It's Monday. It's not raining. To celebrate this amazing fact, let's review some of the sparkling recent & musically diverse cover versions to hit this new fangled invention known as the internet...
Christophe Willem ~ Hung Up (Madonna cover):
I love Christophe Willem. Je t'adore Christophe Willem. He is an absolute French pop genius and I'm convinced that international success is only a heartbeat away. While he continues promoting his exquisite Prismophonic album, he's taken time to put together a cover version of the seminal Madonna (and sort of Abba) song Hung Up. It's actually less of a cover version and more of an interpretation that sends chills down your spine and leaves you hungry for me. It begins as an impassioned ballad set over an elegant and delicate piano melody, while Christophe provides the emotive balance needed through his vocal delivery. It changes the mood of the song to something far more morose and heartbreaking. Subtle guitar and bell chimes are gently added to give the song some layered depth as well as lending to the haunting, atmospheric template the song now operates in. Do watch the video above to see how Christophe literally physically takes on the emotions in his performance. A genuinely stunning version by someone who clearly understands how to deconstruct and then reconstruct a classic pop song and make it entirely his own.
Misha B ~ Rolling In The Deep (Adele cover):
*SCREAM* The most (unfairly) maligned contestant on last year's X Factor provided the show with some much needed energy, relevance and fierceness. Yes it's Miss Misha B who is currently dipping her toe into the pop pool with a mix tape that segues some of her own music with cover versions and tunes that inspire her. It's all a deliriously brilliant listen that has me positively gagging for a debut single from her, but it's also quite amazing to have some of her version of Adele's ubiquitous Rolling In The Deep committed to vinyl (so to speak) for our listening pleasure. It starts at the 9m10s mark and sees the future queen of pop delivering soulful realness over a trippy dubstep meets hip hop percussive groove that gives a more stripped back version of the tune than Adele. The middle 8 rap could be seen as a trifle jarring, but within the reimagining of the song it actually works incredibly well and delivers a massive slice of Misha's compelling personality. Oh this whole Misha B popstar malarky is going to be MASSIVE...
The District ~ Chasing The Sun (The Wanted cover):
New boy band on the block (or at least 50% of them anyway) The District have only gone and done a cover version of the yet to be released Chasing The Sun by US darlings boy band The Wanted. The boys have stripped back from the dancey, almost Ibiza-esque nightclub sound that pervades most of The Wanted's releases and gone for an energetic and ultimately quite charming acoustic version that is an excellent opportunity for both Cash (singer) and Ollie (guitar) to showcase their contributions to the group. Ollie's guitar strumming is like a man possessed & leads to quite an invigorating performance. The intensity on his face!! This is a fella who takes his music seriously and it shows. And that vocal from Cash - confident, assured, controlled. I've seen far less from more seasoned performers. Together it's a winning combination. Two additional points - one, loving Cash's hair. I want. Two - check out the group's cover of Rihanna's We Found Love. Aces.
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