Let's talk covers. Not the artwork on top of a CD (although, that's another idea!), but those times when artists record a copy of another artist's song. I'll go through the ones I love, the ones I hate, and the ones that are "decent."
Favorites
Ryan Adams - Wonderwall - Probably my most-listened-to cover ever. Adams' smokey voice shows more understanding of the words than Oasis' original. Excellent pacing, interesting ornaments, and a calm, acoustic background that allows for more emphasis on the lyrics.
Eva Cassidy - Fields of Gold - Cassidy has a wonderful voice. Perfect pitch, solid range, great depth. It's not thin and it isn't uber thick (Norah Jones) that you can't tell whether she's in tune or not. She's 10x quieter than Sting was and manages to make this a rendition so unlike the elevator-musak-ish original. Her's is mesmerizing.
Richie Havens - Here Comes The Sun - Great, great, great. We've got quick guitar chords, Havens' monotonous, dark voice, and the great lyrics.
Eric Clapton - I Shot the Sheriff - Maybe it's that the original sucks and Eric Clapton puts the vocal part in a tolerable range for the rest of us (I can't help but laugh at the chorus in the original. And Mariah talks to the animals!?). Marley's is more soulful, but, the funk guitar mixed with the reggae feel (talk about eclectic!) in the background makes Clapton's an improvement.
Least Favorites
Norah Jones - Turn Me On - Such a sexy song when done right. Norah doesn't. It works in movies, but on its own, it's nothing special. It's solid and has a few new additions, but I'd take Simone's original over her's anyday.
Richie Havens - Rocky Racoon - For some reason, I can't stand this one. Just like Here Comes The Sun, it's still Havens, but the guitar is just waaay too different from the Beatles' original that it loses the feel.
Ani DiFranco - When Doves Cry - Eh. Pretty nice. Except, DiFranco goes a bit overboard with ornaments on this live rendition of Prince's original.
The Used and My Chemical Romance - Under Pressure - Fucking awful. David Bowie rocks, as does the original. This is just a lame imitation (like, EVERYTHING is the same) that's hogged by the Used's frontman with his out of tune, thin voice. It gets even worse when he extends the lines and adds in his own screams. Hell, in parts, the Used lead singer seems to be, like, insulting the original with the way he spits out certain lines. Seriously. There's like no respect on this otherwise carbon copy...
What say you? And, please don't say "Every Breath You Take" by P. Diddy.
It makes baby jesus cry.