Tag: Covers (91-100 of 135)

Apr 12 2010 11:53 AM ET

Roberta Flack almost loses her Beatles tribute album in a taxicab

roberta-flackImage Credit: Dan MacMedan/WireImage.comSoul great Roberta Flack is working on an all-Beatles covers album under the working title Let It Be Roberta. Sounds like a disc worth hearing! Yet the world was nearly deprived of that possibility when Flack left her in-progress recordings in the back of an NYC taxicab last month, per The New York Times. (Full disclosure: A friend of mine penned that Times item. I tried and failed to think of a “Killing Me Softly” headline pun for him this weekend. Maybe something about newspaper taxis would have worked better?)

The story ends happily: Flack’s cabbie was located and duly returned her missing suitcase full of Beatles covers, at which point Flack rewarded him with “a big, big, huge tip.” Whew.

Now that this incident has brought the existence of Let It Be Roberta to my attention, I really want her to finish recording so I can hear it. Anyone with me? Which Fab Four tunes do you think Flack could do the most with? I bet her smooth, heartfelt vocals would sound very nice on “Sexy Sadie” or “For No One” or “If I Fell,” to name three at random…

(Follow the Music Mix on Twitter @EWMusicMix.)

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Roger Waters will take Pink Floyd’s The Wall on the road: Pros and cons of buying a ticket?
Drake’s new “Over” video: Watch it
Actor Alessandro Nivola: His Music Mix playlist
‘Green Day: Rock Band’: We’ve got a preview plus the exclusive 47-song track list!

Mar 31 2010 09:00 AM ET

'Glee' Exclusive: New details on the crazy upcoming Lady Gaga episode

We already knew that the Glee kids would be tackling Lady Gaga in their back nine episodes, set to begin airing on Fox April 13. But now we actually can tell you which Gaga tunes to get the choral overhaul: “Bad Romance” and “Poker Face.” The latter of the pair will be tackled by Lea Michele’s Rachel. Says creator Ryan Murphy, “Lea does a very stripped-down version of ‘Poker Face.’” Meanwhile, “Romance” sounds like a much more elaborate number, with the glee club actually donning Gaga-esque wardrobe for the performance. “I do know that we’re all different Lady Gagas, and at one point I am the Kermit the Frog Lady Gaga,” says Michele, referring to this crazy ensemble worn by the pop star. “I saw a picture of the Kermit the Frog Lady Gaga with a Post-It on it that said ‘Lea.’ I was like, oh, great. Everyone else has incredible Lady Gaga outfits and I have that one.” And it sounds like producers are making sure the costumes are up to par with the real Gaga’s eccentric wardrobe choices. Says Chris Colfer, who plays Kurt, “The outfits are gonna be incredible. All the costumes are outrageous and legit. I actually went to the tailor this morning who makes the real Gaga outfits. They’re going all-out.”

Are you excited, Music Mix-ers? Did the Glee producers pick the right Gaga songs? What would you have chosen?

(Follow the Music Mix on Twitter: @EWMusicMix.)

More from EW.com’s Music Mix:
Lady Gaga announces new album details: ‘It is the anthem for our generation’

New Christina Aguilera, ‘Not Myself Tonight’: Listen and weigh in here!
Usher goes ‘OMG’ with will.i.am in new video: Watch it here
Justin Bieber goes to heaven in ‘Never Let You Go’ video: Watch it here

Mar 29 2010 10:09 AM ET

Paramore's Hayley Williams covers Lady Gaga's 'Bad Romance'

Lady Gaga covers: Everyone’s doing them! Including Paramore lead singer Hayley Williams, 21, who shot a piano-based take on “Bad Romance” and posted the clip via Twitter yesterday. Not bad at all.

“Playing ‘Bad Romance’ on the piano and pretending to be @LadyGaga,” Williams tweeted before liberating the video. ”Why haven’t I ever done this before? Most fun I’ve had in ever.” And, later: “feel a bit crazy posting this… but you asked for it! my apologies to miss gaga. love, your friend, lady haha.”

Watch Hayley’s (er, Lady Haha’s) “Bad Romance” after the jump and see what you think.

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Mar 8 2010 03:40 PM ET

Bird and the Bee cover Hall & Oates' 'Sara Smile': An EW exclusive stream

bird-and-the-beeImage Credit: Brigitte Sire When multi-instrumentalist and producer Greg Kurstin (he’s worked with everyone from Britney and Kylie to Lily Allen and Little Boots) and singer-songwriter Inara George, a.k.a. indie-pop duo The Bird and the Bee, take on a covers album, they aim high. Like, Hall & Oates high.

The third full-length from the duo (dog in pic not included) will be the faux-loftily titled Interpreting the Masters, Vol. 1: A Tribute to Daryl Hall & John Oates, featuring their take on H&O classics like “Maneater,” “Rich Girl,” “Private Eyes” and the exclusive-to-EW ballad “Sarah Smile.” Stream it below, two weeks before the official March 23 release date:

Did they master the Masters? Tell us in the comments section, below.

More from EW.com’s Music Mix:
Remembering Sparklehorse frontman Mark Linkous: 1962-2010
The Diet Coke Oscars ad, and the song that won’t die
Raekwon and Ghostface bring Wu-Massacre to NYC
Beastie Boys’ Adam Yauch talks health, album plans
Animal Collective transforms NYC’s Guggenheim Museum with trippy “Transverse Temporal Gyrus”
Kanye West visits The Cleveland Show: EW’s exclusive first look!

Feb 25 2010 12:55 PM ET

Opera singer Renee Fleming tackles Muse, Arcade Fire, and more: Intrigued?

Renee-FlemingImage Credit: Andrew EcclesRenée Fleming is an accomplished soprano who’s well respected in the opera world. Verdi, Handel, and Strauss are the type of composers she’s typically associated with. On her new album Dark Hope, though, Fleming is taking on songs by alt-rockers like Muse, Arcade Fire, and the Mars Volta. It’s a risky proposition, but it could pay off — Fleming certainly has the vocal strength to make a song her own.

Check out the track list for Dark Hope after the jump. The album is due this spring. Do you think you’ll check it out? Which of Fleming’s covers are you most looking forward to hearing? Can opera and rock mix?

READ FULL STORY »

Feb 2 2010 12:00 PM ET

Hear Simon Cowell's Haiti benefit single, 'Everybody Hurts': Miley, Mariah, Susan Boyle, and more sing the R.E.M. classic

He may kill dreams weekly on Idol, but there is a good heart beating beneath the grinch-y proclamations and shrink-wrapped black t-shirts of Mr. Simon Cowell.

The man used his bi-contintental power to gather an all-star cast on “Everybody Hurts,” a largely faithful cover of R.E.M.’s beloved 1993 ballad. Among the stars who appear below: Leona Lewis, Mariah Carey, Miley Cyrus, Jon Bon Jovi, Rod Stewart, Kylie Minogue, Mika, Michael Buble, James Blunt and several names that will probably resonate much more with readers whose wallets are full of Euros, not dollars (Gary Barlow, Cheryl Cole, Westlife):

Either way, you can still give in the spirit of the cause to Cowell’s designated charity here, or to any number of respected institutions. In the meantime, tell us which of the current charity projects—including the A-list overflow “We Are the World,” various live benefits and Dave Matthews’ new EP—you’re most enjoying; not just for the do-goodery, but for their own sake.

More from EW.com’s Music Mix:
“We Are the World” for Haiti benefit features Barbra Streisand, Celine Dion, Jennifer Hudson, Kanye West, Justin Bieber…
Taylor swift collaborator Butch Walker on their much-discussed Grammy performance
Lady Gaga and Elton John: What did you think?
Taylor Swift and Stevie Nicks’ Grammy duet: out of sight, or out of tune?
Grammys pay tribute to Michael Jackson with help from his kids: A fitting salute?
Grammys: the complete list of winners

Feb 1 2010 08:59 AM ET

Major Lazer trash-talks, covers Beyonce's 'Halo' with help from Elephant Man

Oh, Diplo, you joker. The Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance went to Beyoncé’s “Halo” last night, one of six trophies she took home — more than any female artist ever. Producer/DJ Diplo’s erratically capitalized response via Twitter: “SERIOUSLY CANT BELIEVE beyonce won a GraNNY when My VErSiOn of HaLo with elefant man + @majorlazer is SoOO MUCH BETTER!” Diplo even included a link to download his conceptual dancehall project Major Lazer’s cover of “Halo,” with lead vocals provided by Jamaican star Elephant Man, right there in his tweet. If you add the MP3 to iTunes, the artist will be listed as “Diplo shoulda won grammy.” Ha ha.

Putting Diplo’s prankish commentary aside — because I don’t think anyone including him could seriously argue that the three dudes behind this cover deserved Best Female Pop Vocal Performance over Queen B — this version of “Halo” is…okay. It stays fairly close to the original, except with Elephant Man growling instead of Beyoncé belting the verses. I’m not hearing the kind of irresistible, innovative beats that Major Lazer guys Diplo and Switch usually bring to the table, though. Is this “Halo” cover fun? Sure. Necessary? Not particularly.

Use Diplo’s Twitter link to check out Major Lazer’s “Halo,” then sound off: Are you glad Diplo leaked this cover? Do you think he’s in a position to be talking trash about Beyoncé’s Grammys?

(Follow the Music Mix on Twitter: @EWMusicMix.)

More from EW.com’s Music Mix:
Taylor Swift wins Album of the Year: Did the Grammys get it right?
Lady Gaga and Elton John: What did you think?
Taylor Swift and Stevie Nicks’ Grammy duet: out of sight, or out of tune?
Grammys pay tribute to Michael Jackson with help from his kids: A fitting salute?
Grammys: the complete list of winners
Grammys backstage report: which star ‘thought I was going to fall on my nude butt’?

Photo credit: Albert L. Ortega/PR Photos

Jan 20 2010 04:57 PM ET

Rihanna covers 'Redemption Song' for Haiti on 'Oprah'

Rihanna stopped by this afternoon’s episode of The Oprah Winfrey Show, which was devoted to the disaster in Haiti, to perform a cover of Bob Marley’s “Redemption Song.” You can download her live cover now from the iTunes Music Store for $1.29, with proceeds going to the Hope for Haiti Now telethon that she and others will participate in this Friday. So how was it?

Not bad. Rihanna stayed true to the feel of Marley’s original at first, taking the song as an acoustic dirge with a mournful organ part. By the time she got to the second verse (“Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery”), though, she had shifted the tempo and arrangement in a more upbeat direction, where they stayed through the song’s conclusion — making “Redemption Song” into a Rihanna tune, in other words. As for Rihanna’s singing, she’s never had the strongest live voice, and her limitations showed here at times. But given the somber context, it felt appropriate for her voice to crack slightly.

Did you watch Rihanna on Oprah? What did you think of her “Redemption Song”? Download it from iTunes, then let us know.

(Follow the Music Mix on Twitter: @EWMusicMix.)

More from EW.com’s Music Mix:
Animal Collective, Jay-Z win Pazz & Jop ‘09 critics’ poll
Vampire Weekend tops the albums chart
Stephen Gately: Is new Boyzone video a fitting tribute?
Susan Boyle talks to Oprah about her hospitalization

Dec 31 2009 11:30 AM ET

Flaming Lips cover Pink Floyd's 'Dark Side of the Moon' album; results are surprisingly awful

It should come as no surprise that the Flaming Lips have covered Dark Side of the Moon in its entirety—they’re clearly indebted to (and in love with) the tripped out, experimental side of Pink Floyd. What is a surprise, however, is that their retooling of the album is tedious and unsatisfying.

The album opens with punk icon/activist Henry Rollins reciting the interview snippets that begin the original Dark Side (he even provides the requisite maniacal laughter), but his straight-faced readings of these well-known phrases (“I’ve always been mad”) sound like bad community theater. When the group delves into “Breathe,” they recast the tune as an energetic Krautrock jam, but Wayne Coyne’s odd stop-start vocals don’t match the propulsive backing band.

Speaking of backing bands, Stardeath and the White Dwarfs (headed by Wayne’s nephew, Dennis Coyne) assist the Lips throughout the album. The best song on the record, “Time/Breathe (Reprise),” is attributed solely to them on iTunes, so they don’t ruin their developing reputation. They actually imbue “Time” with some much-needed muscle, and the tape-looped cough they add to the song is a nice Steve Reich touch.

For “The Great Gig in the Sky,” electro-rock provocateur Peaches shows up to squeal a rendition of Clare Torry’s famous wordless vocals. Her performance is funky but not fresh—it’s a fair attempt to make it her own, but she fails to hit the listener on a gut level.

The absolute worst moment on The Flaming Lips and Stardeath and White Dwarfs with Henry Rollins and Peaches Doing the Dark Side of the Moon (yeah, that’s the full name of the album) is “Money.” The Lips turns the Dark Side’s biggest hit into a plodding, tuneless waltz with irritating vocoder vocals—it’s rare to hear a song sound so mechanical and cartoonishly dopey at the same time. Take a listen to it after the jump:

READ FULL STORY »

Dec 30 2009 05:29 PM ET

Who needs a whole choir to make 'Glee'? This guy can belt out a duet all by himself

A lot of us here are stoked about the release of Glee’s first thirteen episodes on DVD (I can finally skip the fake pregnancy subplot!), but we’re also left wondering what we’re going to do without a reliable dose of singing and dancing teenyboppers in our lives, at least until the show returns in April.

Well, if you want more Glee in your life, why not make it yourself? That’s what YouTube sensation Nick Pitera has done: The 23-year-old has the jaw-dropping ability to sing pitch-perfectly in a smooth male croon and in a falsetto that, well, sounds like a girl’s voice. And a fabulous one at that.

You have to hear what he does to believe it. Pitera covers Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’” and sings it just like it appears in the Fox series’ first episode—that is, he does it as a male-female duet. And as you can see in the split-screen video below, this computer-animator-by-day performs both parts himself. If you close your eyes while he alternates between vocal registers, you would swear it’s two separate people—of different sexes—singing.

You can also check out Pitera’s take on Glee’s cover of Bill Withers feel-good-classic “Lean on Me,” where he yet again belts out the boy/girl sections with equal aplomb.

So what do you say? Have you heard Nick Pitera before, (his “Don’t Stop Believin’” cover is up to one million views, so somebody has to be watching), and what do you make of his singular talent? And if you still aren’t wowed, check out his cover of “A Whole New World” from Aladdin. You won’t dare close your eyes.

More from EW.com’s Music Mix:
Simon Cowell, music industry destroyer? The ‘Grinch’ fires back at critics
What are YOUR year-end top 10 albums and singles?
The ultimate 2009 mashup
The most watched YouTube videos of 2009
The 10 most played holiday songs: How is Mimi’s ‘All I Want for Christmas’ not on here?

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