Interesting Covers I Enjoyed on YouTube
Introduction
This is my weekly submission to the wonderful #TTT or #ThreeTuneThursday Challenge run by the fantastic @ablaze. Current aim is to try and be regular every week. Since the start of my submissions I have missed one week. Once I am sure I am regular I will start praying for the luck to win the lottery at end of the week :)
I am spending a lot of time on YouTube trying to learn bass again.
This week I was thinking of music I heard first on YouTube. This is not that alternative a source anymore, as even mainstream songs are probably heard on YouTube first as it does remain one of the most consumed distribution medium. However here I am talking of knowing about the band or song completely on YouTube. Typically it is more about the band or collective's take on music rather than original numbers. In fact, as I write this I have decided to only cover covers here this week :)
Scary Pockets - Big Yellow Taxi (originally by Joni Mitchell)
While I don't like all the experimentation of Scary Pockets covers, I do like most of them, and outright LOVE quite a few. This is one cover I love. The fact that it is vocally lead by bass virutoso Tal Wilkenfeld is just cherry on top for me. I am a big fan of Tal Wilkenfeld and Mohini Dey when it comes to Jazz players and to see Tal take on vocal duties too was a pleasant surprise.
The original song by Joni Mitchell is a classic. A beautiful song where she speaks about the impact of non sustainable growth. Essentially it is a climate change song from way back in 1970. Alas we did not listen then, and we are sure not listening now.
Scary Pockets have put a funk spin on it. Funk is what Scary Pockets do well after all :)
All About That Bass - Postmodern Jukebox European Tour Version (originally by Meghan Trainor)
I have absolutely loved all of the Postmodern Jukebox covers. They have given great flavor to any song they have picked and their collaborations with singers, players, and tap dancers are all fabulous. However if I have to pick just one number for a fantastic production by them it has to be this one.
Everything about this production is fa-nta-bulous :)
They has already performed the cover of All About That Bass before and this was a reprise during their European tour. This one was the more power packed one though. Great vocals by all the three divas, Haley Reinhart, Morgan James, and Ariana Savalas. Casey Abrams starts the song off in a fantastic voice and then comes back to support Adam Kubota in a spicy bass solo.
As you can see a lot of things happening on top of one of my favorite fun songs. Well worth a watch and listen :)
NOTE: when researching for this post I noticed that Casey had a major surgery last year and is still in recovery. Will be checking for more news, but his site has a gofundme in case any of you are interested to help out.
Eva Noblezada - Take Me To Church (originally by Hozier)
This one is an interesting one. I heard this cover first before I heard the original. It popped up in my YouTube algorithm and it was from a series called Broadway at the Cabaret Performances.
The vocals of this performance just pulled me in. When I went back to the original it is very good too. The original is a critique of religion, especially the Catholic Church. The song is in a very indie singer songwriter mode and conveys the fragility and frustration of the singer's feelings on the matter. It speaks of the need for love, for freedom of choice, and of the hypocrisy inherent in organized religion. You can know more about his thoughts in this Genius video of the lyrics that Hozier hosts.
The performance I am sharing is the same song and the same lyrics. However the focus is so much more on the vocals. The style is so much like choir, like a worship song of this highest level, which when juxtaposition against the message in the song, as well as the whole Cabaret Performance angle, seems to be very odd - but it works!!! It works so well that it makes this version really stick in my mind! Eva Noblezada is a great singer, without doubt! ( In addition to being an actor and a Broadway star)
Check it out
Bonus
And here's a bonus for all you good folks. Another great cover, but this one was not found on YouTube first. This was a cover of "That's How I Got To Memphis" by Tom T. Hall
It is a beautiful number. A great country song about following your love. Also an allegory used in Newsroom by one of the main characters Charlie Skinner, highlighting Memphis is where you are at the moment.
The original is a very sweet song by Tom Hall, a great country voice. The cover is much more stripped down as it is enacted as a garage jam. However the context of the song in the show was heart-wrenching. It was the finale episode if I remember right. Charlie had passed away due to a heart attack and this was the wake in his house. Will McAvoy our main protagonist stumbles along to the garage, along with Charlie's younger grandchild, to see Charlie's eldest grandchild in their alone, on his double bass. It is clear the elder child is deeply affected by his grandfather's passing, and Will is aware of how close they both were. He remember Charlie being proud of his grandchild playing in the band and he even remembers that the kid like this song.
The speak about Charlie passing away and as Will noodles on the guitar he decides to play this song. Just a sweet jam, with more of the newsroom joining them. A perfect coda to a beautiful series. I still cannot watch this video without shedding a tear.
I have below the video with some of the dialogues in, do listen to them to get the full context. Hope you like it too.
Source
- All the videos are direct links to the videos hosted on YouTube by their creators.
- Top image is created by me using Open.Ai(DallE) I was trying for a fellow like me playing a bass :)