Take Cover

A.A. Bondy, “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry” (Hank Williams)
John McCauley, “I’ll Never Get Out of This World Alive” (Hank Williams)

This one time, I played a Hank Williams III song on my radio show, and forty-five seconds in, had lost all 12 of my dedicated listeners. Every. Single. One. It wasn’t pretty, to say the least. Not that 12 is a whole lot of listeners, but things went from bad to worse in the short span of a few countrified, twangy guitar licks. The WGTB listenership doesn’t have too much respect for honky-tonk country, it seems, but maybe there’s more tolerance for the work of grandaddy the O.G. Hank Williams– an intriguing, legendary character in American lore and the patriarch of a talented country dynasty. Read More »

by Caroline Klibanoff

Bob Dylan is immensely coverable, one of the most covered-artists ever, in part due to his prolific catalog but also due to the nature of his songs, which are easily melded into a new arrangement (even by Dylan himself). Though I am ceaselessly faithful, approaching Weberman-like levels, in my loyalty to Dylan’s original work (because even sometimes the President of the United States must have to stand naked) I also think there is room for more voices in a way that only adds to his initial creation (because he not busy being born- and reborn- is busy dying). Some of his covers have become more well-known than the originals, like Hendrix’s “All Along the Watchtower” or The Byrds’ “Mr. Tambourine Man.”

I love Joseph Gordon-Levitt like most people love Zoe Deschanel: shamelessly and with abandon. So naturally when I came across this gem, a casual home-recorded (yeah right… only because there’s obviously a fully equipped studio in his home) version of Tom Waits’ “Blind Love” off the quintessential 1985 album Rain Dogs, I was elated. But then came the fear. What if it was bad? What if he couldn’t sing, or didn’t get Waits’ whole thing, and butchered the song like some other actors I could name? This could be tragic. Read More »

For the record, “Tracks of My Tears” is the best go-to karaoke song probably ever, and I’m calling dibs for whenever WGTB holds our first karaoke contest. While the genius (and steeeez! check out their uniforms in the video below) of Smokey Robinson and the Miracles is hard to top, it has become a popular song for artists to work into their live catalog, especially as a convenient segue into another song: see Gavin DeGraw’s “Cupid” and Elvis Costello’s awesome rendition of “Alison” with the London Philharmonic. And I can’t deny that I harbor a secret love for the Boyz II Men version. Seriously, it is smooth, even if their dance moves are ridiculous. Read More »

This week’s cover is a little bit of a cop-out for anyone who knows me only because this was hands down my favorite album of 2009 and I talked about it non-stop then. Well, it’s still incredible, especially considering what it is– an tribute album. Phosphorescent, which is essentially Matthew Houck and friends, released To Willie modeled after Willie Nelson’s tribute to Lefty Frizell, To Lefty From Willie. And Willie has quite a few covers up his sleeve as well, from the subpar to the surprisingly nice. But not only is Phosphorescent’s rendition of “Can I Sleep In Your Arms” a lovely version of an already-tender song, it stands on its own two feet as one of the most beautiful, heartbreaking pieces of recorded music I’ve heard in a long time. The simple arrangement, gentle percussion and a capella intro manage to build a fullly-fleshed-out, all-encompassing sound. Listen below, and catch the original here:

– Caroline Klibanoff
“Melodious Intoxication,” Thursdays 12-2 pm on WGTB