Wednesday, August 17, 2005

Cover Me - The Not So Bad Versions

Hai.... Finally I have enough sense to continue something I've started way back in June, if only to appease those who do follow this series. Hehehe... that's the joke right? Like there is somebody out there who cares enough about cover songs to wait with abated breath for this measly writer wannabe to give her 2-cents worth.

Anyway I just want to finish it for my own sake. It would be good practice to finish what I started.

So here goes...

Below are a few songs that I feel are still good but yet I still prefer the originals.

1) Big Yellow Taxi by Counting Crows feat. Vanessa Carlton originally performed by Joni Mitchell
I love Counting Crows and I like Vanessa Carlton, sometimes. At first I like their cover of this classic Joni Mitchell. However, after a while I find that Adam Duritz's vocal sounds whiny and Vanessa Carlton's part become so insignificant. So I might as well go back to the original.

2) Human by Ning Baizura originally performed by Human League
This is one of my favorite song. Though I must admit that Ning did do a good job with it especially as a come back song after the little scandalous interview for a magazine she did. But I like the original vocals more because I feel it is more dramatic compared to Ning's high pitched version.

3) Under the Bridge by All Saints (Originally performed by Red Hot Chilli Peppers)
To all Red Hot die-hard fans this version is a sacrilege to their greatest song of all time. Well, I'm not a die-hard fan so I think that this version is not that bad actually. But then I still prefer the original.

4) She Bangs by Will Hung (Originally performed by Ricky Martin)
Hehehe... I'm not a fan of William either but I got to give him props. Check out the video, it bangs!!! At least in the William Hung kind of way.

5) Rindu Bayangan by Dayang Nurfaizah & Dino (Originally performed by Carefree)
have you heard the term "trying too hard"? Well that's what I feel from the Dayang version. It's still not bad but at the end of the day I'll take Carefree over them anytime.

I try to make the list into a nice round number of 10 but I guess it's a thin line between good covers and bad covers. So I find that these five songs (as far as I can remember) have their merits but I find that the originals are much more enjoyable and conveyed the feel of the song more effectively.

Stay tune for...
Cover Me - The Bad Versions
Cover Me - Don't Ever Try to Cover Versions
Cover Me - Ones That I Like to See Anyone Try to Cover

Still welcome feedbacks

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