Halo

I was hoping to at least get in a song a month, oh well, better late then never.
I think I kept putting it off because I wasn't sure what I wanted to do. Too many covers out there to choose from. I've been working on a couple 80's cover CDs so I thought about doing that, but which song to choose then too?
Couple days ago my son Ben had been playing with an old phone. This old phone has a music player with some songs on it, mostly to entertain the baby, she likes music already :) Anyway Ben kept playing Beyonce's song Halo over & over. I think because it has the word Halo in it. If you know my boys its all about the video game Halo at my house. Halo is a ring like structure that was used by an ancient alien race to eradicate certain life forms. The game follows future soldiers to defeat a different alien race from controlling the Halo and wiping out the humans. With me?
In Beyonce's song she of course talks about the ring around someones head, indicating righteousness, heavenly or something.
I've heard way too many youtube covers of her song. I do have one in particular I liked, which I will share. A gal by the name of Lotte Kestner did a simple version. Almost too simple, too plain. In listening to the first verse I almost turned it off thinking "boring". But I endured, and was rewarded for it.
It's just her and a slow picking guitar. Like I said the song is pretty basic until she transitions into the chorus. Here she goes into the upper register with a sweet little bravado then just a slight produced melody. From then on she has you captivated in her sweet, little, "boring" rendition and interpretation.
So with the song Halo and the video game Halo I thought I would mix the two and see what we get. Slow sweet song mixed with fast alien fighting action.

Don't think twice its alright

Last cover song of the year, better make it good! We got a little preview for next years release of "chimes of freedom" Bob Dylan's 4 disc tribute. Adele of course contributes her cover of To Make You Feel My Love, which I could post, but we've all heard it before.
I'm going to post a song by an artist I don't really care for. I don't own any of her songs,which she sold alot, but just didn't hit a chord with me. She's a wanna be Lady Gaga I think, kind of a freak, not really a good voice for anything like that either... Until I heard this song...
Bob Dylan's original is of course just him, an acoustic guitar and a harmonica. Kesha's version is even more stripped down, almost acapella. I think the only other music is a low cello in the background. Which leaves room for Kesha to have to carry the song with only her voice. To my suprise she does, and does it greatly. I never knew she could sing, her songs are all pop and heavily produced.
Towards the end of the song its hard to tell, she either is sniffling from a cold or maybe she's emotionally involved and that brings on the tears n sniffles?
Either way sounds great I think. Here you go with Kesha's cover of Bob Dylan's "Dont think twice its all right".

I wish I had a River

So, its Christmas cover song time.
Everybody has their favorite Christmas song(s). When you listen to the radio you hear the same thing thats been played for 50+ years. Some people will tell you Nat King Cole's The Christmas song is their favorite, or Bing Crosby's White Christmas, ect...
Me personally, I like the less conventional songs, or the non traditional pieces.
Some of them may include Brandi Carlile's The Heartache Can Wait, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy's cover of Mr. Snow Miser or Ray Charles' That Spirit of Christmas to name a few.
If I had to choose a favorite though I think it would be River by Joni Mitchel. Which I believe I heard somewhere it really wasn't meant to be a Christmas song, but ended up being that way.
There are some good covers out there, there are some mediocre ones out there too.
Here are some of my favorite covers of Joni Mitchel's River:
Rosie Thomas, Amie Mann, Angus Stone and believe it or not Robert Downey Jr. Thats right Ironman himself sang the song on an episode of an Alley Mcbeal TV show. So they put it on a Christmas album.

Two for Tuesday

Back in high school there wasn't much to do. In a way it was like the 1940's where people gathered around the radio and listened to shows. Me & my friends would listen to the radio, for music though. At the time the 'pop' station we listened to had a different segment every night. 'New music Monday', they played a new song. 'Two for Tuesday' they played 2 songs by a certain artist, I believe Wednesday was 'sing for your suggestion',you called in and sang a line from a song, if the DJ liked it he played your request. Can't remember Thursday. I think Friday was 'Friday I'm in love', where you call in and dedicate a song or something. I remember at least once during the program someone would dedicate Ugly kid Joe's song "I hate everything about you". Funny stuff, we tuned in for that mostly, see who was gonna get the 'hate' song.
Anyway, I can't think of Tuesday without thinking "Two for Tuesday". for some reason maybe that was my favorite. Maybe I remember it the most because nothing was going on Tuesdays and I caught that program the most?
So today is a Two for Tuesday! With the release of Evanescence's new self titled album I had to make adjustments to some of my mixed Evanescence CDs I listen to in the car. Neither of these 2 songs are from that CD ( which is good by the way )but I had to add 3 slow songs to my slow songs CD. Since I was re-burning the mix I added 2 other songs that were not on the original slow mix CD. Here are those 2 songs, both covers, both just Amy Lee.
1st comes from the movie Nightmare Before Christmas and the CD "A nightmare Revisited". That CD is kinda cool. Amy covers 'Sally's Song'. On that CD Marilyn Manson does an awesome version of 'This is Halloween'. Here is Amy Lee with Sally's Song



2nd is off the 'Muppets:The green album' titled Halfway down the stairs.

I couldn't remember the song from the muppets so I had to youtube it. Then It came back to me. Here is the original video from the muppets that had this song.

Everybody Hurts

So R.E.M. announced they are splitting up, the band is no longer. Which comes as a suprise cuz I thought they were threw along time ago? Hadn't heard anything new or good since the early 90's.
Their album Automatic For The People is probably in everyone's collection. That was/is one of the best albums ever I think. From that album came one of my all time favorite songs, Everybody Hurts.
I thought about using the Corrs' cover version they did from an MTV Uplugged session. But alot of people know that one, so I went deeper and found this ditty by someone named Frida. Its not that big of a deal. She's not that great of a singer, the arrangement isn't anything to fuss over, but its by a woman and a piano which is different from the original by a man and guitars.

Closer

Doing a little something different this time around. Still a cover, but a couple instrumental versions.
Kings of Leon's Closer is a fantastic song! It has a sound and feel to it that reminds me of the old days living at home when I'd sit on the floor in my room and listen to music. I had only the glow of the stereo lights, usually the headphones were on, leaning up against the bed. I can't think of the songs it reminds me of, all I know is that it takes me back to that spot for some reason. Or before turning on the dirt road to go home I'd go strait up a different dirt road where you'd climb a little hill and have an overlook of Bridger Valley. I'd go there sometimes, sit on the hood of the truck and blast some tunes.
There's just something about being isolated with just you and a stereo.
Anyway, thats what I get from this song. The mood, the spooky feel, the lyrics just hit a cord somewhere.
There are thousands of covers of this song, some good, alot bad. I found a group 'The piano tribute players' that do nothing but cover songs, by you guessed it-piano.
They did a couple of kings of Leon songs. I loved their version of Closer. Even though there is only one instrument playing you still get the overall feel of the original song, that darker, listening alone mood to it.
Next version of Closer is another instrumental version, but this time acoustically covered. The group is Guitar tribute players, wonder if they are the same people as the piano guys? They use a violin along with guitars and although you don't get the dark/spooky mood I love from the piano and original its still good and has its own qualities. This version makes me think of driving through the desert for some reason, still kinda lonely but different.
I have tons of covers I wanna do, but when I sit and decide which to post I just blank. Or when I'm driving and hear one I think I'll do that, but then forget what it was.
I added the original song by Kings of Leon in case you haven't heard it before, so you get what I mean.

I Saw Red

In rememberence of Jani Lane, lead singer of the 80's hair band 'Warrant'. I submit this "part 2" or covering of their own song I saw red.
Its just an acoustic guitar and Jani singing. The original if you don't remember was a Classic power ballad. This version was a B side to another Warrant cassette single I picked up back in the day. Huh,huh cassette singles. I still have my giant collection of them, crazy. I loved the B sides.
Anyway, Warrant's acoustic versoin of I saw red: