston songs of all time, and it's a cover. Go figure.
"Proud Mary" - Ike and Tina Turner (All the Best)
Ok, this one I knew. I've always enjoyed this song and the original band that played it as well. Creedence Clearwater Revival came out with this jam in 1969, and it's a great song. Ike and Tina came in like a hurricane and blew this thing up! Where as CCR had a more mellow tune and theme to this song, the Turners turned it on its head. The musical pace, the vocals, and Tina's iconic dance moves really made this song a hit.
"Hallelujah" - Rufus Wainwright (Vibrate)
There has been a lot of cover's of Leonard Cohen's original song, but this is one of my favorites of it. Rufus has this mellow style to him that pairs so well with this track. His voice is almost haunting in the way the words seem to hold and stretch. This isn't the version that made it onto Shrek, which was the one I wanted to put here (Jeff Buckley), but this is still a really really great song.
"Hurt" - Johnny Cash (The Legend of Johnny Cash)
People all have their favorite Johnny Cash song, whether it's "Ring of Fire", "A Boy Named Sue", or any of his countless hits throughout the years. My personal favorite is this incredibly somber track he sang at the end of his life. The song was originally penned by Nine Inch Nails, and while a great song, I thought that this rendition really brought out the best in Johnny. This is the man at the end of his life, where everyone he knows is gone. June Carter, the love of his life, had just passed. This is a song where a simple guitar and an old country singer absolutely crush it. If this song makes you sad, good. Music is supposed to make you feel.
"Fast Car" - Luke Combs (Gettin' Old)
I'll admit I'm not a big country music fan, but this cover of Tracy Chapman's "Fast Car" works so perfect in this genre. Luke Combs has become a very prolific country artist in a short number of years, and his voice really adds to this song. One of the coolest things this past year was Luke and Tracy doing the song at the Grammys together on stage. Tracy finally got her due, and with Luke's help, she finally got a #1 song as a songwriter.
As always, I hope you enjoyed the blog. See you all next month!
