23 April 2014 - Lucius - Closer

Here's New York indie poppers Lucius, doing their hipster thing playing Tegan and Sara's big hit Closer with two Casios, drum pads and a shaker while sitting at a dining room table. While I really liked the original (who didn't?), there's a certain bouncy simplicity to this cover that I can't help but enjoy.

21 April 2014 - Rachele Lynae - Chillin' It

Country up-and-comer Rachele Lynae's full-length, self-titled debut comes out tomorrow. You know I'll be badgering my mailman every day until it arrives. I already posted Rachele's cover of Karmin's Acapella, so I needed to find another song to feature today. I think I found a great one too. Here she is giving brand new life to the Cole Swindell hit Chillin' It. I'm lovin' it.



Be sure to join in on the CMchat goodness tonight at 6 PM PT/9 PM ET for Twitterviews with Rachele Lynae AND Craig Campbell! Just click on that link to follow in on the fun, or follow #CMchat on Twitter. Trust me, it's always a blast!

Aw heck, while we're at it, here's Craig Campbell playing Royals.

18 April 2014 - The Pretty Reckless - My Songs Know What You Did In The Dark (Light Em Up)

A friend of mine recently played me the new single by The Pretty Reckless. To be honest I knew nothing about them or their singer Taylor Momsen (who's also a popular actress), but I thought the song was pretty rockin'. I may even pick up their new album if I see it for a reasonable price. I recently checked out a couple of their videos and I stumbled upon this really cool acoustic version of Fall Out Boy's My Songs Know What You Did In The Dark (Light Em Up).



Jiminy Jillikers!

15 April 2014 - Little Mix - Word Up!

One of the funkiest songs of the 80's...... done by a girl group in 2014?

Yep.

Released in March 2014 for the Sport Relief charity (hence the very active video), these 2011 X Factor winners (the first group to win, by the way - even One Direction didn't accomplish that!) picked a great tune to cover.  And, even though these girls specialize in pop music, and clearly have to alter key and pacing for their genre, this cover says pretty faithful to what Cameo did, albeit a little brighter.


I know what you are all thinking. No way they are singing this. 

Yeah.  They are. 

14 April 2014 - Little Big Town - Elvira

Some bands just have a knack for not only picking great cover songs, but also making those songs their own. Little Big Town is one of those bands. It has to be those awesome harmonies. About a year and a half ago I posted their awesome cover of Lady Gaga's Born This Way. Today I present you with their slow-burn, bluesy take on The Oak Ridge Boys classic Elvira.



Be sure to join in on the fun tonight at 6 PM PT/9 PM ET for a special Twitterview with The Oak Ridge Boys at CMchat!

9 April 2014 - The Lumineers - Go Your Own Way

I love how The Lumineers totally made this Fleetwood Mac classic their own. I'm not saying that The Lumineers' version is better than the original, but sometimes simplicity wins out in my mind (I'm sure there's a joke in there somewhere, but I'm not smart enough to think of one).

8 April 2014 - Bonde do Rolê - (Brazilian) Boys Don't Cry

Sometimes, a mashup is all you need to spark a good cover.  Take the Bonde do Rolê song "Brazilian Boys".  It gets mashed in at the end of this cover, which is mostly a Cure cover.  It's not exactly like The Cure would do it - bringing in Bonde's traditional sound - but still remains faithful.  In a bit of a twist, the guys are doing the singing this time, and not Laura Taylor.  Which makes sense in this case, because they are saying No to a Gay Cure in this live festival recording.

4 April 2014 - My Chemical Romance - Common People

New Jersey's My Chemical Romance was one of my favorite modern rock bands of the 00s. Their 2006 epic The Black Parade is right up there on my awesomeness scale with Green Day's 2004 masterpiece American Idiot. When I saw that the now defunct band took a shot at covering the quintessentially English "Common People" by Pulp, I was intrigued. The song starts out sounding a lot like the original but then spins into a full-blast MCR classic after the first chorus.

2 April 2014 - Billy Ray Cyrus - These Boots Are Made For Walking

Country singer Billy Ray Cyrus (aka Miley's dad) released a brand new video today for his latest single Hope Is Just Ahead. It's a heartfelt song that begs to be heard. But before you check it out, hit the play button and take a trip back to 1992 with a cover (that is what we do here) off his debut album Some Gave All. Here's Billy Ray Cyrus' version of the Lee Hazlewood penned Nancy Sinatra classic -- These Boots Were Made For Walkin'.



Be sure to join in on the fun tonight at 6 PM PT/9 PM ET for a special Wednesday Twitterview with Billy Ray Cyrus at CMchat!

1 April 2014 - Lennon and Maisy - Ring of Fire & Ho Hey

Lennon and Maisy Stella are from Ontario.... in Canada. They're young and incredible talented country musicians.  Here they are, performing the June Carter-penned Johnny Cash classic.



Is there anything else I should be telling you about them?  hmmmmmm....

Oh yeah! They're also on a little TV show called "Nashville" on ABC. This cover of the Lumineers "Ho Hey" made it to the Top 40 on the US Country charts.  If you haven't watched the show, you should.  It's one of the best shows on network television.

And yes, they let them perform it on the Opry without Connie Britton's dialog, too.

31 March 2014 - Zac Brown Band - The Devil Went Down To Georgia

I'm kind of surprised that I haven't posted any Zac Brown Band covers here on Totally Covered. The dude has a knack for picking out some good ones. Hell, the first time I saw them they closed the show with Killing in the Name by Rage Against The Machine. A quick YouTube search unveils a who's who of greats that these Georgia boys have paid tribute to in concert, from Pearl Jam to Metallica and Billy Joel to Aerosmith. But today's video tops them all. Here they are at the 2009 CMA Awards playing killer version of the Charlie Daniels Band classic The Devil Went Down To Georgia. If your jaw doesn't drop by the end of this video I'm afraid to say the devil already has your soul.



Be sure to join in on the fun tonight at 6 PM PT/9 PM ET for a Twitterview with country legend Charlie Daniels at CMchat!

28 March 2014 - Danielle Bradbery - Try

It's hard to believe that it's been less than a year since Danielle Bradbery became the youngest champion on The Voice. Her fantastic self-titled debut was released in November and peaked at No. 5 on the country album charts, mostly due to the strength of and maturity shown on her remarkable first single Heart of Dixie. She's now on the road with Hunter Hayes' We're Not Invisible Tour. So yeah, I'd say it's been a whirlwind year for the 17-year-old Texan. Here's a video recorded at a We're Not Invisible Tour stop in Huntington, WV of Danielle performing one of my favorite Pink songs.

27 March 2014 - Sky Ferreira - Stand Back

This cover by Sky Ferreira of a Stevie Nicks staple is too good to NOT post, even without a video.

It's less rock and more electronic, but Sky gets rock, so it still works, perhaps even better than the original.



If you are one of those types that absolutely need a video, go to the 3:20 mark of this live performance by Sky.  And listen to the whole thing for two other songs!

25 March 2014 - MGMT - Voices Carry

It's a Tuesday, and since I have to wait 'til Tuesday to do my posts......

Featuring Caroline Polachek of Chairlift (and aka Ramona Lisa), here are MGMT doing this classic song, live.

24 March 2014 - John Rich - Amarillo By Morning

Y'all should know John Rich as one half of country good-time duo Big & Rich. Songs like Save a Horse (Ride a Cowboy) and Comin' to Your City at one time or another were everywhere (the latter is the official theme song to ESPN's College Gameday, so college football fans here that one often).

Here's a video of John Rich playing King George's beloved hit Amarillo By Morning from the George Strait: ACM Artist of the Decade All Star Concert in 2009.



Be sure to join in on the fun tonight at 6 PM PT/9 PM ET for a Twitterview with John at CMchat!

21 March 2014 - Dixie Chicks - Wrecking Ball

This live video of the Dixie Chicks playing Wrecking Ball last week in London found its way onto my Twitter feed yesterday and I knew I had to post it here before all of the other country blogs do and I end up looking like the copy-cat fraud that I usually am. First off, this is one of the finest covers of Wrecking Ball that I've heard (and I've heard a ton). Second, it's also no surprise as the Dixie Chicks can pretty much play any song and it will sound awesome. I like how they left their own subtle stamp on Miley's mega-hit while still staying pretty true to the original. I really do hope the Dixie Chicks tour the U.S. again. It's been years since "the unpleasantness." Don't you think it's time for country fans to forgive them, if they haven't already?

20 March 2014 - CHVRCHES - Team

Lately, both Scott and I have been enjoying the BBC Radio 1 Live Lounge covers.  So when I went looking for a cover today, that's where I went.  Specifically, I was looking for a cover of "Royals", by Lorde. 

What I found was this, a cover of Lorde's latest single by one of 2013's buzziest bands.  Lauren Mayberry's voice is a lot more delicate than Lorde's, and yet brings a different vulnerability to the tune.  It's a solid cover of a song that I didn't expect to find covered, by the perfect group to do it. 

17 March 2014 - Dropkick Murphys - I'm Shipping Up To Boston

Happy St. Patrick's Day people. I trust y'all will celebrate appropriately (lots of Guinness) and safely (cab or walk home). Let's get the party started with Boston's Dropkick Murphys. I guess technically I'm Shipping Up To Boston isn't a cover, but it's close enough, which works for me. To be honest, I had no idea that The Dropkicks took Woody Guthrie's words to I'm Shipping Up To Boston and turned it into one of their most beloved/badass songs. I'm sure glad they did too!

12 March 2014 - Selena Gomez - ...Baby One More Time

Two years ago, on this very day, I decided to "prank" Tony by posting a Britney Spears video at Wicked Guilty Pleasures to celebrate his birthday. Oops I did it Again last year too. Since today is a Totally Covered day for me, I say we all wish Tony a most happy birthday with Selena Gomez singing Britney's ...Baby One More Time.

)

11 March 2014 - Miley Cyrus - Jolene

I don't want to hear any more crap about how Miley can't sing and how she's just all about shock value and how she has no artistic credibility.  Anyone who doubts the pure musical skill of this woman - her ability to belt out an emotion-filled song.... originally done by country music icon (and her godmother) Dolly Parton.... and make it her own - is just ignoring the facts.

So, enjoy this pure, acoustic performance by one of pop music's greatest talents.

10 March 2014 - Katie Armiger - Guys Do It All The Time

Katie Armiger is a ridiculously talented 22-year-old singer/songwriter from Sugar Land, Texas. Her fourth album, 2013's Fall Into Me was one of my favorite albums of the year based solely on the first two killer singles - Better in a Black Dress and Playin' with Fire. The touching video for her latest single Safe is currently getting a ton of airplay on GAC (it hit No. 1 a few weeks ago and has been No. 2 for the last two weeks). While I would love to post the Safe video, it's obviously not a cover song (y'all go check it out on your own). Anyway, here she is playing Mindy McCready's Guys Do It All The Time.



Be sure to check out CMchat tonight at 6 PM EDT for a Twitterview with Katie!

7 March 2014 - Lorde - Everybody Wants To Rule The World

I've posted covers of Lorde's award-winning Roayls twice this year already. To be honest, even I'm getting sick of hearing new versions of the song (looking at you Springsteen). With that in mind, I was determined to find the young New Zealander playing someone else's music for a change, and it didn't take me long to find this awesome Tears For Fears cover which appeared on the Hunger Games: Catching Fire Soundtrack.

5 March 2014 - Beck - Need You Tonight

In 2009, Beck started a new musical project called the Record Club. The concept was pretty cool; Get some musicians together and record an entire album by another artist in one day. Today's video comes from their INXS Kick session. Taking the vocal duties for Need You Tonight are Annie Clark (St. Vincent) and Angus Andrew (Liars). Beck's Record Club also put their unique spin on The Velvet Underground's The Velvet Underground & Nico, Leonard Cohen's Songs of Leonard Cohen, Skip Spence's Oar, and Yanni's Yanni Live at the Acropolis. They recorded video for all of the sessions as well and they're pretty easy to find on YouTube so check 'em out if that's your sort of thing. Y'all know I'll be all over that Yanni record.

4 March 2014 - Postmodern Jukebox - Thrift Shop

What? What? What? What?

Postmodern Jukebox is the brainchild of Scott Bradlee, musical genius and jazz pianist, who reinteprets the songs of modern pop music in different styles.  When going with their cover of "Thrift Shop", by Macklemore and Ryan Lewis, ragtime seemed to be the right choice.

GUARANTEED that we will have a lot of future covers by these guys.  They're brilliant.

3 March 2014 - Luke Bryan - Bad Romance

Totally Covered is back baby after a 10-day break. I probably created more cobwebs in the ol' noggin' than I cleared out with my week in Punta Cana, so I assure you that I'll be as mediocre as ever while continuing to present y'all with some fun covers (remember it's all about the music). So as I stare out my window this morning at the snow falling down, knowing that in a few hours I'll be shoveling (a far cry from the beach, palm trees and swim-up bar that I had grown accustomed) there's only one thing that can pick me up...Luke Bryan covering Lady Gaga's Bad Romance!

*please note you get a snippet of Poison's Nothin' But A Good Time before Bad Romance starts.

19 February 2014 - Craig Campbell - Royals

So I was wasting time yesterday on TMZ (don't judge) and I see an "article" about Craig Campbell's country cover of Lorde's Royals. Wait. What? I do a quick check on iTunes and the song's been out since November.

1. Why am I just hearing about this?
2. Why am I just hearing about this on TMZ?

All questions aside, this is a very cool country cover (the crowd on hand during this performance appeared to be way into it) and it's good to see that the proceeds are going to a good cause. I normally don't buy singles (I prefer the whole album), but I'll certainly make an exception here.

14 February 2014 - Avril Lavigne - All The Small Things and Basket Case

Forget Valentine's Day, today's Pop-Punk Cover Song Day*. To celebrate we have the punky pop princess Avril Lavigne playing two pop-punk classics. First up is a sweet version of Blink-182's All The Small Things.



And now here's Avril playing a killer cover of Green Day's Basket Case.



*Pop-Punk Cover Song Day does not really exist...

12 February 2014 - Steve Earle - Pancho and Lefty

I almost never sign up for online contests, but I'm thinking I should do so more often. A couple weeks ago I entered a Facebook contest through our local concert venue to see the one and only Steve Earle. On Saturday, an email hit my inbox informing me that I had won (of course I did, why else would I be talking about this?). I was pretty psyched because I had previously decided to sit this one out after seeing him a couple times in the last few years (plus, I also thought it might be a good idea to save the $90 I would have spent for tickets, drinks and of course a cab ride home). Needless to say the show was awesome. I'm pretty sure he didn't play this Townes Van Zandt cover last night (long set and a couple pitchers of beer makes for a fuzzy night), but here he is playing Pancho and Lefty at the greatest record store ever Amoeba Music (I think this video was recorded at the Hollywood location).

10 February 2014 - The Head and the Heart - Go Your Own Way

Here's The Head and the Heart putting their own indie-folk stamp on what I personally feel is Fleetwood Mac's greatest song - Go Your Own Way (I know, way to go out on a limb there Scott). I would have liked to hear them make the song their own and change up the arrangement a little bit, but it's still pretty good.

5 February 2014 - Gaslight Anthem - State of Love and Trust

What we have here is Gaslight Anthem playing Pearl Jam's State of Love and Trust at the SiriusXM Alt Nation studio...and of course it's all sorts of awesome.

4 February 2014 - John K. Samson - Tournament of Hearts

Is this a stretch to call a cover?  Yes.

John K. Samson does a cover of the greatest song about curling ever written, "Tournament of Hearts" by the Weakerthans.   Of course, it isn't really about curling.  But it is. It certainly isn't about the Scotties Tournament of Hearts, which is going on right now.

So who is this John K. Samson?  He is the lead singer of a Canadian indie band called the Weakerthans.  But this version is different. 

3 February 2014 - Sheryl Crow - Rock and Roll

Here's Sheryl Crow doing a pretty ripping cover of Led Zepplin's Rock and Roll for those of you who need a bit of a pick me up on this post-Super Bowl Monday.

31 January 2014 - Mayer Hawthorne - Royals

I have to admit that I've never listened to Mayer Hawthorne before, but after hearing his soulful cover of Lorde's Royals I just may have to check out a couple of his records. This cover is just too cool.

30 January 2013 - RAC ft. Liz Anjos - Lovefool

The voice you hear is Liz Anjos. Her husband is André Allen Anjos, better known as RAC.  RAC used to be an artist's collective, but it's pretty much André now. Sometimes, wife and husband get together and do covers.  Here they are, doing The Cardigans.  Sorry there is no real video, but sharing this fun song was the greater priority.  More to the point, there is a free download of this song, available here.

29 January 2014 - Ed Sheeran - Baby One More Time

Well this is just all sorts of fun. Here's Ed Sheeran playing Britney Spears' Baby One More Time. It's safe to assume the rabid Taylor Swift fans enjoyed this performance during his opening slot on the Red tour.

28 January 2014 - Letters to Cleo - Cruel to Be Kind

From the movie 10 Things I Hate About You - which featured Letters to Cleo prominently - here are the house band, performing a happy - maybe too happy - cover of Nick Lowe's biggest hit.  The video is fan-made and not very good.  The song is peppy, though.

27 January 2014 - Lisa Loeb - Keep On Loving You

So one day I went on a search to find the most epic REO Speedwagon cover, if only so I could write, "most epic REO Speedwagon cover." Hell, I'm fairly certain no one has said "epic" and "REO Speedwagon" without a derogatory adjective tucked in between the two words in a long time. I could be wrong. But probably not. Anyway, I was hoping to find a boffo hard rock cover of Ridin' The Storm Out or an overwrought Can't Fight This Feeling, but no luck. Instead, we have Lisa Loeb (with guitar assistance by Dweezil Zappa) playing a true to the original cover of Keep On Loving You. It's good, but I'll still be on the lookout for a death metal version of Keep The Fire Burnin'.

23 January 2014 - Scott Weiland Band - Frances Farmer Will Have Her Revenge On Seattle

I heard Heart-Shaped Box this morning and pretty much knew I had to find a Nirvana cover today. I wasn't feeling any of the Heart-Shaped Box covers that I heard, but I did like this live cover of Frances Farmer Will Have Her Revenge On Seattle by former Stone Temple Pilot lead singer Scott Weiland. It's as straight-forward as they come and I have no problem with that as Scott does a pretty mean Kurt snarl.

22 January 2014 - Toad The Wet Sprocket and Grant Lee Phillips - Ziggy Stardust

Well this is a pretty cool live video for all you old-school alternative music types. Here's Toad The Wet Sprocket and Grant Lee Phillips playing a true to the original cover of David Bowie's Ziggy Stardust.

21 January 2014 - Kay Hanley - Slack Motherfucker

Wait, isn't that Letters to Cleo?????

No, not quite, but Kay Hanley was (is?) the lead vocalist of that great underrated Boston band who were really good live. Here she is, performing this radio friendly Superchunk classic song.

20 January 2014 - Ben Gibbard - Driveway to Driveway

Leave it to Death Cab for Cutie's Ben Gibbard to take the saddest Superchunk song and make it just a little bit sadder. Driveway to Driveway really works as a piano-driven song. Never thought I'd say that.

17 January 2014 - City and Colour - Nutshell

While watching this video of City and Colour playing a pretty fine version of Alice in Chains' Nutshell I couldn't help but think: "Who's this guy with the all tats? I wonder if he used to play in a punk band?" So I looked it up and City and Colour is Dallas Green formerly of post-hardcore band Alexisonfire. So then I wondered is it pronounced Alex Is On Fire or Alexis On Fire? It's Alexis On Fire. So yeah, I learned two things today. I think I need a nap now. Brain hurts.

15 January 2014 - Crystal Bowersox - Here's Where The Story Ends

So after six years of running my main "money" fantasy football league, I finally won this year. That championship brought me 11 CDs of my choosing (obviously, it's a real high stakes league). Among those 11 cds was All That For This by Season 9 American Idol runner-up Crystal Bowersox. I've only had a chance to listen to it a couple times, but I like it so far. What really surprised me was her unexpected and fantastic cover of one of my favorite songs by The Sundays. Here's a live version of Here's Where The Story Ends.

14 January 2014 - Miley Cyrus - Summertime Sadness.

Yesterday, Scott posted Bastille doing a Miley Cyrus Cover, from BBC Radio.

Today, I post Miley, doing a Lana Del Rey cover.  She does a faithful but still powerfully morose cover of this surprising hit song.

Will Scott keep the chain going?  We will see tomorrow!

13 January 2014 - Bastille - We Can't Stop

This Miley Cyrus cover by London synth-poppers Bastille is freaking brilliant. I think y'all will enjoy the tongue-in-cheek bridge they added which made an already awesome cover just a bit more awesomer.

10 January 2014 - Christina Perri - Hand in My Pocket

The follow-up to Christina Perri's breathtaking lovestrong album comes out in March. I can't wait to drown in her gorgeously expressive voice all over again. I heard Head or Heart's first single Human on the radio last week in my truck and I ended up sitting in my driveway, in the cold, until the song was over. The video was released a few days ago and it's stunning. But you'll have to go somewhere else to see that video because, well, it's not a cover. This video of Christina playing a solo acoustic version of Alanis Morissette's Hand in My Pocket will have to suffice.

9 January 2014 - Relient K - Motorcycle Drive By

Relient K tend to be a little irreverent, even in their Christianity.  So when they do such a reverential, lovely cover of a Third Eye Blind song, it's a little surprising.  This cover, which they pull out in their live shows, is surprisingly faithful, and not-so-surprisingly well done. 

8 January 2014 - The Lumineers - American Music

Here's Americana darlings The Lumineers playing American Music by the one and only Violent Femmes. As expected, the performance spirals into a big ol' freaking party. Just the way I like it.

7 January 2014 - Marina and the Diamonds - Boyfriend

It took me a long time to figure out what cover to post today.

And then I stumbled upon Marina Diamandis singing a Justin Bieber song.  Sure, it's a lot bigger when she sings it, and a much more emotional song..... but it's Bieber, no doubt.

Thank you, Marina and the Diamonds, for such a gift in this new year.

6 January 2014 - Jason Isbell and Dawes - Cortez The Killer

Jason Isbell was in my Top 10 Country Albums of 2013. Dawes SHOULD have been in my Best of 2013 - 10 Indie/Alternative Albums That I Liked List (let's say they came in at 10b). It got me thinking...I bet Jason and Dawes would sound really good together...maybe doing a Neil Young cover. Well what do we have here? Enjoy!

2 January 2014 - Christina Aguilera, Blake Shelton & Cee-Lo Green - Crazy

To open 2014, let's look at a live collaboration by the four judges of The Voice.  Because it makes complete sense that four musicians working together on a TV show would collaborate at least sometimes! (We are told that Adam Levine is here somewhere, too, but he doesn't seem to be a vocalist on this song)

As part of Gnarls Barkley (along with Danger Mouse), Cee-Lo Green originated this song.  However, it's really Blake Shelton and Christina Aguilera that take the lead in this version, recorded live in 2012. And there's no Danger Mouse to be found.   Cee-Lo does, at times, show off his guitar skills, which impressed me.   Enjoy!