Following on from my post in July last year, below are some more cover versions I have worked on since that date.
13. Need You Now (originally performed by Lady Antebellum)
When Zack was my guitarist we would have jams together and we soon found out we both shared a love of Country music.
I'd been working on this song as a cover for a while but thought it would sound really good if I actually had someone singing the male part - Zack was totally up for it. Originally it was just Zack playing the guitar but he encouraged me to play as well. We sat in my living room one morning after a gig the night before and recorded our version of this song. We also performed it live on a number of occasions.
14. Rabbit (originally performed by Matt Duke)
I am almost 100% sure this was recorded another morning after a gig in my living room. Zack knew the song and he was really keen that we record it. I think I learned it on the same day we recorded it. I'm sure Zack will correct me if I'm wrong.
15. Whiskey Lullaby (originally performed by Brad Paisley & Alison Krauss)
In finding out we had a love of Country music, Zack and I also found out that this extended to a specific Country music star - Brad Paisley. I suggested we cover this and, I believe, we recorded it on the same day that we recorded "Rabbit".
16. I Wanna Be Free (originally performed by The Monkees)
After driving radio presenter, Iain Lee, mad over Twitter, I finally managed to get him to have me on his radio show on BBC Three Counties Radio by bribing him with a Monkees cover.
I picked Zack up the night before to stay on my sofa as we would be having an early start with our journey to Luton to the studio. We learned the song that night!
I was really nervous and Zack actually managed to calm me down (not an easy task)!
It was such a surreal experience and it was over way too quickly. After performing the cover, Iain Lee actually said it was better than the original AND it brought a tear to his eye. The proof is below!
It comes in at 6 minutes 23 seconds but feel free to listen to the whole interview.
In finding out we had a love of Country music, Zack and I also found out that this extended to a specific Country music star - Brad Paisley. I suggested we cover this and, I believe, we recorded it on the same day that we recorded "Rabbit".
16. I Wanna Be Free (originally performed by The Monkees)
After driving radio presenter, Iain Lee, mad over Twitter, I finally managed to get him to have me on his radio show on BBC Three Counties Radio by bribing him with a Monkees cover.
I picked Zack up the night before to stay on my sofa as we would be having an early start with our journey to Luton to the studio. We learned the song that night!
I was really nervous and Zack actually managed to calm me down (not an easy task)!
It was such a surreal experience and it was over way too quickly. After performing the cover, Iain Lee actually said it was better than the original AND it brought a tear to his eye. The proof is below!
It comes in at 6 minutes 23 seconds but feel free to listen to the whole interview.
17. Somewhere Only We Know (originally performed by Keane/Lily Allen)
This is the first cover version I performed with my whole band after a gig rehearsal with Zack, Anthony and (at the time our new bass player) Clare. We entered a competition to have our version of this song dubbed over the top of the John Lewis Christmas Advert that had Lily Allen's version on it. The winners would go into a studio to record their version and then it would be dubbed over the advert on Christmas Day.
Unfortunately, we didn't win but we still think we did a good job - 717 views later (at the time of writing) it can't be bad!
18. Jeremiah (originally performed by Starsailor)
This is the latest cover I've done. As part of my pledge campaign to fund my next EP, one of the rewards was a YouTube Dedication. The pledger could choose the song and it could be one of my original songs or it could be a cover version.
One of my best friends, Esther, pledged for me to do this song because it was about her younger brother. Her brother was killed in Germany and there's been a massive cover-up. No one knows what exactly happened or who did it. It's such a tragic story. Read more about it here.
Esther thought the song would suit me and also the fact that the anniversary of his death was imminent, it was a fitting tribute.
I actually spent a week (a few weeks before the anniversary) trying to get in touch with James Walsh, the lead singer and songwriter of Starsailor, to see if he would perform the song with me but unfortunately I was unsuccessful.
I gave it a good attempt myself and Esther keeps telling me how amazing it is and she much prefers my ending!
I hope you enjoy this latest instalment. As there are more pledges for YouTube dedications via my pledge campaign, you can almost guarantee another batch of these before the end of the year.
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