the covers series: umbrella & jolene
Often there will be a hit song that turns into everyone's favorite thing to cover for a while. This year, that song was Rhianna's "Umbrella". I find it endlessly amusing, and I just discovered these a few weeks ago, so up they go! I don't actually have that much to say about any of them - the music says it all, in this case.
Amanda Palmer - Umbrella
She has a ukelele. The end.
Clint Michigan - Umbrella
Soft and dreamy.
Lillasyster - Umbrella
What if a Swedish metal band decided to cover it?
Scott Simons - Umbrella
An indie synth version that is reminiscent of Death Cab For Cutie.
Vanilla Sky - Umbrella
An interesting rock cover. The production is much higher than you usually get from a rock cover. There's a lot happening, and it's put together very well.
Plain White T's - Umbrella
Acoustic and quite nice.
Dolly Parton's "Jolene" is another song that gets covered a LOT. And it's another song that lends itself well to a variety of genres.
The White Stripes - Jolene
I heard their cover before I'd ever heard the original, and fell in love. Of any artist to play this song, The White Stripes will always be my favorite (though picking a version was hard, because they play it a lot, and I have at least three different ones). Their interpretation is gritty and passionate. Also, a lot of bands stay away from covering songs with obvious pronouns. Not the case here.
Mindy Smith - Jolene
My second favorite, after The White Stripes. She has the most gorgeous voice, and the instrumentation is perfect. It's folky, but not in any way overstated as such. It's the kind of song where all the parts blend together and support one another.
Queen Adreena - Jolene
A rough techorock version. There are these subtle supporting vocals during the prechorus that are sometimes hard to notice, but always awesome.
Susanna And The Magical Orchestra - Jolene
This is almost music-box-esque. Simple and gentle.
10,000 Maniacs (w/ David Byrne) - Jolene
I really love Natalie Merchant's voice, so discovering this was a dream come true. It's gorgeous, but not quite soft. And there's violin. This is a slow burn kind of song.
Let me know if you take em, let me know what you think, let me know if there are problems... the usual.
Amanda Palmer - Umbrella
She has a ukelele. The end.
Clint Michigan - Umbrella
Soft and dreamy.
Lillasyster - Umbrella
What if a Swedish metal band decided to cover it?
Scott Simons - Umbrella
An indie synth version that is reminiscent of Death Cab For Cutie.
Vanilla Sky - Umbrella
An interesting rock cover. The production is much higher than you usually get from a rock cover. There's a lot happening, and it's put together very well.
Plain White T's - Umbrella
Acoustic and quite nice.
Dolly Parton's "Jolene" is another song that gets covered a LOT. And it's another song that lends itself well to a variety of genres.
The White Stripes - Jolene
I heard their cover before I'd ever heard the original, and fell in love. Of any artist to play this song, The White Stripes will always be my favorite (though picking a version was hard, because they play it a lot, and I have at least three different ones). Their interpretation is gritty and passionate. Also, a lot of bands stay away from covering songs with obvious pronouns. Not the case here.
Mindy Smith - Jolene
My second favorite, after The White Stripes. She has the most gorgeous voice, and the instrumentation is perfect. It's folky, but not in any way overstated as such. It's the kind of song where all the parts blend together and support one another.
Queen Adreena - Jolene
A rough techorock version. There are these subtle supporting vocals during the prechorus that are sometimes hard to notice, but always awesome.
Susanna And The Magical Orchestra - Jolene
This is almost music-box-esque. Simple and gentle.
10,000 Maniacs (w/ David Byrne) - Jolene
I really love Natalie Merchant's voice, so discovering this was a dream come true. It's gorgeous, but not quite soft. And there's violin. This is a slow burn kind of song.
Let me know if you take em, let me know what you think, let me know if there are problems... the usual.