Thursdays and Covers

[MP3] Florence And The Machine – Halo

Kudos to Florence and the Machine for keeping the buzz blisterin’ leading up to her debut LP Lungs (releasing next week). Aside from releasing an EP and garnering loads of attention, her skill of creating solid covers has done wonders to keep her name in ears. I still find myself spinning her stellar cover of Cold War Kids‘ “Hospital Beds” time and time again. Yet, now she takes a swing at Beyoncé’s “Halo” and, even though I’m not roused by her rendition, proves she still has large enough pipes.

[MP3] Chris Cornell – Billie Jean

I could probably include a different cover of a Michael Jackson song every Thursday for the rest of the year and still have more renditions than I’d know what to do with. Either way, it takes a certain skill or atypical twist to really make a Jackson cover stand out. I had almost forgotten about Chris Cornell’s Unplugged in Sweeden album, which contains a fantastic recording of “Billie Jean” amongst other fine covers. Cornell’s rendition is scintillating, performed at a slower tempo with his typical, expansive vocal range in tact.

[MP3] Beerjacket – Dancing In The Dark

Some of our Scottish readers are (most likely) very familiar with Peter Kelly, who performs under the pseudonym Beerjacket. I tip my hat to Jason, our Music Alliance Pact-making blogger from The Pop Cop, for sending Kelly’s rendition of Bruce Springsteen’s “Dancing In The Dark” to the ole’ inbox. It’s a great cover of classic Boss material and has prompted me to delve deeper into Beerjacket’s young catalogue – expect to hear more about the Scottish singer sometime soon.