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Thursday, January 26, 2017

Covers

This week, we're looking at covers. A 'cover' is best defined as a performance of a song that was performed by someone other than the original performer.



Below is an example of a cover of The Chainsmokers "Closer," performed by Boyce Avenue, featuring Sarah Hyland.



Find a video of a cover of a song that you like. The song must be appropriate. Describe the video's musical elements in 5-6 sentences. Include a link to the video. No two videos can be the same. When you make your post, be sure to double check your spelling and grammar. All of this is due by 11:59 pm on Friday, February 3rd.


40 comments:

  1. I love covers of songs. I watch them on youtube and instagram all the time and it's so cool to see other people's renditions of some of my favorite songs and even new ones that i find while looking. Just last week BET came out with a 3 part story/movie about New Edition and the covers of those songs were amazing. The ones as children were good and the ones as adults were even better. My favorite one of their covers was "Is This The End". I really liked that we saw the transition and the difference in their tone from kids to adults was so crazy but blended so well. The guys that played in the movie were so good and i loved their version and the runs that were put in it. #melaninmagic #chocolate https://youtu.be/elXruGh5oSM - Jamiah Givner

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  2. I think some of the best songs that people listen to end up being covers. They bring new meaning to the song sometimes and they sometimes sound better than the original. The song that I chose was "Hallelujah" with Rufus Wainwright covering it. When Rufus sings this song, he really shows emotion. He is also playing the piano while singing it, and he plays it very well. Rufus's voice is just so unique and it has its own tune that people strive to have their whole music career, so I believe that Rufus and Hallelujah mix very well.Rufus Wainwright has also done many covers to various types of songs such as "Zing! Went the string of my heart" that I believe was originally sung by Judy Garland.

    -Michaela Knighton
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQUYuPwGchI

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  3. Covers are a great way for people that don't have original music to express themselves. It is also a great way for people to show others their ability to sing. Although some covers are not the best, I think that this cover done by Kiana Ledé is beautiful. This cover is not just one song, it is a mash-up. She starts with Justin Bieber, then Mario, then Ne-Yo, then Mario again and ends with Justin Bieber. In total, that is three songs. Kiana did a great job with putting her own spin on the songs. The pianist did good with supporting her voice and the dynamics that she wanted to accomplish. I honestly think that this is one of the best covers that I have heard in a long time.
    link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1pvn7-M0Qlw
    -Monique Thomas

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  4. One cover I really enjoy is the one by the sister duo Chloe x Halle. They performed Beyonce's "Pretty Hurts". They did an amazing job. They put their own twist on it without changing it too much. I love when they harmonize. I love how it was acoustic. Their voices are so powerful and beautiful, they just prove why she made them her protégés.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uPwuduhx0vw
    -Lindsey Kilgore♡

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  5. I chose William Singe, of course, because he has the best covers on Youtube. And I chose "Lay Me Down" because this was the first song I heard by him, and I've been hooked every since. At the time I heard this cover I thought it was the best and most organized cover I have ever seen. But now that I see his most recent stuff , this cover wasn't his highlight. In the video ,though, he sounds really good, and the runs are on point. He shows dynamic changes which gives the cover some life. If it was up to me I'll choose William over Sam Smith any day.

    -Breuna Lewis
    https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=dYYrlhMZsCE

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  6. ~LaTayvia Walker
    I really enjoy listening to covers. Sometimes a cover ends up being better than the original in my opinion. One that I really like is an acoustic cover of Boyz II Men’s Water Runs Dry by Boyce Avenue. They do amazing covers as well as original songs, which is how I first found out about them. The singer in this cover is accompanied by a guitar, which is played beautifully by them. In this song, I love how every part is balanced and nothing is overpowered. Everything just blends together nicely. The pitch and volume are perfect throughout the entire song. Overall this is an amazing cover of a great song.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dpUBL6S7Hrw&list=PLinozSlfivFvn1HWHgPeuVaKcBL_Vusdw&index=4

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  7. The cover that I chose is by Christopher Maloney. Christopher Maloney performed the song " The Rose". Christopher has that type of voice that just gives you the chills. I mean u could feel the meaning and the connection he had with the song just by the way he was singing. Some people did not like the shakiness in his voice but I loved it. To me the shakiness just made the song even better. All in all Christopher did an amazing job.
    -Brittney Adams
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z7UKOiGym0U

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  8. The band Disturbed's " Sound of Silence" cover was great. I felt the impact of the imagry in the video and the lyrics. I loved how the tempo moved the song and invigorated me. The singer really put power in his voice while singing with both a low and high voice. Even the the music video that showed the instruments and the writers was powerful. It was well choragraphed with the words strengthening the imagry in the video. This one stands out especially being able to be nominated for a Grammy.
    https://youtu.be/u9Dg-g7t2l4
    -Arlend

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  9. The cover I chose is by Tori Kelly. The song she covered is "Thinking About You" by Frank Ocean. I personally like this because when she sings, it brings some type of connection. She puts a lot of power in her voice when she singing this song.In addition, the song talks about thinking about someone that you really like.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ANQl-Sbwpo
    -MaryJane Oji

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  10. The song I chose was Brian McKnight "Anytime." Daniel de Bourg did the cover. His voice is really smooth. The way he delivered the song was great. He gave the song a new personality. His range and vocal control is impeccable. Also, he made the song his own.

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  11. The song I chose was Brian McKnight "Anytime." Daniel de Bourg did the cover. His voice is really smooth. The way he delivered the song was great. His facial expressions added to the detail of the song. He gave the song a new personality. His range and vocal control is impeccable. Also, he made the song his own.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xDBXFnKb1F0
    ~Kennon Watkins

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  12. The cover i chose was by Ericka Guitron singing Love On The Brain by Rihanna. I hear this song various times throughout the day on the radio but listening to different voices sing the same song with their own way of singing is always a pleasure to me. From the cover i selected, the lady is playing the piano while singing the song from memory. It impressed me how she changed some of the notes up and made the song her own. Her voice was very smooth and she sang it with much emotion as if she had a story to be told. Overall, i liked the cover by Ericka Guitron more than the original version by Rihanna.
    https://youtu.be/VNusDwV_LKU
    -Jazmine Thomas

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  13. The song I chose was Cheerleader by OMI. The group,Pentatonix, did a cover for this song. I love their group and all their songs because they are so unique. Everyone has different parts which showcases the talent they have and they sing it acapella, which makes it even more enjoyable to watch. They all have amazing voices and you can tell they have worked hard in the video to put it together. Overall, the cover of this song is amazing, I can watch it all over again.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P95_pCbCPZw
    ~Katherine Miles

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  14. I enjoy listening to covers because sometimes they are better than the original. The cover I chose was "Rehab" (done originally by Amy Winehouse) sung by an A Capella group called Straight No Chaser. Straight No Chaser is a group of guys who met in college and started an A Capella group in 1996. The guys put so much energy into the song and the lead vocalist is really into the song. It is clear that the group puts 110% effort into making the song enjoyable.
    ~Ellie Hataway

    Rehab by: Straight No Chaser
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YtXMH9f5Qsw

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  15. My favorite cover is Beyonce's "Pray You Catch Me" performed by Alex Aiono. I love his vocal range. I also admire the song in general. Even though her whole album was LIT, I really LOVE that one particular song. In the video, Alex is playing the keyboard along with a "beatpad". His cover to this song was the best I've ever heard.

    https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=VDoeUOH2T2E

    ~ Ayanna Stewart

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  16. A cover I really enjoyed listening to was by Savannah Outen. She did a cover of the song “Unsteady.” The song “Unsteady” shows the hard time the group X ambassadors were going through. Savannah put the “struggle” into her voice like they did. The song itself is excellent. I just feel like she made it better. From just listening to the song I could understand some of the things they were going through. I feel like the song is a cry out for help . She did an excellent job on singing this song.


    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OYiza_boS6g

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  17. I have been watching covers of songs ever since I started to watch youtube. I believe that with covers they really allow the original artist's song to come to life. I know plenty of people on youtube who cover songs -Alex Aiono being one of my favorites- however, this time my favorite was a Sam Smith cover done by Jessica Sanchez. The dong that she is singing is " Lay Me Down ". Her voice with this song is done so amazingly it literally makes no sense how beautiful it is. She says the song with such emotion and passion, and you can also just hear her voice and it feels you up with something that is hard to explain. Usually, I am against singers who use runs so much, but for Jessica I will accept it because she sounds so great. The piano in the background really brings out her voice and if I could, i would listen to it everyday.
    https://youtu.be/PfCAa8kPFKk
    ~ DeAndrea Jones

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  18. One of my favorite covers that I enjoy listening to is by Whitney Houston. She performed a cover of the song "I Will Always Love You." Although a lot of people today don't know this, but this isn't Whitney Houston's song. This song was originally sung and written by Dolly Parton as a farewell to her one-time partner and mentor Porter Wagoner. However, Whitney Houston recorded a cover version of this song for the 1992 film The Bodyguard. I would believe that this song is originally Whitney's because she sung it so beautifully and with so much power that it didn't hit the top records until she did the cover of this song.

    https://youtu.be/TiH0LoCPXnI

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  19. Some of our most favorite songs are covers of an original song. What I think makes covers so special is the way the original song is reimagined. The way the cover artist performs it gives it a different feeling. It makes listening to the cover and the original like listening to two completely different songs. An example of this is, Fantasia Barrino's cover of "Summertime" originally performed by Abbie Mitchell in the Broadway opera Porgy and Bess. The cover is profoundly different than the original in the way that the cover had more gospel influences and the original has more jazz influences. Also the song versions sound different because of the era difference. Abbie sang her song for her era and Fantasia sang for her era. I also think the cover is so great to me because I have a sentimental connection to Fantasia. Though, without a doubt both songs are equally good in their own right.

    https://youtu.be/zGnak9GsiOY

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  20. My favorite cover at the moment is "Don't You Worry Bout A Thing" performed by Tori Kelly in the movie 'SING!' and originally sung by Stevie Wonder. I love how she makes the song her own work of art without straying too much from the original recording. She keeps the same style in her version along with the group chorus at the end along with keeping the original melody the same with a few embellishments. Tori Kelly's voice was perfect for this song because of the amount of soul she possesses. I love it mainly because, she's freaking brilliant vocally for sure. And I'm so glad she's finally getting the recognition she so rightfully deserves.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vNYKddzlVEU

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  21. I really like the Keke Wyatt's cover of "OUI" by Jeremih. She is vocal goddess, her runs, riffs, and vocal technique is amazing. She never ceases to amaze me with her vocal dexterity. She altered the melody a little to fit her style of singing by the basis of the song was the same, as well as how she sung it. Her vocal technique is everything that I aspire to be, I only wish I can be as great a singer as she is.

    ~Zykira Bell

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2lQoKpldssY

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  22. I am a really big fan of a capella music, and gospel songs. You have to be very talented to showcase your vocals without a track, and Joy Nicole does it best. One of my favorite covers by her is "Order My Steps," performed by GMWA Women of Worship. She did a collage video with her singing back-up and lead. Not only does this show how she is very patient with herself, but it shows how she is a one woman show. Her voice is very powerful, and her range is impeccable. She tries to mimic that version of the song, but not only did she master that style she put her twist on it and exceeded the very definition of an amazing singer.

    -EliJah Guidry

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JHC7ASrzZRc

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  23. I have a thing for cover like I probably listen to cover more than the original song. One cover I really enjoy is Birdy- Skinny Love it is a cover from the originally sung by Bon Iver. This song starts out with the beautiful chords of a piano and a beautiful melody. Birdy starts off the song in pianissimo . It continues and it is a nice forte to mezzo forte with strong tone. It is gorgeous and you can feel every meaning of the lyrics as she sings. I love this song and her voice and this is one of my favorite covers.

    https://youtu.be/aNzCDt2eidg

    -Zeniah Lee

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  24. The song I chose was "And I am Telling You" by Jennifer Holliday. She Originally did this song in the Dreamgirls Broadway cast. Then in 2006 the Broadway cast was made into a movie and Jennifer Hudson did the cover of this song in that movie. She put so much power and feeling into the song, just like Ms. Holliday, that it gave me chills when i heard her singing the song. Jennifer Hudson was the best person to do the cover of this song because she is a well experienced singer.

    hhtps://youtu.be/QsiSRSgqE4E

    Kristin Richards

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  25. I love to watch covers. Many times the covers are better than the original song. One of my favorite covers is Dangerously in love by beyonce sung by Glamour. The lead soloist did a wonderful singing the song. The runs she puts into the just makes it ten times better than the original. I love when Beyonce sung the song but glamour did better. The two back uo singers did an amazing job in harmonizing with the lead vocalist.

    -Ariana Evans

    https://youtu.be/j80fxfRYEdI

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  26. The song I chose was "Tonight" from "West Side Story". The woman covering it is Audrey Virginia Proulx. She has a very nice, soft sound in her voice. Additionally,she seems and sounds very passionate about the song, which I like. Her high notes sounded a bit off, however other than that, I enjoyed it. She has a unique, relaxing voice. This song is a more jaunty, jittery song, rather than a sad, slow song. I could feel the emotion she put forth while recording this cover.


    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GNW3-nU6XV4


    ~Veronica Conely

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  27. I have a thing for cover like I probably listen to cover more than the original song. One cover I really enjoy is Birdy- Skinny Love it is a cover from the originally sung by Bon Iver. This song starts out with the beautiful chords of a piano and a beautiful melody. Birdy starts off the song in pianissimo . It continues and it is a nice forte to mezzo forte with strong tone. It is gorgeous and you can feel every meaning of the lyrics as she sings. I love this song and her voice and this is one of my favorite covers.

    https://youtu.be/aNzCDt2eidg

    -Zeniah Lee

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  28. LaTrell Huitt
    I really enjoy Joy Nicole’s cover of “Melodies from Heaven” by Kirk Franklin! To me she had character/expression which made the video fun to watch. The thing that makes this cover video different from others, is the way that hers is made up, with each of the different voice parts sung by her. Joy added her own style to the song, and that added a whole lot of flavor, because it’s original! This is one of my favorite covers, mainly because she looks like a normal person having fun and not a big super star performing for money.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T674H2Ktkwg

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  29. I really like the Jade Novah's cover of Adele's song "Hello", you can almost tell how well she's going to sing when she starts singing. Novah used the original melody orchestrated by Adele for a majority of the song, when she's not singing it, she is singing an alternate melody altogether. Novah even inserts a little piece of another song towards the end because its pretty much saying the same thing as thing as "Hello" and it gives a different effect to the song.


    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WEz901pp9mM

    ~Emiaya Kirk

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  30. Keke Wyatt's cover of "Pillowtalk" by Zayn Malik. I just like how she sings how she sings it because she is a R&B Singer so this style of singing was very different for her to me, but she made it work for her. I love how she blended this style of singing with her R&B feel via adlibs, riffs, and runs. She sounded really good and I honestly love to watch her covers, they're always really good.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fq_2n-ITVSY

    Lindsey Smiley

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  31. There are many great artists out there who can perform songs well. However other people can put their own flair on their songs to make it even better. One famous group that does this is Pentatonix. Their vocals are among one of the best in the world. One of my favorite covers from them is If I Ever Fall in Love Again.
    https://youtu.be/WbV8htgtbfs

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  32. I really enjoy listening to Alice Kristiansen' s cover of "Somebody Else" by The 1975. She has a beautiful and gentle voice that in my opinion only adds to the song. I honestly prefer her version of the recording over the original, which probably sounds unusual. I love the fact that she only uses the piano creating an acoustic and intimate sound and vibe. Her version of the song didn't stray to far from from the original but she did spice it up in her own way and making it hers.



    https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=aH-qETCiD-M



    Kerrityn Knight


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  33. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPQNbTPb-F0

    I really enjoy this cover of Hello by Adele. This girl has a skill for imitation when I comes to singing. She sounds very similar to Adele when she sings. She put alot of emotion into her singing she had he eyes closed the whole time to really imagine and express those emotions. I love the blending of her voice with the live instrumentals. Her dynamics were soft and solemn matching the song perfectly.

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  34. One of my favorite covers is "Let It Go" done by Caleb Hyles, originally sung by Indina Menzel on the movie "Frozen." This video is full of crescendos and descrescendos. His range is absolutely amazing, going from very low to higher notes. This video is also very significant to me because I personally know Caleb. He is an amazing singer and his cover is amazing.
    -- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kohD5z5mE0E

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  35. The song "Home" covered by Diana Ross is a song that express emotions through song. Diana Ross engulfs you into the song with her emotion of a place that she long for a place where she can be brave and great. Songs makes you think of times in your childhood. The song let you know you can do anything especially when you have people who love supporting you.

    https://youtu.be/dslpHxTuA-w

    ~ Jahmai' Williams

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  36. I love Candice Glover's cover of "I Who Have Nothing" which she sung while competing on American Idol. I love how she loses herself in the song and sings with a lot of emotion behind her words. She paints the picture of loving someone that loves someone else. She begins acapella and then the music comes in. She also alternates between different dynamics throughout her performance and that also adds to the overall effect of her performance. To give insight on just how good she is, she won her season of American Idol.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VpgWD9SOsxo

    Jordan Davis

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  37. I love La'Porsha Renae's cover of "Like I'm Gonna Lose You" is one of my favorite

    covers .I love how she makes the song her own . She sings so effortlessly and she

    is a natural singer. She alternates between different dynamics while singing . This

    song is full of crescendos and decrescendos . She also has great posture , diction,

    and stage presence . She is a great singer with talent.

    http://youtu.be/lMcDk_gAob8

    Tamiaha Blackshire

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  38. The cover I choose was Chloe and Halle "Down In The DM" by Yo Gotti. I like the song because it shows the female perspective. These sister have performed with Beyonce and have been on multiple tours. Last year thee girls officially signed with Beyonce label. The cover expresses the ranges of the girl voices while aloso showing off their great harmonizing skills. They are very talented girls who play their own instruments in almost all their covers.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ddzZD9rsE3k
    Zion Forbes

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  39. The song I've chosen for this blogpost is "I Will Survive" by Gloria Gaynor. It is a very inspiring song in my eyes. Gloria does a fantastic job of showing her emotion and passion with the lyrics. The beat and/or instrumental really compliments her voice. She is an amazing singer, and this song is one of my favorites. The tune is fantastic. It's an older song, but it is still one of my favorites.

    https://youtu.be/ZBR2G-iI3-I

    ~Veronica Conely

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  40. The song i have chosen is If i were your Man by Bruno Mars. It was covered by the group "Fifth Harmony. I chose this cover because when i was younger i use to love them. I remember my friends and I would attempt to sing like them. I love the way they sang this song,they blended together very well. I also admire the way they made the song their own and song it in such a creative way.
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?V=l8tEcMjV_zE
    Aerial Hutchinson

    ReplyDelete