All that you want, and more

It’s busy season for people recording cover versions, and those keeping track of them. It’s a much maligned artform, the cover, and indeed, more often than not it pales in comparison to the original version. This does not need to be. Some of my favourite all-time pop classics are covers: Marvin Gaye’s “I Heard it Through the Grapevine” was originally recorded by Gladys Knight & The Pips, and Otis Redding’s “Respect” arguably found its defining (female) form in Aretha Franklin’s recording. This blogpost highlights two striking cover versions #nowplaying on 22tracks: “Dear God 2.0″ by The Roots featuring Jim James (on the hiphop playlist) and “All That She Wants” by Chuck Norris (disco).

“Dear God 2.0” is an unusual record for several reasons. First, the original came out only a few months ago. To many people, it’s not all that familiar. Second, it’s in an entirely different genre (folk-pop) than The Roots’ style. Third, the original singer, Monsters Of Folk‘s Jim James, is making a star-reappearance. This may look like a strange way of working, but to the Roots crew it’s not. They did almost the exact same thing seven years ago with Cody ChesnuTT’s “The Seed”, turning it into their biggest hit, “The Seed 2.0“.

Anyway, here is the (beautiful) video for Monsters Of Folk’s “Dear God”:

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dzLJd-4ZpZ0

Chuck Norris is an alias for Norwegian disco god Todd “Terje” Olsen. His take on “All That She Wants” is of the kind where people cover totally uncool hits from the past. Except this cover is not a joke, or possibly even ironic. Zoning in on Ace Of Base‘s Scandinavian reggae touch, Olsen has produced a dubby, instrumental disco version of a bona fide ’90s classic that only needs to hint at the original version to put a huge smile on your face. If you need to have your memory refreshed, here’s Ace Of Base in 1993:

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SjJwqDa1QVI

Covers have become a marketing tool as well, peeking your interest with both novelty and the familiar. Two brands are currently distributing free cover MP3s. Dr. Martens has the likes of Dam-Funk and Buraka Som Sistema playing The Human League and Neneh Cherry. Levi’s had the same idea, and has hired (amongst others) Nas and Dirty Projectors to shine their light on Slick Rick and Bob Dylan, respectively.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VjqscEsNpvA

Giving you the tightest hold: Gyptian

Gyptian‘s “Hold You (Remix)”, now playing on 22tracks’ dancehall playlist, is the type of song you feel you need to sing along with after just a few seconds. Which can be tricky, as it’s in patois. Don’t worry, though, me fi dun a Google for yuh.

Sorry about that. Anyway, here’s the first few lines of the chorus: Gyal me wann fi hold yah / Put mi arms right around yah / Gyal you give me the tightest hold me eva git inna my life. Take it from there and don’t forget to hold up a lighter. If you’re fast, you can catch the original version of “Hold You” too, as it’s currently the last song on Waxfiend‘s playlist. Don’t worry though, the only thing different about the remix – “bad gal edition” – is a verse by New York rapper Nicki Minaj. Her appearance is another sign that Gyptian’s got a hit on his hands.

Gyptian AKA Windel Edwards from Saint Andrew parish in Jamaica, has released three albums in since 2006 and is due an international crossover smash. Let’s hope “Hold You” is it. The song, taken from his forthcoming fourth album of the same name, has already topped the Billboard reggae charts. It was produced by New Yorker (of Jamaican descent) Ricky Blaze and you can also find it on the new Ragga Ragga Ragga! 2010 compilation.

But what about the island itself? “My song dem always a tek off outside of Jamaica before getting any attention in Jamaica,” explained the singer to the Jamaica Observer. Here’s the video – hot gyal edition:

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O6SeD1xE7NA

Good people: Stephen McGregor

I must assume that DJ WaxFiend is really into the “Bad People” riddim, as four different versions are all #nowplaying at 22tracks’ dancehall playlist, which is updated by the Jamrock selectah. You can see where he is coming from, because “Bad People” is a highly charged production that stresses rhythm without sacrificing melody and even has some commercial potential. I mean, is it really so far-fetched to see someone like, say, Jason Derülo topping the charts with another one of his übercatchy pop-R&B songs laid on top of it? Whether it is or isn’t, it is unlikely anyone would ever top the energy levels that Elephant Man brings to his take on “Bad People”, titled “Run Dem Way”.

The track has been produced by Stephen McGregor, nicknamed “Di Genius” since he’s been churning out hit riddims from age fifteen. He is now twenty years old. The Jamaican musician is a son of reggae legend Freddie McGregor (“Big Ship”, “Push Come to Shove”, “Just Don’t Want to Be Lonely”), himself a very precocious singer when he joined vocal group The Clarendonians as a pre-teen in the Sixties! You could say, then, that music runs through the veins of the McGregor family. Stephen’s brother and sister are reggae/dancehall stars Chino and Shema. The fact that all three had early access to their father’s studio facilities (and Big Ship record label) probably helped, too.

McGregor senior on Top of the Pops in 1987:

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r2PIafZvUXQ

French DJ Selekta Seabass mixing up eleven different versions of “Bad People” on YouTube:

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O04QEwi4pxk